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Abandoned buildings and devastation in Abkhazia
Writes blogger nodima:
After the Georgian-Abkhazian war of 1992-1993 in Abkhazia devastation reigned. Some houses were shot or burned, while others remained intact, but all residents have fled their homes. Both were and still are an eerie sight.
26 photos
1. We drove into Abkhazia by train and during the short trip from the Russian-Abkhaz border to New Athos had time to see a lot of monuments ominous long-past war. Sama railroad runs through the middle of the most beautiful places in the mountain gorges and along the shore of the Black Sea, it is in a terrible state, and more recently the railway communication is completely absent. Now here a few times a week passes train Moscow-Sukhumi.
2. We rode alone in the empty car and watched appear from time to time an abandoned building.
3. From some places just exuded despair.
Railway stations we pass Abkhazian cities and railway stations represent the best of things happening here devastation.
4. Gudauta.
5. Railway Station Psyrtsha.
6. Beautiful once the station building in New Athos.
7. Upon closer examination is even more sad.
8. But inside it is better not to go.
9. Incidentally, although only the train stops at all major stations at any station can not buy the ticket. The only operating railway ticket office located in the city of Sukhumi.
10. Sukhum can often be found at home, where half of the apartments are inhabited, while the other half abandoned.
11. More often than not they belong to the Georgians who were forced to leave Abkhazia permanently, and local laws do not allow or give them to colonize other tenants. So are abandoned.
What did I know about the history of Abkhazia before this trip? Just what in the early 90's, as in many other areas of the former Soviet Union there was a war for independence. And I, like probably many others, believed that it was the type of fashion to sovereignty, and that as a result of Abkhazia, has always been a part of Georgia, received a phantom political independence recognized by Russia, in exchange for economic dependence on it is, and Abkhazians in general are not particularly feel sorry for that.
But dealing with the locals, I found out that it was not entirely true. In actual fact, Abkhazia has never belonged to Georgia, it was a part of the Russian Empire, and after the revolution was forcibly annexed to the Georgian SSR. Moreover, all leading positions in the republic of Abkhazia has since occupied by Georgians. All the party nomenklatura, meeting in the building of the Supreme Soviet in Sukhumi, consisted of Georgians. When the Soviet Union began to crumble, Georgia has declared that she will cope with its internal problems and sent troops into the territory of Abkhazia. But after a quick attack Georgian troops met fierce resistance Abkhazians, supported by Russian weapons and the mobilization of other peoples of the Caucasus. After a counter-offensive to recapture the Abkhaz Sukhumi and managed to push back the Georgians on the territory of Georgia.
12. After the war, Abkhazians decided not to restore the building of the Supreme Council, to serve as a monument to the invaders, they say, Georgians, you are no more space.
13. And so it is in the heart of elegant high-rise building "with empty eye sockets of windows," as sung Yuri Shevchuk.
14. Until now, many homes remain traces of bullets.
15. Many abandoned buildings have overgrown plants.
16.
17. The building of the police station in New Athos.
18. And finally, I offer you a series of photos from the New Athos abandoned camp site. Perhaps I'll manage here without comment.
19.
20.
21.
22
23
24
25
26.
To its credit, the Abkhazians want to add that is not really as bad as it may seem after seeing all these pictures, because they represent only a small part of the Abkhazian reality. Much is done to restore normal life, but gradually abandoned buildings are restored, at the very least, but the tourism industry is getting better - I can not compare with what I've seen here 10 years ago. Of course, you can compare Abkhazia with the Balkan countries that emerged after the collapse of Yugoslavia and to recover after hostilities in much less time, but still we must not forget that the case of Abkhazia, we are talking about a small unrecognized virtually anyone state that depends on its neighbor patron with dubious future. In spite of what I and my family enjoyed in Abkhazia (this can be seen by reading the rest of the photos) and I want to believe that someday "country soul" will be able to fully recover and regain its former greatness.
Source:
After the Georgian-Abkhazian war of 1992-1993 in Abkhazia devastation reigned. Some houses were shot or burned, while others remained intact, but all residents have fled their homes. Both were and still are an eerie sight.
26 photos
1. We drove into Abkhazia by train and during the short trip from the Russian-Abkhaz border to New Athos had time to see a lot of monuments ominous long-past war. Sama railroad runs through the middle of the most beautiful places in the mountain gorges and along the shore of the Black Sea, it is in a terrible state, and more recently the railway communication is completely absent. Now here a few times a week passes train Moscow-Sukhumi.
2. We rode alone in the empty car and watched appear from time to time an abandoned building.
3. From some places just exuded despair.
Railway stations we pass Abkhazian cities and railway stations represent the best of things happening here devastation.
4. Gudauta.
5. Railway Station Psyrtsha.
6. Beautiful once the station building in New Athos.
7. Upon closer examination is even more sad.
8. But inside it is better not to go.
9. Incidentally, although only the train stops at all major stations at any station can not buy the ticket. The only operating railway ticket office located in the city of Sukhumi.
10. Sukhum can often be found at home, where half of the apartments are inhabited, while the other half abandoned.
11. More often than not they belong to the Georgians who were forced to leave Abkhazia permanently, and local laws do not allow or give them to colonize other tenants. So are abandoned.
What did I know about the history of Abkhazia before this trip? Just what in the early 90's, as in many other areas of the former Soviet Union there was a war for independence. And I, like probably many others, believed that it was the type of fashion to sovereignty, and that as a result of Abkhazia, has always been a part of Georgia, received a phantom political independence recognized by Russia, in exchange for economic dependence on it is, and Abkhazians in general are not particularly feel sorry for that.
But dealing with the locals, I found out that it was not entirely true. In actual fact, Abkhazia has never belonged to Georgia, it was a part of the Russian Empire, and after the revolution was forcibly annexed to the Georgian SSR. Moreover, all leading positions in the republic of Abkhazia has since occupied by Georgians. All the party nomenklatura, meeting in the building of the Supreme Soviet in Sukhumi, consisted of Georgians. When the Soviet Union began to crumble, Georgia has declared that she will cope with its internal problems and sent troops into the territory of Abkhazia. But after a quick attack Georgian troops met fierce resistance Abkhazians, supported by Russian weapons and the mobilization of other peoples of the Caucasus. After a counter-offensive to recapture the Abkhaz Sukhumi and managed to push back the Georgians on the territory of Georgia.
12. After the war, Abkhazians decided not to restore the building of the Supreme Council, to serve as a monument to the invaders, they say, Georgians, you are no more space.
13. And so it is in the heart of elegant high-rise building "with empty eye sockets of windows," as sung Yuri Shevchuk.
14. Until now, many homes remain traces of bullets.
15. Many abandoned buildings have overgrown plants.
16.
17. The building of the police station in New Athos.
18. And finally, I offer you a series of photos from the New Athos abandoned camp site. Perhaps I'll manage here without comment.
19.
20.
21.
22
23
24
25
26.
To its credit, the Abkhazians want to add that is not really as bad as it may seem after seeing all these pictures, because they represent only a small part of the Abkhazian reality. Much is done to restore normal life, but gradually abandoned buildings are restored, at the very least, but the tourism industry is getting better - I can not compare with what I've seen here 10 years ago. Of course, you can compare Abkhazia with the Balkan countries that emerged after the collapse of Yugoslavia and to recover after hostilities in much less time, but still we must not forget that the case of Abkhazia, we are talking about a small unrecognized virtually anyone state that depends on its neighbor patron with dubious future. In spite of what I and my family enjoyed in Abkhazia (this can be seen by reading the rest of the photos) and I want to believe that someday "country soul" will be able to fully recover and regain its former greatness.
Source: