Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory

Abastumani made its name in the 19th century for dry pine air prescribed against lung disease; Grand Duke George Romanov spent his final years at this resort. The same climate — hundreds of cloudless nights a year — later turned out to be ideal for a very different purpose.

The observatory was founded in 1932 on Mount Kanobili, above the resort at roughly 1,650 metres. It was the first high-altitude astrophysical observatory in the region, and for decades its telescopes were among the principal instruments of Soviet astronomy. Today the site belongs to Ilia State University and still carries out research.

What a visit involves:

• historic telescopes inside their domes, including the large reflector and a meniscus system
• Soviet-era scientific buildings scattered through the forest
• a long view over the Meskheti ridges from the upper terrace

Abastumani itself deserves the stop. Old wooden dachas with carved balconies, sulphur bathhouses and the Otskhe river fill a tight forested valley. The resort is slowly being renovated, but its appeal is precisely that it feels stopped in time, unpolished and quiet in a way few Georgian resorts still manage.

Tours normally run during daylight hours, and in clear weather an evening observing session is sometimes arranged.