The once grand spa town fell into ruin after the collapse of the USSR in 1991
Tskaltubo, nestled in the Republic of Georgia, was once a bustling spa town renowned throughout the Soviet Union for its therapeutic mineral waters. During its golden era, it attracted hundreds of thousands of Soviet citizens annually, who were sent there on state-sanctioned spa holidays.
The resort's fame reached such heights that even Stalin had his preferred sanatorium where he would frequently visit. But with the fall of the USSR in 1991, Tskaltubo's sanatoriums faded into obscurity and decayed over the years.
Now, the once-thriving tourist hotspot is barely visited, and the remnants of its opulent spa resorts and grand mansions stand as dilapidated relics.
"There were around 22 sanatoriums here in the Soviet era," Lasha Kutateladze, a local from Tskaltubo and a guide at Budget Georgia, told the BBC.
He elaborated: "Trains would arrive from all over the USSR. Tskaltubo has more than 2,000 natural springs, and the mineral water is so special they used to claim that people arrived in wheelchairs and left on their own feet.", reports the Express.
Currently, Tskaltubo's deserted streets have become a magnet for 'dark tourists', who explore the vast, abandoned sanatoriums and hotels.
The area is also known for its population of street dogs, which often accompany visitors on their explorations.
Eerie photographs offer a window into what was once dubbed the "Riviera of the Soviet Union", now surrendered to decay. Among these images, one can spot a frieze of Stalin within an old bathhouse.
The once-thriving Sanatorium Medea in Tskaltubo was particularly known for its mineral water and spa facilities. Even Stalin was said to have a house nearby the hotel.
Today, the structure stands as a testament to the past, shrouded in greenery and lost to time. What was once a gem of Soviet opulence now serves as a nostalgic backdrop for newlyweds from surrounding areas, who pose for photographs amidst its striking remains.
While the town of Tskaltubo still bears remnants of its glory days-such as the dilapidated train station, with crumbling floors overgrown with ivy and rusted tracks that once welcomed daily trains packed with holidaymakers and Moscow workers-fresh attempts have been made to breathe life into the wider town.
Despite years of inactivity, the town is still inhabited, and the revamped Tskaltubo Spa Resort remains operational, as do some recently opened hotels and restaurants. A pledge made by then-Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in 2012 to make Tskaltubo the "best place in Europe" within four years has yielded minimal progress 13 years on, casting uncertainty over whether the town will reclaim its former grandeur.
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