Smetskoi’s health resort in AbkhaziaArchitectural legacy of a pre-revolution patron of artsYana Vinetskaya, exclusively for Vestnik KavkazaThe first health resort of Nikolai Smetskoi was founded in Abkhazia in 1902. A Moscow resident with an education in law, he moved to the Black Sea shore of the Caucasus in 1889, after his wife caught tuberculosis. Smetskoi and his family settled in Sinop, and in 1892 they bought several health resort lands on the seashore, totalling 40 hectares. Smetskoi built a cottage there with a subtropical garden, where plants were collected from different places of the world. The well-known Sukhumi tree nursery was based on plants from Smetskoi’s garden.In 1895 Smetskoi bought 75 hectares of land in Gulripsh, where he founded a tropical garden; in 1900 construction of the first health resort center began. It was named Gulripsh-1. Moskvich wrote about it: “It is a pretty facility which was built by Mr. Smetskoi on his land; his goal was to help people who had caught lung diseases, but have a limited amount of money.” The health center contained 150 beds and covered an area of 50 hectares. Smetskloi constructed a water supply system, a drainage system and other conveniences in the resort center. A pine park was founded on the territory of the resort.In 1905 Smetskoi founded a second health resort in Sukhumi near Gulripsh in Agudzera. A two-storey stone house was built. It contained 70 rooms with various conveniences. Water was supplied to all rooms. A fabulous garden was situated near the building, it was full of pines and palms. Full board basis cost 55 rubles.In autumn 1913 a third health resort was opened – Gulripsh-2. Smetskoi built the biggest building in Abkhazia of that time. According to the guide book of Moskvich, Gulripsh-2 “consists of two grand four-storey buildings equipped with state-of-the-art technology and hygiene. The main building includes 112 rooms.” The health resort had wonderful sun-parlours, electric elevators and even an ice-making factory. Contemporaries called the health resort of Smetskoi “a palace of hygiene.”The full board basis was 125 rubles in a month in Gulripsh-2, it included accommodation and treatment. Despite the rather high prices, the health resorts were not profitable, and Smetskoi allocated up to 25,000 rubles annually to their work. According to Moskvich, in 1917 Smetskoi decided to donate all three health resorts to the Ministry of People’s Education for treatment of teachers and students. However, the deal wasn’t completed, as the February Revolution started in 1917.All these things made Smetskoi one of the main patrons of arts in Abkhazia in the early 20th century. Smetskoi also sponsored local educational facilities, construction of the first city hospital in Sukhumi, a maternity center and a homeless shelter.In Soviet times the health resort in Agudzere burnt down, while Gulripsh-1 and Gulripsh-2 became resorts for the party elite. Both resorts were significantly damaged during the Georgian-Abkhazian war in the 1990s. The ruins of Gulripsh-2, the palace of hygiene, rise over the sea at the momenArchitectural legacy of a pre-revolution patron of arts
Yana Vinetskaya, exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
The first health resort of Nikolai Smetskoi was founded in Abkhazia in 1902. A Moscow resident with an education in law, he moved to the Black Sea shore of the Caucasus in 1889, after his wife caught tuberculosis. Smetskoi and his family settled in Sinop, and in 1892 they bought several health resort lands on the seashore, totalling 40 hectares. Smetskoi built a cottage there with a subtropical garden, where plants were collected from different places of the world. The well-known Sukhumi tree nursery was based on plants from Smetskoi’s garden.
In 1895 Smetskoi bought 75 hectares of land in Gulripsh, where he founded a tropical garden; in 1900 construction of the first health resort center began. It was named Gulripsh-1. Moskvich wrote about it: “It is a pretty facility which was built by Mr. Smetskoi on his land; his goal was to help people who had caught lung diseases, but have a limited amount of money.” The health center contained 150 beds and covered an area of 50 hectares. Smetskloi constructed a water supply system, a drainage system and other conveniences in the resort center. A pine park was founded on the territory of the resort.
In 1905 Smetskoi founded a second health resort in Sukhumi near Gulripsh in Agudzera. A two-storey stone house was built. It contained 70 rooms with various conveniences. Water was supplied to all rooms. A fabulous garden was situated near the building, it was full of pines and palms. Full board basis cost 55 rubles.
In autumn 1913 a third health resort was opened – Gulripsh-2. Smetskoi built the biggest building in Abkhazia of that time. According to the guide book of Moskvich, Gulripsh-2 “consists of two grand four-storey buildings equipped with state-of-the-art technology and hygiene. The main building includes 112 rooms.” The health resort had wonderful sun-parlours, electric elevators and even an ice-making factory. Contemporaries called the health resort of Smetskoi “a palace of hygiene.”
The full board basis was 125 rubles in a month in Gulripsh-2, it included accommodation and treatment. Despite the rather high prices, the health resorts were not profitable, and Smetskoi allocated up to 25,000 rubles annually to their work. According to Moskvich, in 1917 Smetskoi decided to donate all three health resorts to the Ministry of People’s Education for treatment of teachers and students. However, the deal wasn’t completed, as the February Revolution started in 1917.
All these things made Smetskoi one of the main patrons of arts in Abkhazia in the early 20th century. Smetskoi also sponsored local educational facilities, construction of the first city hospital in Sukhumi, a maternity center and a homeless shelter.
In Soviet times the health resort in Agudzere burnt down, while Gulripsh-1 and Gulripsh-2 became resorts for the party elite. Both resorts were significantly damaged during the Georgian-Abkhazian war in the 1990s. The ruins of Gulripsh-2, the palace of hygiene, rise over the sea at the moment.
