THE ABANDONED BATH HOUSE IN GEORGIA
‘Tskaltubo Bathhouse No. 5’ is an abandoned bath house in the spa town Tskaltubo in Georgia. The city was designated as a balneotherapy centre and spa resort by the Soviet government and it was one of Stalin’s favourite vacation spots.
Since the 18th century several foreign researchers gave word of the healing properties of the Tskaltubo springs. In 1920 the territory of Tskaltubo became state property and it acquired the function of balneology resort. Balneotherapy is the treatment of disease and medical conditions by bathing in mineral-enriched water.
In 1953, Tskaltubo became an important spa-resort during the Soviet times. There were built 19 sanatoriums and pensions, nine baths, a resort park and the Scientific Institute of Balneology and Physiotherapy. Tskaltubo mineral water cures diseases from the limbs, peripheral nervous system and skin. It also cures cardiac and vascular diseases. The water emerges at a comfortable temperature for bathing, allowing them to be directly transferred from springs to the baths without cooling or heating.
It must have been really impressive in its golden days. The architecture is a mix of Stalinist period classical style and of Georgian ethnic decor with Gothic and Roman features. It has inner yards and private baths hidden in the basement. Georgia’s independence in 1991 and the fall of the Soviet Union in late December 1991, were the collapse of Tskaltubo’s spa industry. Without guests, most of the hotels and resorts were forced to close their doors. Now sadly it’s in a rather poor condition. It is basically a ruin, most of the interior is gone. I visited ‘Tskaltubo Bathhouse No. 5’ in 2018. Today, Tskaltubo is still a functioning spa resort town. Several renovated hotels now offer traditional sanatorium services, but the evidence of the town’s much grander past is visible all around.
The post Tskaltubo Bathhouse No. 5 appeared first on Forgotten and Abandoned Places.