I came across this intriguing example of Soviet housing in the southern foothills of the Greater Caucasus in Georgia. The building, referred to as WORKERSUNIT 2 in this article, is situated in the manganese-mining town of Chiatura.

 

During our stop in Chiatura, the colourful building perched on the hill immediately caught my eye. From the newly modernised central cable car station by the river, we quickly decided to head upwards. After a five-minute ride, a brief pause at a small amusement park, and a ten-minute walk, we found ourselves at the base of the building. Some locals were outside having a kind of street BBQ, giving us sidelong glances. Since the building didn't have an entry door I took the opportunity to enter the dark corridor and started ascending the staircase, while my friend held the fort outside.

Unable to speak or understand their language, I avoided interacting with anyone inside this foreign territory. Rushing up the crumbling steps wouldn’t have made a friendly impression on the residents either, even though I knew I would be missing a major experience by not getting to know them. The corridors were pitch-black and seemed to lack proper electricity. The building was occupied up to the tenth floor, with two staircases and four flats on each level. Everything above the tenth floor was decayed and vacant.