Gori
გორი
City
From top: Town Hall, Gori Fortress, Gori Cathedral, FC Dila Stadium, Panoramic view to Gori
Flag of Gori
Flag
Official seal of Gori
Seal
Gori is located in Georgia
Gori
Gori
Location of Gori in Georgia
Gori is located in Shida Kartli
Gori
Gori
Gori (Shida Kartli)
Coordinates: 41°58′0″N 44°06′0″E / 41.96667°N 44.10000°E / 41.96667; 44.10000
Country Georgia
RegionShida Kartli
MunicipalityGori
Area
 • Total16.85 km2 (6.51 sq mi)
Elevation
588 m (1,929 ft)
Population
 (January 1, 2023)
 • Total44,387
 • Density2,600/km2 (6,800/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+4 (Georgian Time)
Postal code
1400
ClimateCfb
Websitewww.gori.gov.ge

Gori (Georgian: გორი [ˈɡoɾi]) is a city in eastern Georgia, which serves as the regional capital of Shida Kartli and is located at the confluence of two rivers, the Mtkvari and the Liakhvi. Gori is the fifth most populous city in Georgia. Its name comes from the Georgian word gora (გორა), meaning "heap", "hill",[1] or "mountain".

A settlement known here from the Hellenistic period, with the Gori Fortress built at least in 7th century, it received town status in the 12th century. Gori was an important military stronghold in the Middle Ages and maintains a strategic importance due to its location on the principal highway connecting eastern and western parts of Georgia. In the course of its history, Gori has been invaded by the armies of regional powers several times. The city was occupied by Russian troops during the 2008 Russo–Georgian War.

Gori is also known as the birthplace of Soviet Leader and politician Joseph Stalin, ballistic missile designer Aleksandr Nadiradze, and philosopher Merab Mamardashvili.

Geography and climate

Gori is located 86 kilometres west of Georgia's capital Tbilisi, at the confluence of the rivers Mtkvari and Greater Liakhvi, 588 meters (1,929 ft) above sea level. The climate is humid continental, transitional from moderately warm steppe to moderately humid. Summer is usually hot. The average annual temperature is 11.2 °C (52.2 °F), minimal in January (−0.4 °C or 31.3 °F) and maximal in July and August (22.1 °C or 71.8 °F). The maximum precipitation falls in May (76 mm or 3.0 in) and minimum in February (34 mm or 1.3 in). Precipitation here averages 603 mm.


Climate data for Gori (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.6
(60.1)		 19.3
(66.7)		 26.0
(78.8)		 30.5
(86.9)		 32.0
(89.6)		 34.4
(93.9)		 37.4
(99.3)		 38.0
(100.4)		 36.6
(97.9)		 30.9
(87.6)		 24.0
(75.2)		 17.3
(63.1)		 38.0
(100.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 4.8
(40.6)		 6.1
(43.0)		 11.4
(52.5)		 17.6
(63.7)		 21.6
(70.9)		 25.5
(77.9)		 28.5
(83.3)		 28.7
(83.7)		 24.4
(75.9)		 18.5
(65.3)		 11.4
(52.5)		 6.2
(43.2)		 17.1
(62.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 0.0
(32.0)		 0.8
(33.4)		 5.3
(41.5)		 10.9
(51.6)		 15.1
(59.2)		 19.1
(66.4)		 22.2
(72.0)		 22.2
(72.0)		 18.0
(64.4)		 12.3
(54.1)		 5.7
(42.3)		 1.4
(34.5)		 11.1
(52.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.7
(25.3)		 −3.3
(26.1)		 0.4
(32.7)		 5.1
(41.2)		 9.4
(48.9)		 13.4
(56.1)		 16.7
(62.1)		 16.4
(61.5)		 12.2
(54.0)		 7.0
(44.6)		 1.4
(34.5)		 −2.4
(27.7)		 6.1
(43.0)
Record low °C (°F) −19.6
(−3.3)		 −19.9
(−3.8)		 −15.1
(4.8)		 −10.5
(13.1)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 2.8
(37.0)		 7.7
(45.9)		 6.1
(43.0)		 0.2
(32.4)		 −4.8
(23.4)		 −11.4
(11.5)		 −22.2
(−8.0)		 −22.2
(−8.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 34.1
(1.34)		 32.1
(1.26)		 33.0
(1.30)		 50.0
(1.97)		 59.9
(2.36)		 61.8
(2.43)		 44.8
(1.76)		 40.6
(1.60)		 29.6
(1.17)		 43.0
(1.69)		 46.8
(1.84)		 33.9
(1.33)		 508.0
(20.00)
Source: World Meteorological Organization[2]

History

Gori Fortress as of 1642, by an Italian missionary, Cristoforo Castelli

The territory of Gori has been populated since the early Bronze Age. According to medieval Georgian chronicles, the town of Gori was founded by King David IV (r. 1089–1125) who settled refugees from Armenia there.[3] However, the fortress of Gori (Goris-Tsikhe) appears to have been in use already in the 7th century, and archaeological evidence indicates the existence of an urban community in Classical Antiquity. In 1299, Gori was captured by the Alan tribesmen fleeing the Mongol conquest of their original homeland in the North Caucasus. The Georgian king George V recovered the town in 1320, pushing the Alans back over the Caucasus mountains.

