Tskaltubo Municipality
Tskaltubo in Imereti: radon spa town, Prometheus Cave, Sataplia dinosaur footprints and Geguti palace. History, tips and routes.
Tskaltubo Municipality — overview
MunicipalityHistory
Tskaltubo Municipality lies in central Imereti, immediately west of Kutaisi, with the spa town of Tskaltubo as its administrative centre, about 9 km from Kutaisi at roughly 98 m above sea level. The municipality covers about 707 km² of plains and hills; the town itself lies in an oval basin surrounded by hills, where mineral springs rise to the surface. The Gubistskali and Tskaltubo rivers flow through the area. Tskaltubo borders Kutaisi to the east, Samtredia and Khoni to the west, Baghdati and Vani to the south, and Tkibuli to the east.
The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times: a copper arrowhead found in the White Cave and dated to the 4th–5th millennium BC is considered one of the earliest such weapons in the Caucasus. Medieval heritage includes the ruins of Geguti, a royal palace of the Georgian kings about 7 km south of Kutaisi, the basilica of St John the Baptist in Derchi (8th–9th centuries) and the 11th-century church of Zarati. The municipality also has house-museums of the writer Niko Lortkipanidze in Chuneshi and of the scientist Giorgi Akhvlediani in Derchi.
Tskaltubo is famous for its warm radon-carbonate mineral springs (about 33–35°C). It was declared an official balneological resort in 1920, construction of the spa began in 1926, and a master plan in the early 1950s gave the town its grand park and sanatorium architecture; Tskaltubo received town status in 1953. In the Soviet period it had 19 sanatoria and nine bathhouses, including Bathhouse No. 6, built in 1950 for Stalin. After 1993 many sanatoria housed people displaced from Abkhazia, and today several historic buildings are being restored.
Tskaltubo is also the gateway to some of Georgia’s most visited natural sights. Prometheus Cave, near the village of Kumistavi, was explored in the 1980s and reopened to visitors in 2011; about 1.8 km of its roughly 11 km of passages, with six of its 22 halls, are open to the public. The Sataplia reserve, founded in 1935, protects a karst cave and dinosaur footprints discovered in 1933, along with a relict Colchic forest.
For travellers, Tskaltubo combines spa holidays with excursions. Visitors can take mineral-water treatments in the historic spa park, explore Prometheus Cave and Sataplia in a single day, and visit Geguti or nearby Kutaisi. Its central location makes Tskaltubo a convenient base for exploring all of Imereti.
FAQ
1) Where is Tskaltubo Municipality located?
In central Imereti, immediately west of Kutaisi.
2) What is the administrative centre?
The spa town of Tskaltubo, about 9 km from Kutaisi.
3) What is Tskaltubo known for?
Its warm radon-carbonate mineral springs (about 33–35°C) and historic spa resort.
4) When did Tskaltubo become a resort?
It was declared an official balneological resort in 1920 and received town status in 1953.
5) What is Bathhouse No. 6?
A historic bathhouse built in 1950 for Stalin.
6) Is Prometheus Cave in Tskaltubo Municipality?
Yes, near the village of Kumistavi; about 1.8 km of the cave is open to visitors.
7) What can be seen at Sataplia?
A karst cave, dinosaur footprints discovered in 1933 and a relict forest; the reserve was founded in 1935.
8) What is Geguti?
The ruins of a medieval royal palace of the Georgian kings, about 7 km south of Kutaisi.
9) Which old churches are there?
The basilica of St John the Baptist in Derchi (8th–9th centuries) and the church of Zarati (11th century).
10) Where can I find official municipal information?
On the municipality’s official website, tskaltubo.gov.ge.