A ghost town in bloom: hydrangeas transform abandoned Soviet resort into a surreal garden

What if a city fell silent — and nature quietly took over? That’s what happened in a small town in Abkhazia, where hydrangeas now bloom across empty staircases, broken balconies and crumbling sanatoriums.

Once a thriving Soviet resort on the Black Sea, the town was left behind — and the wild took its place. Today, it feels more like an accidental botanical wonder than a relic of history.

According to a report by MoneyTimes, hundreds of hydrangea bushes now grow through cracks in pavement, across gates and even inside rooms where people once stayed.

Nature writes its own design

• Hydrangeas burst through concrete, rails, and old mosaics;
• Flowers bloom on stairs that lead nowhere, and in courtyards overgrown with ivy;
• The result is haunting — and oddly peaceful.

A dreamlike fusion of ruin and bloom

• No gardener planned it — the soil, time, and seeds did their work alone;
• Photographers and explorers are drawn to the eerie elegance;
• A rare example of nature reclaiming architecture with grace.

By the way, some gardens aren’t planted — they just happen. And they remind us how life insists on beauty, even in forgotten places.