Akhalgori ( ka, ახალგორი, os, Ленингор Leningor) is a town in Georgia, (in the

Mtskheta-Mtianeti Mtskheta-Mtianeti ( ka, მცხეთა-მთიანეთი, literally "Mtskheta-Mountain Area") is a region (Mkhare) in eastern Georgia comprising the town of Mtskheta, which serves as a regional capital, together with its district and t ...

region according to the official administrative division of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

). The name Akhalgori is the original historical name of the town used by the Georgians and officials, whereas Leningori is the name given to the city in the Soviet era and used by the South Ossetians. The town is situated on the banks of the River Ksani, height above sea level - 800 m.

History

The village of Akhalgori was first mentioned in the 18th century by

Prince Vakhushti Vakhushti ( ka, ვახუშტი, tr) (1696–1757) was a Georgian royal prince (''batonishvili''), geographer, historian and cartographer. His principal historical and geographic works, '' Description of the Kingdom of Georgia'' and the ''G ...

Kartli Kartli ( ka, ქართლი ) is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari (Kura), on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role ...

in his work ''The Geographic Description of Georgia''.Pospelov, p. 29 The name derives from the

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

words meaning "new" (ახალი/akhali) and "hill" or "mountain" (გორა/gora). Before Sovietization of Georgia in 1921, Akhalgori was the residence of Georgian Noble Eristavi Duce. During the

Soviet era The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...

it was part of the

South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast The South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast (russian: Юго-Осетинская автономная область, ka, სამხრეთ ოსეთის ავტონომიური ოლქი, os, Хуссар Ирыстоны ав� ...

and was called Leningori (Ленингори; ლენინგორი) after

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...

. It was renamed Akhalgori by the

Georgian SSR The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (Georgian SSR; ka, საქართველოს საბჭოთა სოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა, tr; russian: Грузинская Советская Соц� ...

government at the end of 1990.

Control over the town

During the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War the town remained under Georgian jurisdiction after most of South Ossetia broke away from the central government's control. It came under the control of South Ossetian secessionist authorities as a result of the 2008

Russo-Georgian War The 2008 Russo-Georgian WarThe war is known by a variety of other names, including Five-Day War, August War and Russian invasion of Georgia. was a war between Georgia, on one side, and Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of Sou ...

on August 17, 2008. Subsequently, the government of South Ossetia has renamed the town to Leningor. Before the conflict, Akhalgori district had a population of 7,700, with approximately 2,000 living in the town itself. The largest villages were Ikorta, Korinta, Qanchaveti, Kvemo Zakhori, Largvisi, Doretkari, and Karchokhi. The population was primarily Georgian (6,520) and Ossetian (1,110) with good relations between the two communities. Currently Akhalgori as well as South Ossetia are controlled by Russian forces and South Ossetian militia.

Town's position in administrative subdivision makeup

*According to

South Ossetia South Ossetia, ka, სამხრეთი ოსეთი, ( , ), officially the Republic of South Ossetia – the State of Alania, is a partially recognised landlocked state in the South Caucasus. It has an officially stated populat ...

n official division, the town is the center of

Leningor District Akhalgori Municipality or Leningor District ( ka, ახალგორის მუნიციპალიტეტი, os, Ленингоры район, russian: Ахалгорский муниципалитет) is a Municipality in Georgia o ...

of South Ossetia *According to

official division, the town is the municipal center of

Akhalgori Municipality Akhalgori Municipality or Leningor District ( ka, ახალგორის მუნიციპალიტეტი, os, Ленингоры район, russian: Ахалгорский муниципалитет) is a Municipality in Georgia o ...

region, of Georgia

Industry and commerce

Akhalgori is home to the Lomisi brewery, owned by the Turkish company

Efes Beverage Group Anadolu Efes Biracılık ve Malt Sanayii A.Ş.''(lit. Anadolu Efes Brewery and Malt Industries)'' produces and markets beer and malt and non-alcoholic beverages in a wide geographical area comprising Turkey, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independe ...

, which is the primary employer of the town.

Climate

Notable people

* Eristavi Noble family *

Manana Chitishvili Manana Chitishvili, Georgian: მანანა ჩიტიშვილი (born 13 November 1954, Korinta) is a Georgian poet and academic, whose works have been translated into five languages. Biography Chitishvili was born on 13 November ...

References

Notes

Sources

*Е. М. Поспелов (Ye. M. Pospelov). "Имена городов: вчера и сегодня (1917–1992). Топонимический словарь." (''City Names: Yesterday and Today (1917–1992). Toponymic Dictionary.'') Москва, "Русские словари", 1993.

External links

Official Georgian site of the townOfficial Ossetian site of the town
{{Administrative divisions of South Ossetia Populated places in Akhalgori District Cities and towns in Mtskheta-Mtianeti Tiflis Governorate