Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Crimea Yalta Druzhba

Druzhba

This space age health spa looks like a supervillain's lair.

Yalta, Crimea

Added By
Sam
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Druzhba health spa.   V chekhov/CC BY-SA 4.0
Sea bathers outside Druzhba.   Dimant/CC BY-SA 3.0
Druzhba health spa.   Vyacheslav Argenberg/CC BY 2.0
Main entrance walkway.   By Guru.ua/CC BY-SA 3.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

This space age building overlooking the Black Sea would be the perfect hideout for a villain on vacation. Indeed, when Druzhba was built in 1986, designed by famous Soviet architect Igor Vasilevsky, the structure overlooking the sea was so ominous Turkish spies assumed it was a secret military building.

They couldn't have been more wrong. The building, whose name means "friendship," is actually a health spa.

The strange spaceship design allows for private balconies and amazing views from most of the rooms. On the outside it appears harsh and blocky, but on the inside the circular spa is open, light, and airy. The centre of the building contains social amenities like a salt water pool, a cinema, and cafes.

The artistic concept draws heavily from science fiction depictions of futuristic cities, as well as the Soviet architectural tendencies to maximize public space in a space age style. Vasilevsky credited flying saucers and time machines as inspiration for his design. Today the spa remains open and popular as ever, catering mostly to tourists. 

Related Tags

Health Resorts Soviet Architecture Architecture Architectural Oddities Hotels

Community Contributors

Added By

SamM

Edited By

Martin, Molly McBride Jacobson

  • Martin
  • Molly McBride Jacobson

Published

January 24, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://nulluslocussinegenio.com/2016/09/16/interview-with-the-architect-of-druzhba-sanatorium-igor-vasilevsky/
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/arts/design/16cold.html
  • http://architectuul.com/architecture/druzhba-sanatorium
  • https://sovietmodernism.wordpress.com/2015/12/29/druzhba-sanatorium-yalta-crimea/
Druzhba
Yalta
Crimea
44.445341, 34.133692
Visit Website

Nearby Places

The Swallow's Nest

Haspra, Crimea

miles away

Glade of Fairy Tales

Yalta, Crimea

miles away

Ai-Petri Bridges

Yalta, Crimea

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Yalta

Yalta

Crimea

Places 3

Nearby Places

The Swallow's Nest

Haspra, Crimea

miles away

Glade of Fairy Tales

Yalta, Crimea

miles away

Ai-Petri Bridges

Yalta, Crimea

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Yalta

Yalta

Crimea

Places 3

Related Places

  • Hotel del Coronado.

    San Diego, California

    Hotel del Coronado

    L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

  • Abandoned Haludovo Palace Hotel

    Malinska, Croatia

    Abandoned Haludovo Palace Hotel

    This truly palatial work of Communist-era architecture now sits crumbling on a Croatian beach.

  • Lit in the evening.

    Tashkent, Uzbekistan

    Hotel Uzbekistan

    Once a luxurious flagship of the Soviet Union, this Brutalist structure remains a landmark of Tashkent’s communist past.

  • Aigües, Spain

    Aguas de Busot Spa

    Once a spa resort, then a tuberculosis sanatorium, and now a crumbling ruin.

  • Icarus statue at night

    Belgrade, Serbia

    Icarus on the Air Force Command Building

    An Art Deco Icarus statue adorns this abandoned gem of Yugoslav Modernist architecture.

  • Ellenville, New York

    Nevele Grand

    The remnants of a luxurious resort that saw its peak in the 1970s and 1980s has been abandoned since 2009, leaving behind the wreckage of both the hotel and a beautiful ice skating rink.

  • Ruins of the Clubhouse at the Former Cape Eleuthera Resort

    South Eleuthera, Bahamas

    Cape Eleuthera Resort Ruins

    A paradise hotel turned from opulent to overgrown.

  • Isthmia, Greece

    Isthmia Prime Hotel

    A closer look at this somewhat faded hotel by the Corinth Canal reveals the architectural undertones of a genius.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.