Sanatorium Metalurgi

The Sanatorium Metalurgi was completed in 1957 and was built for the steelworkers of the Soviet Union, offering them a break from their rather hectic schedules and a bit of a wallow in the healing waters of the nearby bathhouses.  

The building covers four floors and is made up of a central block with connected wings and an entrance foyer that contains balconies and a large, suspended chandelier that has somehow escaped the chaos of the Soviet Union’s collapse and the removal of anything of value from many abandoned buildings. The oval extensions in the western and eastern parts of the building used to house the dining rooms and concert halls.

A number of IDPs (Internally displaced people) live in the building after having been displaced by the war between Georgia and Abkhazia from August 1992 and September 1993 – many are still there, despite the abandoned structure originally being set up as a temporary shelter.

During 2021 the building was granted the status of an Immovable Monument of Cultural Heritage.