Today we have a series of very nice piece of architecture staying abandoned for quite a lot already. It is from Abkhazia region, the place that was under Russian rule long before communists came to power. It’s located on the Black Sea and was so beloved by old Russian upper class that they called it “Russian Riviera”. This place has probably the most picturesque abandons from ex Soviet places. We had once the old abandoned railway station from there, if you don’t remember take look here it was very nice looking series too. Today some shots of the abandoned Prince’s House, built almost two centuries ago by special Royal order.
That’s how it looked when prince got it.
It was not very long the prince could enjoy it, the communists took over and nationalized most of the luxury property in Russia. During Soviet Era the house was turned in elite summer residence for Moscow higher up men.
That’s how the placed look when it was conversed to the Hotel “Seagull” by the personal order of J. Stalin
So let’s see what’s left there today.
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The house had a cool sea view.
And nice round windows.
It stays abandoned for already more than 20 years. What happened is that when Soviet Union collapsed and every state asked for “as many independence as they could carry with themselves” this part of Soviet state was left to Georgia, and the war began, now between parts of Georgia to become independent. During the war many of the villages and towns were abandoned and nice buildings were ruined. Just look how tall this tree should be to grow from the ground floor up all the way thru the chimney.
And this looks like the prince’s office. Good office he had.
And here is another nice looking and totally abandoned building just near. Local authorities don’t hurry to reconstruct all this. There is no need for them to do this and they can’t make any practical use of those – like it’s to far away to make a casino here.
Here prince probably spent his evenings with a cigar and some wine and a book, overlooking the sunset on the see.
Later some ugly wooden huts were built around, probably in Soviet times they used those to store some household stuff.
Lately a new wave of interest for this places appeared among Moscow riches. The only reason they are not here yet is probably the political unstability around, and the price for tickets to Nice is much cheaper.
photos by russos
Another great set of photos. Great site.
It is bigger than my house. But general atmoshere is same. Needs some dusting.
OMG russia is so poor their princes have to live in abandoned houses. sad really.
Your mama shoulda kept her legs crossed!
OMG why is russia always abandoned, derelict, collapsing and rusting away?
Your mama shoulda kept her legs crossed.
OMG everything in Russia is abandoned, the contry is collapsing OMG OMG OMG the poor people OMG
dibs
It’s a shame to see this go to waste. I would move in it today and start fixing it. It has so much potential. Of course, being poor, like me, with 2 kids doesn’t help. God I hate being stuck here in the USA. Can someone “squat” on a place like this in Russia? Man, I would go there and do everything I could to hang on to it and get citizenship.
Russos always has the best photos! He has a wonderful sense of art, even when he is in the most mundane places. He also goes into the most interesting places that I would never dream of going!
Cheers!
The building is no way 2 centuries old. It is built in rather rustic version of Art Nouveau (Sezession, Jugendstil), a style popular at the turn of 19/20th centuries.
As to whether or not it was a villa… looks to me it was a hotel from the very beginning.
i agree–the shape of the doors/windows as well as some of the metalwork throughout are very art nouveau.
I’ll take it.
Unbelievable…… Awesome pictures, excellent work on this site
Awesome work
Woah! How could they abandoned such architecture.
Reminds me of home, which is Detroit.
This home is much nicer then the homes I saw in Ekaterinburg!
It was holiday hotel or sanitarium “Чайка” (Seagull).
I was around there many times 20-30 years ago. It is the Old Gagra – nice place like Riviera or better. Very sad to see it so dilapidated and desecrated. In the ninetieth the beautiful subtropical park was like a dirty wasteland with syringes left around by dragged guerrillas or soldiers, too dangerous to go there for anybody.
Thank you for the photos.
wow, amazing building!
I wish I could leave estonia
A perfect illustration of Russian 20th century history: the beauty of prerevolutionairy times got deformed by Stalin and eventually destroyed when the Soviet Union collapsed.
It’s really sad to see such lovely architecture go to waste and nothing is being done to restore the place to its original beauty…..very sad indeed
these are great photos! I remember going to New Jersey, US 20 years ago to see an abandoned mansion from a former king of some Soviet bloc country. Can’t remember which one. Wasn’t nearly as interesting as this. I also remember when I was a kid breaking in to Thomas Edison’s abandoned summer mansion. A few years later (other) kids burned it down.
Built with czarist money stolen from the Russian people. Yes, a beautiful ruin, a captivating fantasy realized and abandoned. What a waste of everything.
I can’t understand where local authorities look.
this is what is waiting for the USoA after the final collapse of the dollar
Beautiful and Tragic.
Im with Failmaster on this. I would love to know more about these abandoned places in Russia. More importantly I would like to know more about the process of taking possession (if not purchase) of one of them for a home.
Beautiful pictures and a great geography/history lesson! Who is really mightier man or nature?
Great pictures! I wish I could visit Russia because such spectacular ruin sites are rare in the USA. I imagine that one day someone will renovate it and make a hotel or other resort out of it. In America they probably would have torn it down decades ago and put up a gaudy hotel.
Americans don’t even know that they have mysterious abandoned pieces of History.
http://illicitohio.illicitohio.com/index.htm
It sounds like these are located in the Russian occupied parts of Georgia.
They are in fact Georgian. It’s Russia that continues to rot, instead of developing into the modern world.
It makes me sad to see beautiful buildings like this one crumble thanks to abandonment, this happenns everywhere not only in Rusia, Georgia or europe. I saw an article about the russian abandoned wooded mansions and it was very touching too, it makes me wish to be billionaire in order to buy and fix these constructions because once it pass a certain state of deterioration they always use demolitions to fix the problem, in my country there was an earthquake that affected a large area with buildings with historical value, now there is a big amount of them that will be either demolished or fixed and I’m hoping that they would use the first option but it’s very expensive so you never know, plus the people left without nothing it’s large and the goverment has priorities too but the amazing thing it’s that the same people left without a house want these buildins to be fixed because it’s part of their legacy and history, now I do hope that one day the same will happen here, that this building and the train station nearby will be restored to their former glories by the descendants of the same hands that worked so hard to build them, it’s not only a place it’s a history that needs to be saved for future generations and a legacy that needs to pass through not only in the blood but also in the love for the place because these constructions have a value not only for the local people but also for the people all over the world that appreciate their culture and history.
It’s not Russia. It is Georgia!
During early 90′s there was an ethnic cleansing of Georgians by Russian army in Abkhazia. Now it is occupied by Russian army and militarized like North Korea. That is the cause of this poverty. So far, Abkhazia is recognized as independent state only by Russia, Venezuela and Hamas. All other countries , recognize Abkhazia as part of country Georgia.
Please, somebody buy it for me!!!!!!!!!!! I am serious, please email me!
I could do all i can to save this palace but I m helpless. I do not have so much money to come there & save it from further destruction.
Pradeep
As it was said in the comments below the pictures, Abkhazia never was part of Russia. It was part of the Republic of Georgia, after soviet union fell and even before soviet union came to rule it was part of Georgia. It is really disappointing for a Georgian person to read a misleading story like this.
I cant beleive something of so much culture and history has fallen into ruins. Its just screams the most beautiful past and the most beautiful potential for the future if only someone would do something
I think the tree is growing from the top of the chimney, not all the way up to the chimney.