[Temporaly closed] Abandoned petrochemical plant

In the heart of the industrial zone of Batumi lies an amazing relic of the past - an abandoned petrochemical plant associated with the history of the Caspian oil industry of the 19th century. Its history is one of pages of progress and innovation, from the management of Nobel to the fateful innovations of Shell.

It was here, in Batumi, that the Nobel brothers founded the first oil storage facility, giving rise to the Batumi oil terminal. Years later, thanks to the Rothschild-sponsored railroad, the city became a key port for the transportation of “black gold.” A moment of triumph was paving the way for the Murex tanker, which transported kerosene through the Suez Canal, opening new horizons for the global oil trade.

During Soviet times, the plant expanded its capacity, becoming a large state enterprise. However, with the collapse of the USSR, its history ended, and now the plant appears before us as an industrial ghost.

The territory of the plant, overgrown with dense vegetation, hides from prying eyes a whole network of huge workshops, laboratories and other buildings, as if inviting researchers and lovers of urban exploration on a unique journey into the past. Impressive structures and abandoned premises attract those who want to see the history of industrialization with their own eyes and feel the atmosphere of abandonment.

This plant is not just a place, it is a historical memory of the time when Batumi was the oil heart of the region. Travelers and lovers of industrial archeology should hurry: in the coming years, these silent witnesses of progress may disappear under the pressure of new construction.