FROM TBILISI: Exploring Tskaltubo — Architecture, History, and Mineral Springs

FROM TBILISI: Exploring Tskaltubo — Architecture, History, and Mineral Springs

We’re heading to explore one of the most famous health resorts of the Soviet Union — the balneological town of Tskaltubo. Every year, thousands of visitors from across the republics came here to relax, and for many, it was a dream destination. Since the 1990s, most of the sanatoriums stopped operating and were either abandoned or repurposed as housing, which led some to call it a "ghost town" — but is that really the case?

We’ll dive into the complex and fascinating 100-year history of Tskaltubo, visit its most iconic abandoned sanatoriums, and see how architectural styles shifted across decades. We’ll also learn what the city looks like today and what changes await in the near future.

Though large-scale development began only in the 1920s, the history of Tskaltubo goes much further back.