Sanatorium Medea, Tskaltubo, Georgia

Sanatorium Medea, originally named Sanatorium Tsekavshiri, is an impressive ruin of a Soviet-era spa in the district of Tskaltubo in western Georgia. Built in the Stalinist Empire style during the late Soviet era, it opened in the early 1960s. It is an iconic building, with its grand façade of blue-hued columns and arches marking it as one of the most monumental health retreats of its time.

I explored Sanatorium Medea and many other of the Tskaltubo ruins during my 2022 journey through Georgia.

History of Sanatorium Medea in Tskaltubo (The Soviet Spa Town)

Tskaltubo was a premier spa town during Soviet rule, celebrated for its radon–carbonate springs that were beneficial for circulatory, nervous and skin ailments. The Soviet state policy guaranteed paid leave for workers, alongside spa and bathhouse access at these wellness resorts. Granted city status in 1953, kickstarting a period of frantic construction of many of these grand spas. In its heyday, the town hosted up to 125,000 visitors a year. Visitors typically arrive by train, travelling from Moscow and beyond.

Constructed between 1957 and 1962, Sanatorium Medea designers are F. Focxishvili and A. Intskirveli. At full capacity, it welcomed up to 326 patients through its columned entrance to enjoy the mineral water treatments and leisure spaces. Out of all the Tskaltubo spas, it was the grandest.

The dissolution of the USSR in 1991 brought an abrupt end to the spa town of Tskaltubo. After the outbreak of the Abkhazian war in 1992, around 8,000 refugees arrived in Tskaltubo. Many were housed in the vacant sanatoriums, and many remain as long-term residents today.

Architecture & Layout Of Sanatorium Medea (Sanatorium Tsekavshiri)

The impressive front entrance of Sanatorium Medea greets you as you approach from the southeast. The monumental façade of blue colonnades and arches is a clear legacy of its Stalinist Empire roots. The building exudes an imposing, classical style.

This sweeping columned entrance arcade leads to a triple-height foyer. From there, the corridor forks into two main wings; the corridors house some small treatment rooms as well as the guest rooms. Several stairwells link the floors in these wings; the ornate balustrades and curved bannisters that once adorned them are long looted.

Inside, there is still much to discover. From wide stone staircases and ornate plasterwork to tile floors extending along vegetation-choked walkways. The rooms are totally gutted, empty. The building bears the scars of time: peeling paint, collapsed ceilings, and debris littering the floor. Nevertheless, even as a ruin, this space remains undeniably photogenic.