Sanatorium Meshakhte (Shakhtiori), Tskaltubo, Georgia

Sanatorium Meshakhte, also known as Sanatorium Shakhtiori, is one of the most beautiful abandoned ruins in the spa town of Tskaltubo, western Georgia. Built during the Soviet period, it was part of the state-run vacation and health retreat resorts for which this town was renowned.

I visited Sanatorium Meshakhte during my 2022 Georgia & Armenia Road Trip. While in Tskaltubo, I explored many of the abandoned spas and hotels spread across the town.

Tskaltubo during the USSR Spa Tourism Boom

Tskaltubo rose to prominence during the Soviet period as a major centre for balneological treatments. The town’s radon carbonate springs were believed to assist with circulatory, nervous, and musculoskeletal conditions. From the 1930s onwards, the Soviet state invested heavily in the town, constructing sanatoria, bathhouses, and parks and developing the supporting infrastructure. Workers from across the USSR travelled here, staying for several weeks on state-subsidised health packages. At the peak, more than 100,000 visitors each year would arrive by train from all over the USSR.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the investment that had sustained Tskaltubo for so long suddenly disappeared. Simultaneously the funding dried up, and visitor numbers fell dramatically. The sanatoria and hotels closed one by one, and the town fell into relative obscurity.

Some of the spa buildings later housed people displaced by the Abkhazia conflict, and many continue to live in these old Soviet-era structures.

History of Sanatorium Meshakhte (Sanatorium Shakhtiori)

Construction of Sanatorium Meshakhte was a project of architects G. Khimshiashvili and G. Melegi, opening in 1952. When the hotel underwent reconstruction in the late 1980s, it expanded its capacity from 250 beds to 350.

The name of this hotel reflects the guests; the name translates to “Miner’s Sanatorium.” The sanatorium primarily served miners, particularly those working in manganese extraction in towns such as Chiatura. Due to the physical demands and health risks associated with mining, this sanatorium offered tailor-made, state-funded treatment plans for this sector. These included an on-site clinic equipped with medical and diagnostic offices. Workers likely underwent mandatory check-ups during their stay, and the sanatorium laboratories processed their samples. These offerings would be in addition to the bathhouse treatments and organised leisure activities at other facilities in the town.

The sanatorium remained in use until the early 1990s; like other resorts in the town, it closed down in the aftermath of the USSR collapse.

Architecture and Layout of Sanatorium Meshakhte

Sanatorium Meshakhte is a four-storey concrete structure with a symmetrical plan, a long, slightly curved central block and two shorter wings. The entrance level of the facade features an interesting melding of styles. There is classic Stalinist Empire architecture on the upper two floors, a tall sweeping arcade supported by tall slender columns. Below this, at the entrance level, is a more organic style that stands in stark contrast. Ornate scalloped arches, multi-lobed, draw inspiration from mediaeval Georgian church architecture and Islamic-influenced stone carving.

The large main staircase is bright and airy, with carved dark wood balustrades and stone steps. The galleries are supported by marble columns. There are many accommodation rooms, all stripped bare. Additionally, there are some more ornate communal spaces which are more interesting to photograph than empty rooms.

Illustrious (or infamous) guests – Stalin’s Ballroom

The most beautiful space here is the old theatre, which also served as a ballroom. Built as a 300-seat hall, which also had an adjoining library. Above the stage, a red Soviet star. The room features a grand vaulted ceiling adorned with richly ornamented plaster mouldings. The room is bright, flanked on both sides by tall arched windows and glass doors that lead out onto the exterior balconies.

There are stories that even the upper echelons of the Soviet elite attended the summer social events here. There are tales that even Joseph Stalin himself danced on the polished wooden floors of this ballroom on more than one occasion.

What will become of this space?

At the time of my visit, Sanatorium Meshakhte was under private ownership of an overseas millionaire with plans to open a hotel and casino here (so the stories go).