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Bolnisi ( ka, ბოლნისი) is a city in the country of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, located in the
Kvemo Kartli Kvemo Kartli ( ka, ქვემო ქართლი ) or "Lower Kartli", is a historic province and current administrative region (mkhare) in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is the regional capital. Location Kvemo Kartli is a region ...
region and capital of the
Bolnisi district Bolnisi ( ka, ბოლნისის მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''Bolnisis munitsip’alit’et’i'') is a municipality in Georgia's southern region of Kvemo Kartli, covering an area of . As of 2021 it had a population of 56,0 ...
. It currently has an estimated 8,348 (January 1, 2024) inhabitants.


History

Bolnisi was settled by 95 German colonist families from
Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...
in 1818, whilst part of the
Georgia Governorate The Georgian Governorate (; ka, საქართველოს გუბერნია) was one of the '' guberniyas'' of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Tiflis (Tbilisi). It was divided into uyezds of Gor ...
of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. Upon the arrival of the German colonists, the town was renamed ''Yekaterinenfeld'' in honor of the sister of
Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...
, Ekaterina Pavlovna, who was married to the King of Württemberg. Some eight years later, Yekaterinenfeld was pillaged by what were described as "Tartars", who burned down the German colony and massacred many of its inhabitants. In the early 20th century, Yekaterinenfeld had a mainly German and Russian population of 2,332. Following the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
and the
Sovietization of Georgia The Red Army invasion of Georgia (12 February17 March 1921), also known as the Georgian–Soviet War or the Soviet invasion of Georgia,Debo, R. (1992). ''Survival and Consolidation: The Foreign Policy of Soviet Russia, 1918-1921'', pp. 182, 361� ...
in 1921, Yekaterinenfeld was eponymously renamed to ''Luxemburg'' () for the renown German communist
Rosa Luxemburg Rosa Luxemburg ( ; ; ; born Rozalia Luksenburg; 5 March 1871 – 15 January 1919) was a Polish and naturalised-German revolutionary and Marxist theorist. She was a key figure of the socialist movements in Poland and Germany in the early 20t ...
. In 1941, in accordance with Stalin's callous policy on ethnic groups, all Germans residents of Luxemburg who were not married to ethnic Georgians were deported to
Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
and
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
. On 3 April 1943, the town was finally renamed to Bolnisi, which remained unchanged after the
fall of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of Nationalities, Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. :s: ...
. On 31 December 1967, the settlement of Bolnisi received the status of a city. In 1980, the city water supply network was built. An airfield near the city was reported to have been bombed by Russia on August 8, 2008, during the Russia-Georgia war.


Economy

The main occupations of the colonist Germans were viticulture, horticulture, fruit growing and cattle breeding. At the same time, irrigation, underground drainage and irrigation canals were constructed in Yekaterinenfeld, as well as wine, cognac and cheese factories, and leather and furniture factories. The town's contemporary economy is mostly agrarian with the notable exceptions of a winery, brewery, and a gold mine in the nearby village of Kazreti.


Religion and Cultural Heritage

Bolnisi has long been the seat of a bishop or archbishop, and is the home of the oldest dated
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
structure in Georgia.Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), ''Studies In Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts'', p. 316. Peeters Bvba, . It is known as
Bolnisi Sioni Bolnisi Sioni ( ka, ბოლნისის სიონი) or Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral is a Georgian Orthodox basilica in the Bolnisi village of Bolnisi District, Georgia. The cathedral was built in 478–493. It is the oldest extant churc ...
(Sioni being Georgian for
Zion Zion (; ) is a placename in the Tanakh, often used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole. The name is found in 2 Samuel (), one of the books of the Tanakh dated to approximately the mid-6th century BCE. It o ...
and a designation used by many of their churches). This three-nave
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
church dates to the 5th century AD and features some
pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...
elements in its stonework. The original roof is missing but has been replaced with a modern covering. A dedication
Bolnisi inscriptions The Bolnisi inscriptions ( ka, ბოლნისის წარწერები, tr) are the Old Georgian inscriptions written in the Georgian '' Asomtavruli'' script on the Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral, a basilica located in Bolnisi, Bolnisi Mun ...
from the Bolnisi church, carved in the late 5th century, is one of the oldest dated specimens of Georgian writing. It mentions Bishop David of Bolnisi and two
Sassanid The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...
kings
Peroz I Peroz I () was the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings () of History of Iran, Iran from 459 to 484. A son of Yazdegerd II (), he disputed the rule of his elder brother and incumbent king Hormizd III (), eventually seizing the throne after a ...
and
Kavadh I Kavad I ( ; 473 – 13 September 531) was the Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 488 to 531, with a two or three-year interruption. A son of Peroz I (), he was crowned by the nobles to replace his deposed and unpopular uncle Balash (). Inhe ...
. There are still remnants of the German past in Bolnisi. A small graveyard and plaque acknowledges the German influence in the village. A small street called Mill Street has evidence of 19th-century German architecture and a few signs in the German language that date from the early 20th century. The
Bolnisi Museum Bolnisi ( ka, ბოლნისი) is a city in the country of Georgia (country), Georgia, located in the Kvemo Kartli region and capital of the Bolnisi district. It currently has an estimated 8,348 (January 1, 2024) inhabitants. History Boln ...
, opened in 2020, showcases some findings from the nearby
Dmanisi Dmanisi ( ka, დმანისი, tr, , ) is a town and archaeological site in the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia (country), Georgia approximately 93 km southwest of the nation’s capital Tbilisi in the river valley of Mashavera. Abandoned i ...
archaeological site, which is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites, for the "richest and most complete collection of indisputable early Homo remains outside of Africa". Starting with these Dmanisi hominins, the exhibit also covers the Sakdrisi goldmine and contains a room on the German settlers, across four halls. The museum building was designed by Gaga Kiknadze. The concept of the exhibition was developed by Lina López. The Bolnisi Museum was nominated for the European Museum of the Year Awards in 2021.


Sport

Whilst a German colony within the Russian Empire, Bolnisi had cycling, gymnast, and football teams in the 19th century. Sioni Bolnisi, a football club founded in 1936, play at the Tamaz Stepania Stadium, named after local footballer Tamaz Stepania; they were league champions once in 2006. Rugby Club Kochebi Bolnisi is a semi-professional
Rugby Union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
team which currently plays in the top tier league in Georgia, the Didi 10.


Climate

Highest recorded temperature: on 31 July 2011. Lowest recorded temperature: on 8 January 2008.


See also

*
Bolnisi inscriptions The Bolnisi inscriptions ( ka, ბოლნისის წარწერები, tr) are the Old Georgian inscriptions written in the Georgian '' Asomtavruli'' script on the Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral, a basilica located in Bolnisi, Bolnisi Mun ...
* The history of The Caucasus Germans in Georgia


References


External links


Bolnisi Museum
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Kvemo Kartli Tiflis Governorate