Gagra
Gagra
| |
|---|---|
 Old Gagra | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Gagra in Abkhazia | |
  Gagra Location of Gagra  Gagra Gagra (Georgia) | |
| Coordinates:43°17′N40°16′E/ 43.283°N 40.267°E | |
| Country | Georgia |
| Partially recognized independent country |  Abkhazia[1] |
| District | Gagra |
| Government | |
| • Mayor[note 1] | Yuri Khagush[2] |
| Population | |
| • Estimate (2018) | 12,002[3] |
| Time zone | UTC+3 |
| Climate | Cfa |
Gagra(Georgian:გაგრა;Abkhazand Russian: Гагра) is a town inAbkhazia/Georgia,[note 2]sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of theBlack Sea,at the foot of theCaucasus Mountains.Its subtropical climate made Gagra a popular health resort in Imperial Russian and Soviet times.
It had a population of 26,636 in 1989, but this has fallen considerably due to theethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhaziaand other demographic shifts during and after theWar in Abkhazia (1992–93).
Gagra is the centre of thedistrict of the same name.It is located in the western part of Region of Abkhazia, and riverPsouserves as a border withKrasnodar Kraiof Russia.
Etymology
[edit]According to some Georgian scholars,Gagrais derived fromGakrameaning "walnut" in theSvan language.[4]According to the Soviet writer Bondaryev, the name of the city originates from the localGagaaclan.[5]According to V. Kvarchija, Gagra (< *ga-kʼə-ra) means 'the holder of the coast' in Abkhaz (Gagra was mentioned as Kakara, Kakkari on old maps).[6]
History
[edit]The town was established as a Greek colony in the kingdom ofColchis,called Triglite (Ancient Greek:Τριγλίτη), inhabited by Greeks and Colchians. Colchis came under the control of thekingdom of Pontusin the 1st century BC before being absorbed by theRoman Empire,which renamed the town asNitica.Its geographical position led the Romans to fortify the town, which was repeatedly attacked byGothsand other invaders. The town and the whole region ofColchisremained part ofByzantine Empire.
It became a major trading settlement in whichGenoeseandVenetianmerchants were prominent, trading in the town's main exports – wood, honey, wax and slaves. The name "Gagra" appeared for the first time on a map in 1308, on a map of the Caucasus made by the Italian Pietro Visconti, which is now in theLibrary of Saint Markin Venice.
Gagra within the Russian Empire
[edit]
In the 16th century, Gagra and the rest of western Georgia were conquered by theOttoman Empire.The western merchants were expelled and the town entered a prolonged period of decline, with much of the local population fleeing into the mountains. By the 18th century, the town had been reduced to little more than a village surrounded by forests and disease-ridden swamps. Its fortunes were restored in the 19th century when theRussian Empireexpanded into the region, annexing the whole of Georgia. The swamps were drained and the town was rebuilt around a new military hospital. Its population, however, was still small; in 1866, a census recorded that 336 men and 280 women, mostly local families or army officers and their dependents, lived in Gagra. The town suffered badly in theRusso-Turkish War, 1877-1878,when Turkish troops invaded, destroyed the town and expelled the local population. Russia won the war, however, and rebuilt Gagra again.
In 1904 the town was discovered byDuke Alexander of Oldenburg,a member of the Russian royalty.[7]He saw the potential of the region's sub-tropical climate and decided to build a high-class resort there. Having raised a large sum of money from the government, he built a palace there for himself and constructed a number of other buildings in an eclectic variety of architectural styles from around Europe. A park was laid out with tropical trees, and parrots and monkeys were imported to give it an exotic feel. Despite the expensive work, the resort was not initially a success, although it did later attract a growing number of foreign tourists visiting on cruises of the Black Sea. Following the founding of the resort, the area was ceded fromSukhum OkrugtoBlack Sea Governoratein 1904.[8]
Gagra under the Soviet Union
[edit]In theRussian Revolution of 1905,a local uprising produced a revolutionary government in the town, which founded a short-lived Republic of Gagra. This was soon defeated and the revolutionaries were arresteden masse.The First World War a few years later was a disaster for Gagra, destroying the tourist trade on which it depended. TheRussian Revolutionshortly afterwards saw theBolshevikstake over the town; despite a brief French attempt to repel them during theRussian Civil War,the town was firmly incorporated into the new Soviet Union withinGeorgianSSR.