Gori Fortress on the hilltop

With the downfall of the medieval Georgian kingdom, Gori – strategically located at the crossroads of major transit routes – was frequently targeted by foreign invaders, and changed its masters on several occasions. It was first taken and sacked by Uzun Hassan of the Ak Koyunlu in 1477, followed by Tahmasp I of Persia in the mid-16th century. By the end of that century, Gori briefly passed to the Ottomans through the 1578–90 Ottoman–Persian War, and became their major outpost in Georgia until being recovered by the Georgians under Simon I of Kartli after heavy fighting in 1599. The town was once again garrisoned by the Persians under Shah Abbas I in 1614. Following successive occupations by the Ottomans (1723–35) and Persians (1735–40s), Gori returned to Georgian control under the kings Teimuraz II and Erekle II whose efforts helped to advance economy and culture in the town. Following the Russian annexation of Georgia, Gori was granted the status of a town within the Gori Uyezd of the Tiflis Governorate in 1801. It grew in size and population throughout the 19th century. A plan of 1824 shows the town on the hill slopes below the citadel, and a moat around it.[4] The town was destroyed in the 1920 earthquake, and almost completely rebuilt in the Soviet period. An important industrial center in Soviet times, Gori suffered from an economic collapse and the outflow of the population during the years of a post-Soviet crisis of the 1990s.

Gori is close to the Georgian–Ossetian conflict zone. It is connected to breakaway South Ossetia's capital Tskhinvali via a railroad spur which has been defunct since the early 1990s. Since the 2000s, Georgia has increased the military infrastructure in and around the city. Thus, the Central Military Hospital was relocated from Tbilisi to Gori and re-equipped in October 2006.[5] On January 18, 2008, Georgia's second NATO-standard base to accommodate the 1st Infantry Brigade (Georgia) of the Georgian Ground Forces was established at Gori.[6] The Georgian Agrarian Science Academy Branch was established in the city in 1995; this became Sukhishvili University in 2003.

2008 conflict

A damaged apartment building in Gori.

In the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, the town came under aerial attack by the Russian Air Force from the outset of the conflict. Military targets and residential districts of Gori were hit by the airstrikes, resulting in civilian injuries and deaths.[7][8] Human Rights Watch (HRW) claimed that Russian forces had indiscriminately deployed cluster bombs in civilian areas around Gori. According to HRW, on August 12 Russian forces dropped cluster bombs in the centre of Gori, killing 11 civilians and wounding dozens more.[9] Russian military officials deny using cluster munitions in the conflict, calling the HRW assertion "slanderous" and questioning the HRW's objectivity.[10] Numerous unexploded "bomblets" have been found by locals and HRW employees.[11]

By August 11, Georgian military personnel, government, and most residents had fled the city, which was then captured and occupied by the Russian military and South Ossetian separatist militia. HRW accused the militia of unleashing a campaign of looting, arson, kidnapping and other attacks against the remaining civilian population.[12] The Russian and South Ossetian forces withdrew from the city on August 22, 2008.[13] The following day Units of the Georgian Army returned to Gori. However, Russian checkpoints remained near Gori as well as in so-called buffer zones near the borders with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.[14]

Demographics

View of Gori
Akaki Tsereteli street


Year 1865 1897 1914 1916 1977 1989 2002 2014 2022 2023
Population 5,100 10,269[15] 25,355[16] 18,454[17] 54,100[18] 68,924[19] 49,522[19] 48,143[20] 44,524[21] 44,387[22]

Landmarks

Statue of Stalin stood outside the Town Hall until being removed in 2010 as part of the country's de-Sovietization process
Gori train station
Akaki Tsereteli street in Gori

Gori and its environs house several notable cultural and historical landmarks. Although for many foreigners Gori is principally known as the birthplace of Joseph Stalin, in Georgian historical memory the city has long been associated with its citadel, the Gori Fortress, which is built on a cliffy hill overlooking the central part of the modern city. On another hill stands the 18th century St. George's church of Gorijvari, a popular place of pilgrimage. The famous ancient rock-hewn town of Uplistsikhe and the 7th century Ateni Sioni Church are located not far from Gori.

