Former Pioneer Palace
Location: Chiatura, Georgia
Completed: 1960
Architect: Konstantine Chkheidze
Genre: Stalinist Empire style, Soviet architecture, former USSR
The pioneer movement was an organisation set up for children in the Soviet Union that was modelled on the Scouts. The demise of the Pioneer Palace in Chiatura is linked with an earthquake that struck Georgia in April 1991 (Chiatura was one of the worst-hit areas) and the dissolution of the USSR, which began in earnest just a few months after the tremor struck. During the political and socio-economic transformation that followed the breakdown of the Soviet Union, activities at the palace initially dwindled and then ceased altogether and the building and its grounds eventually fell into a state of ruin. More information about the former Pioneer Palace. Our guide to what to do in Chiatura features more Soviet architecture and mosaics.
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