Bolshevik leaderVladimir Leninissued a decree in 1919 establishing a "worker's resort" in Gagra, nationalising the resort that had been built by Oldenburg. It became a popular holiday resort for Soviet citizens and during World War II gained a new role as a site for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. After the war, various state-runsanatoriumswere built there. The resort grew and was developed intensively as part of the "Soviet Riviera". A 1985 musical filmWinter Evening in Gagrafurther popularized the resort.
Gagra in post-soviet Abkhazia
[edit]In the late 1980s, tensions grew between the Georgian and Abkhazian communities in the region. An all-out war erupted between 1992 and 1993 which ended in a defeat of the Georgian government's forces. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Georgians were expelled from their homes in Abkhazia and thousands were massacred in an outbreak of massethnic cleansing.[9]Gagra and the Abkhazian capitalSukhumiwere at the centre of the fighting and suffered heavy damage. To this date ethnic Georgians have an IDP status and have not been able to return to their homes.
Monuments
[edit]
The chief landmarks of Gagra are:
- Ruins of the Abaata Fortress (4th–5th AD)
- A 6th-centuryChurch of Gagra
- Marlinsky defensive tower (1841)
- 19th-century palace of the Prince of Oldenburg
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^The Governor ofGagra Districtis at the same time Mayor of the Gagra municipality.
- ^The political status of Abkhazia is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence fromGeorgiain 1992, Abkhaziais formally recognised as an independent stateby 5 UN member states (two other states previously recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while the remainder of the international community recognizes it asde jureGeorgian territory. Georgia continues to claim the area as its own territory, designating it asRussian-occupied territory.
References
[edit]- ^The political status of Abkhazia is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence fromGeorgiain 1992, Abkhaziais formally recognised as an independent stateby 5 UN member states (two other states previously recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while the remainder of the international community recognizes it asde jureGeorgian territory. Georgia continues to claim the area as its own territory, designating it asRussian-occupied territory.
- ^"В сухумский порт прибыл корабль Черноморского флота России".Эхо Кавказа(in Russian). 29 September 2023.Retrieved7 December2023.
- ^"Государственный комитет Республики Абхазия по статистике".Archived fromthe originalon 2022-01-21.Retrieved2022-12-04.
- ^Topchishvili, Roland (2005),History of Georgian Mountain Regions: Svaneti and Its Inhabitants (Ethno-historical Studies)Archived2012-03-10 at theWayback Machine.National Parliamentary Library of Georgia
- ^БОНДАРЕВ, Н.Д. (1981).В ГОРАХ АБХАЗИИ (In Abkhazian mountains)(in Russian). Moscow: Физкультура и спорт. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-11-22.Retrieved2009-06-07.
- ^Кәарҷиа В. Е. Аҧсны атопонимика — Аҟәа. 2002. P. 92
- ^Saparov, Arsène (2014).From Conflict to Autonomy in the Caucasus: The Soviet Union and the Making of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno Karabakh.Routledge. p. 134.
- ^Saparov, Arsène (2014).From Conflict to Autonomy in the Caucasus: The Soviet Union and the Making of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno Karabakh.Routledge. p. 134.
- ^Human Rights Watch Arms Project.Human Rights Watch/Helsinki.March 1995 Vol. 7, No. 7.Georgia/Abkhazia: Violations of the Laws of War and Russia's Role in the Conflict
External links
[edit]
Gagratravel guide from Wikivoyage- webcamera in GagraArchived2010-05-19 at theWayback Machine
43°20′N40°13′E/ 43.333°N 40.217°E
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