Stalin's association with the city is emphasized by the Joseph Stalin Museum in downtown Gori and, until recently, the Stalin monument in front of the Gori City Hall, one of the few such monuments to survive Nikita Khrushchev's de-Stalinization program. The monument was a source of controversy in a newly independent Georgia in the 1990s, but for several years the post-communist government acceded to the Gori citizens' request and left the statue untouched.[23][24] It was ultimately removed on June 25, 2010.[25] However, on 20 December 2012, the municipal assembly of Gori voted to reinstate the monument.[26][27]

Administrative divisions

The city is divided into 11 administrative districts, they are:[28]

No. District No. District No. District No. District
1Kvernaki Settlement4Tsmindatskali 2nd Locality7Chala-Tskarosubani Settlement10Central Settlement 1st Locality
2Verkhvebi Settlement5IDPs Settlement8Kombinati Settlement 1st Locality11Central Settlement 2nd Locality
3Tsmindatskali 1st Locality6Sadguri-Elektripikatsia Settlement9Kombinati Settlement 2nd Locality

Notable people

Joseph Stalin

Important sights

Joseph Stalin Museum, Gori
Joseph Stalin Museum


References

  1. ↑ E.M. Pospelov, Geograficheskie nazvaniya mira (Moscow, 1998), p. 121.
  2. ↑ "World Meteorological Organisation Climate Normals for 1981–2010". World Meteorological Organisation. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  3. ↑ Sempad the Constable. Chronicle
  4. ↑ Закарая, П. (1983) Памятники Восточной Грузии. Искусство, Москва, 376 с. [Zakaraya, P. Monuments of Eastern Georgia](In Russian)
  5. ↑ Georgia Today: "Georgian Armed Forces modernize infrastructure" Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine, October 4, 2007.
  6. ↑ New military base in Gori Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine. Ministry of Defense of Georgia, January 18, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Russian jets attack Georgian town", BBC News, 9 August 2008
  8. ↑ "Georgia conflict: Screams of the injured rise from residential streets", The Telegraph, 10 Aug 2008
  9. ↑ "Georgia: Russian Cluster Bombs Kill Civilians. Stop Using Weapon Banned by 107 Nations" Human Rights Watch, August 15, 2008,
  10. ↑ Александр Брод: западных правозащитников не интересует трагедия Южной Осетии // Полит.ру, 21 августа 2008
  11. ↑ "Georgia: Civilians Killed by Russian Cluster Bomb ‘Duds’. More Attacks Confirmed; Unexploded Ordnance Threatens Many", Human Rights Watch, August 21, 2008
  12. ↑ Russia/Georgia: Militias Attack Civilians in Gori Region; Russia Should Curb Militias and Allow in Humanitarian Aid, Human Rights Watch, August 17, 2008,
  13. ↑ Civil Georgia: "Police Back in Gori", 23 August 2008
  14. ↑ Schwirtz, Michael (24 August 2008). "Georgia Prepares for Refugees; Russians Declare Pullback Finished". The New York Times.
  15. ↑ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  16. ↑ Кавказский календарь на 1915 год [Caucasian calendar for 1915] (in Russian) (70th ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1915. p. 245. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021.
  17. ↑ Кавказский календарь на 1917 год [Caucasian calendar for 1917] (in Russian) (72nd ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1917. pp. 206–213. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021.
  18. ↑ (in Georgian) Kakabadze, V., Gvasalia, J., Gagoshidze I., Menabde, L., Zakaria, P. (1978), გორი ("Gori"). Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, vol. 3, p. 226. Tbilisi.
  19. 1 2 "2002 General Population Census Major Findings" (PDF). National Statistics Office of Georgia. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  20. ↑ "Population Census 2014". www.geostat.ge. National Statistics Office of Georgia. November 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  21. ↑ "Population by cities and boroughs, as of 1 January 2022". www.geostat.ge. GeoStat. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  22. ↑ "Population - National Statistics Office of Georgia". www.geostat.ge. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  23. ↑ Will Lasky. Selling Stalin. Georgian Business Magazine, Issue 4, August 2007.
  24. ↑ Salome Asatiani. Great Terror: In Stalin's Birthplace, Forgiving And Forgetting. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, August 14, 2007.
  25. ↑ "Stalin statue removed in Georgian town of Gori", BBC News, 25 June 2010
  26. ↑ "Georgia: A Stalinist Restoration", The New York Times, 20 December 2012
  27. ↑ "Georgia to Reinstate Stalin Monument", RIA Novosti, 21 December 2012
  28. ↑ "Administrative Entities". gori.gov.ge. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  29. ↑ "Gorijvari". visitingeorgia.com. 17 July 2015.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gori, Georgia.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Gori.

41°58′N 44°06′E / 41.967°N 44.100°E / 41.967; 44.100

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.