Bolnisi

Bolnisi, with around 9,000 inhabitants, is a town with a remarkable German-Georgian heritage in the Kvemo Kartli region of south-eastern Georgia, some 70 kilometres south-west of Tbilisi on the Bolnisistsqali River. It was founded in 1818 by Swabian Pietist settlers under the name Katharinenfeld, one of several German colonies that Tsar Alexander I allowed in the South Caucasus to help stabilise the region. The settlers, mainly from Württemberg, introduced viticulture, mechanical engineering and Protestant schooling into a predominantly Georgian and Armenian environment. When the Soviet Union entered the war against Nazi Germany in 1941, Stalin deported the entire German community to Kazakhstan and Siberia, and the town was renamed Bolnisi. Today the long main street lined with hipped-roof houses, the former Lutheran church, the museum of the German colonists and the nearby Old Georgian Sioni Basilica from the year 478, one of Georgia's oldest stone churches and home to the earliest known Georgian inscription, recall the town's centuries-long multicultural history.

Nearby cities

Rustavi

Rustavi is a major industrial city in southeastern Georgia on the Kura River.

Marneuli

Marneuli is the administrative center of a multicultural region in Kvemo Kartli, with a predominantly Azerbaijani population.

Gardabani

Gardabani is an industrial city near the Azerbaijani border, operating an important thermal power plant.

Tbilisi

Tbilisi is the capital and largest city of Georgia, picturesquely situated on the banks of the Kura River.

Mtskheta

Mtskheta is one of the oldest cities in Georgia and the former capital of the Iberian kingdom.

Stepanavan

Stepanavan is a northern resort city, cherished for its pine forests, cool climate, and the nearby Lori Berd ruins.

Tashir

Tashir is a town in the Lori Province known for its dairy products and cool alpine climate.

Kaspi

Kaspi is a historical small town in the Shida Kartli region, playing an important role in cement production.

Vanadzor

Vanadzor is an industrial and resort city in northern Armenia, surrounded by picturesque mountains and forests.

Spitak

Spitak is a rebuilt city that was almost completely destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1988.

History & landmarks

Dmanisi

A world-renowned archaeological site where some of the oldest hominin fossils outside Africa were discovered.

Nature

Debed River

The Debed flows through deep, forested gorges in northern Armenia towards Georgia.

Aragvi River

The Aragvi meanders through the breathtaking landscape of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, carving deep valleys along its course.

Pambak River

The Pambak flows through northern Armenia, later joining the Dzoraget to form the Debed River.

More places

Madneuli Copper-Gold Mine

The Madneuli mine near Kazreti is Georgia's most important source of copper and gold, operated as an open-pit mine.

Mount Didgori

Didgori is known less for its height than for its immense historical significance.

Didgori Monument

The Didgori Monument marks the historic battlefield where King David the Builder won an unexpected and overwhelming victory over the mass…

Algeti National Park

The area in the forested valley of the Algeti River offers a charming combination of nature and historical monuments.

Trialeti Range

The Trialeti Range is an elongated volcanic mountain range in the Lesser Caucasus.

Dashbashi Canyon

The picturesque Dashbashi Canyon attracts visitors with its numerous cascading waterfalls.

Rustavi Metallurgical Plant

The Rustavi Metallurgical Plant is Georgia's largest heavy industry center, specializing in steel and iron production.

Gardabani Thermal Power Plant

The combined cycle gas turbine power plant in Gardabani ensures Georgia's energy security, especially during winter.