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Gallery|Poverty and Development

Growing up and growing old in Georgia’s abandoned sanatoriums

Sanatoriums were given nicknames depending on which types of Soviet workers were sent there.

Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
A couple stand atop Sanatorium Medea in Tskatulbo, Georgia. This columned sanatorium remains popular with couples on dates and wedding parties for photoshoots. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
By Taylor Weidman
Published On 9 Sep 2019

Tskaltubo, Georgia – During Soviet times, Tskaltubo was an extremely popular holiday destination, famed among the Russian elite for its unique radon-carbonate mineral waters and grand sanatoriums.

Direct trains connected the resort town to the capital Moscow and former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin even kept a dacha nearby.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the declaration of Georgian independence in April 1991, the sanatoriums lost their steady stream of Soviet visitors.

As tourist numbers dropped, the sanatoriums were forced to shut down, and the impressive buildings were abandoned.

Shortly afterwards, Abkhazia declared its independence from Georgia and a bitter war ensued, marked by allegations of ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Georgians were displaced from Abkhazia, and many found themselves living in the abandoned sanatoriums of Tskaltubo.

At first, Nodari Kometiani, 80, enjoyed his beautiful new home. But as the situation dragged on for years, furniture and equipment were sold off, facilities fell into disrepair, and fires and floods further damaged the buildings.

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According to Kometiani, “Life used to be great when we first moved in and the building was in good condition. Now I’m not sure if something is going to fall on my head”.

Combined with a lack of economic opportunities, residents soon realised these sanatoriums were not fit for long-term habitation. For years, little changed.

But recently, as the economy improved and Georgia became known as a tourist destination, a glimmer of hope appeared. Investors began to show interest in refurbishing and reopening the sanatoriums and the government announced a grand plan envisioning Tskaltubo as a modern resort town.

The government began building apartments for the IDPs, clearing out the sanatoriums, and selling them to investors. According to the deputy mayor of Tskaltubo, Aleksandre Dadunashvili, 1,759 IDP families have already been moved with the remaining 920 families scheduled to be re-homed by 2021. 

These people are ethnic Georgians who were living in Abkhazia, but were forcefully displaced.

Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
Roman Masivani (wearing yellow) and Tristan Gigusiani (in white) cut wood in a hallway at Sanatorium Tskaltubo. The sanatoriums are not heated so residents collect wood during the summer and stockpile it for the winter months. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
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Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
Nodari Kometiani, 80, sits outside his room at Sanatorium Imereti in Tskatulbo. Kometiani was promised that by this autumn, he would be able to move into a new apartment, but he does not believe it will happen. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
Lamze Giorgadze, 78, sits on an upstairs landing at Sanatorium Medea. Giorgadze has Parkinson's disease and needs a walker to move around. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
Young men relax by a pool at Sanatorium Medea in Tskatulbo. The pool is popular among residents and young people from various sanatoriums meet here to swim. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
A view of the abandoned lobby at Sanatorium Iveria. The Iveria is empty and there are plans to reopen it as a modern hotel. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
Eight-year-old Barbare Metreveli plays in a former restaurant across from the rooms at Sanatorium Samgurali. Metrveli's mother and grandmother had to flee their home in Abkhazia and make a difficult trek through the Caucasus Mountains to escape. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
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Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
Nargize Chkhubadze watches as her children, Mariam and Oto, play at Sanatorium Imereti. Chkhubadze worries about the safety of her children in the crumbling ruins of the sanatorium. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
A young boy rides a tricycle down a hallway at Sanatorium Tskaltubo. For many of the younger residents, these old sanatoriums are the only home they have ever known. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
Mabana Kopaliani is photographed outside her room at Sanatorium Gelati. Kopaliani is a devout Georgian Orthodox Christian and keeps religious pictures and items in her apartment. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
IDP children play outside an abandoned Sanatorium. Skateboarding is a popular pastime. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
Men chat in a courtyard at Sanatorium Tbilisi. Aside from a few tourism jobs, very little employment is available to the thousands of IDPs in the town. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
Residents from nearby towns have their wedding photos taken at the ruins of Sanatorium Medea in Tskatulbo. Medea is an incredibly photogenic sanatorium, and during the summer months, it is common for multiple wedding photoshoots to take place each day. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
Jana Managadze, 42, sits with her two children outside Sanatorium Medea. Managadze has been moved into a new apartment by the government but has returned to visit family. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]
Growing Up and Growing Old in Georgia’s Abandoned Sanatoriums
Murtazi Vekua, 52, and Khatuna Meshveliani, 45, talk with their neighbour Lamara Kirtadze at Sanatorium Rkinigza in Tskatulbo. With little to do, residents can be found relaxing and talking outside the sanatoriums most evenings. [Taylor Weidman/Al Jazeera]