Leselidze ( ka, ლესელიძე, ; hy, Լեսելիձե; russian: Леселидзе) or Gyachrypsh ( ab, Гьачрыҧшь, ''G'achryphsh''; russian: Гячрыпш) is a town in Abkhazia. Formerly named Yermolovsk, the town is located on the shores of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

and is 14 kilometers from the city of

Gagra Gagra ( ka, გაგრა; Abkhaz and Russian: Гагра) is a town in Abkhazia/Georgia, sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains. Its subtropical climate made Gagra a popular he ...

History

The town was founded in the 19th century as the settlement Yermolovsk (russian: Ермоловск), named in honor of the Minister of Agriculture A.S. Yermolov who traveled to this place in 1894. Some authors linked the name of the settlement to General Yermolov (commander of the Caucasian war), but this presumption is apparently erroneous. In 1944 the town was officially renamed in honor of the national hero Colonel-General Konstantin Leselidze (1903-1944) who fought in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. In the post-war years the town saw a lot of improvements, it was developed as a vacation site. A children's sanatorium was built as well as a resort and a sports training base. The base was favored by top Soviet athletes. Soviet Union national football (soccer) team and other Soviet football clubs trained there as well as handball players and track-and-field athletes. In 1975 a monument (created by

Silovan Kakabadze Silovan Yakimovich Kakabadze ( ka, სილოვან კაკაბაძე; 12 August 1895 – 10 June 1993) was a Soviet and Georgian sculptor and teacher.John Milner. ''A Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Artists, 1420 - 1970''. Woodbridge ...

) of Konstantin Leselidze was erected in the town. In September 1992, after the fall of

during the 1992–1993 war in Abkhazia, Abkhazian troops destroyed the monument along with other Georgian landmarks. In 1992, the town was renamed Gyachrypsh by the unrecognized Abkhazian authorities. The name “Gyachrypsh” originated from the territory which was ruled by the Abkhazian prince named Gech or Gechkuaj. In historical literature there is a variation: “Gechiler” (

Circassia Circassia (; also known as Cherkessia in some sources; ady, Адыгэ Хэку, Адыгей, lit=, translit=Adıgə Xəku, Adıgey; ; ota, چرکسستان, Çerkezistan; ) was a country and a historical region in the along the northeast ...

n “Gech-chiler”). In his book ''My War, Chechen diary of a trench General'', Russian general

Gennady Troshev Gennady Nikolayevich Troshev (russian: Геннадий Николаевич Трошев) (14 March 1947 – 14 September 2008) was a Russian Colonel General in the Russian military and formerly the commander of the North Caucasus Military Distr ...

accused

Shamil Basayev Shamil Salmanovich Basayev ( ce, Салман ВоӀ Шамиль ; russian: Шамиль Салманович Басаев; 14 January 1965 – 10 July 2006), also known by his kunya "Abu Idris", was a senior military commander in the Cheche ...

of perpetrating war crimes in the area around Leselidze in the aftermath of the 1992–1993 war:

“The trademark of Basayev’s 'janissaries' (numbering around 5000) in that war was senseless cruelty. In autumn of 1993 in the vicinity of Gagra and the town Lеselidze 'the commander' personally led a punitive action for the extermination of refugees. Several thousand Georgians were killed, hundreds of Armenian, Russian and Greek families slaughtered. According to the accounts of miraculously survived eyewitnesses, the bandits took pleasure in videotaping the scenes of abuse and rape.”

Under Abkhazian control the town is known to feature two all-inclusive resorts - "Gech" and "Laguna".

Demographics

In 1959, Leselidze was principally inhabited by Russians, Armenians, and Estonians.

Notes

References

Gagra District Administration

Other