Abastumani Traditional Cache

Cache is located nearby Romanov dynasty palace in Abastumani town.

Abastumani (აბასთუმანი) is a small town and spa resort in Samtskhe-Javakheti region about 30 km far from Akhaltsikhe.

History

In medieval Georgia it was part of the district of Odzrkhe so named after a fortress whose ruins survive near the townlet. Then it was part of the Ottoman Empire, whole area was deserted. In the 1850s, it was recolonized by the Russians. It got the name Abbas-Tuman after a nearby located village and became popular for its climate and thermal waters. Also a Grand Duke George Alexandrovich, a member of the Russian imperial family, had retired there due to his ill-health.

Today

It sits quiet for most of the year waiting for the summer rush of Georgian tourists who come to breathe it's clean air and walk in the pristine forests (or to have a party there). There are also three hyperthermic springs (39 - 48,5°C) which are little mineralized, rich in sulfate-sodium chloride waters. They have long been used in the treatment of tuberculosis.

About 4km above the town is the Georgian National Astrophysical Observatory. Abastumani is also a starting point for hikes into the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park.

Landmarks

• The 14th-century church of St. George, which was repaired and its hitherto unknown medieval frescos discovered in 2008.

• The 13th-century ruined castle and a single arch bridge named after the medieval Queen Thamar.

• The "New Zarzma" (Akhali Zarzma) church of St. Alexander Nevsky, a 19th-century small replica of the 14th-century Georgian cathedral of Zarzma. It was built between 1899 and 1902.

• A bathhouse constructed on the Abastumani hot springs between 1879 and 1881 by the St. Petersburg-born physician of German descent Adolf Remmert.

• Winter and summer mansions of Grand Duke George built of stone and wood, respectively. The summer mansion was in the 90s turned over to the Georgian Orthodox Church and converted into a St. Panteleimon nunnery. The building was destroyed in a fire on 12th March 2008 and is currently being rebuilt.
  Of the three original buildings only one remains in it's former state and lies fenced off, without any windows and is slowly deteriorating. The main house was sold to private owners who have changed the original appearance.