A Paradise That Became a Ghost Town (31 pics)

This is what is left of Gagra, a resort city on the Black Sea coast.

With its climate close to subtropical, Gagra was a popular health resort in Imperial and Soviet Russia among Russian elite. It was a paradise with its pleasant climate, a royal palace and a number of buildings in an eclectic variety of styles from around Europe. The park that surrounded the resort was also very popular with tropical trees and even parrots and monkeys imported to give it an exotic feel.

But the war between Abkhazia (political entity within Georgia which status is disputed) and Georgia in 1992-1993 deserted the place making it all ruins and a ghost town.