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HistoryGeorgia

Hotel Metalurg

October 7, 2024

It has been more than 30 years since fighting broke out between Georgia and Abkhazia. Some of those whom the conflict displaced found refuge in a former Georgian sanatorium: the Hotel Metalurg.

https://p.dw.com/p/4jnKr
Hotel Metalurg - Home of the Forgotten Displaced from Abkhazia
Image: Kepler 22 productions

Now, they’re under pressure to leave again.

Hotel Metalurg - Home of the Forgotten Displaced from Abkhazia
Image: Kepler 22 productions

It was one of the bloodiest conflicts that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. Abkhazia wanted to secede from Georgia, and expelled almost all ethnic Georgians from the small region on the Black Sea. Thousands moved to Tskaltubo, an abandoned tourist resort known for its Soviet-era luxury sanatoriums.

Hotel Metalurg - Home of the Forgotten Displaced from Abkhazia
Image: Kepler 22 productions

Over the past three decades, most of the community’s men have moved away, leaving behind many women and children. The buildings they live in have fallen into disrepair, including the Hotel Metalurg itself. Now, there are fears they will be driven out of what has become their second home. Many, especially the older residents, still hope to one day return to their real home of Abkhazia.

 

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