Gori, Georgia

Coordinates: 41°58′N 44°06′E / 41.967°N 44.100°E / 41.967; 44.100
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Gori (disambiguation).
Gori
გორი
City
From top: Town Hall, Gori Fortress, Gori Cathedral, FC Dila Stadium, Panoramic view to Gori
UTC+4 (Georgian Time)
Postal code
1400
ClimateCfb
Websitewww.gori.gov.ge
Map

Gori (

Liakhvi. Gori is the fifth most populous city in Georgia. Its name comes from the Georgian word gora (გორა), meaning "heap", "hill",[1]
or "mountain".

A settlement known here from the

Russo–Georgian War
.

Gori is also known as the birthplace of

Leader and politician Joseph Stalin, ballistic missile designer Aleksandr Nadiradze, and philosopher Merab Mamardashvili
.

Geography and climate

Gori is located 86 kilometres west of Georgia's capital

above sea level. The climate is humid subtropical, transitioning to humid continental climate
, with warm and moderately humid weather. Summer is usually hot. The average annual temperature is 11.2 °C (52.2 °F), minimal in January (−0.4 °C or 31.3 °F) and maximal in July and August (22.1 °C or 71.8 °F). The maximum precipitation falls in May (65.8 mm or 2.6 in) and minimum in February (28.2 mm or 1.1 in). Precipitation here averages 507 mm (20.0 in).

Highest recorded temperature: 38.0 °C (100.4 °F) on 13 August 2006[2]

Lowest recorded temperature: −22.2 °C (−8.0 °F) on 16 December 2004[2]


Climate data for Gori (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981-2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.6
(60.1) 		20.5
(68.9) 		26.0
(78.8) 		30.5
(86.9) 		32.0
(89.6) 		36.8
(98.2) 		37.4
(99.3) 		38.0
(100.4) 		36.6
(97.9) 		30.9
(87.6) 		25.0
(77.0) 		20.0
(68.0) 		38.0
(100.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 5.4
(41.7) 		7.1
(44.8) 		12.2
(54.0) 		17.5
(63.5) 		22.2
(72.0) 		26.3
(79.3) 		29.1
(84.4) 		29.7
(85.5) 		25.0
(77.0) 		19.1
(66.4) 		11.8
(53.2) 		6.5
(43.7) 		17.7
(63.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.3
(26.1) 		−2.7
(27.1) 		1.0
(33.8) 		5.1
(41.2) 		9.9
(49.8) 		14.0
(57.2) 		17.2
(63.0) 		17.0
(62.6) 		12.8
(55.0) 		7.4
(45.3) 		1.4
(34.5) 		−2.2
(28.0) 		6.5
(43.7)
Record low °C (°F) −19.6
(−3.3) 		−19.9
(−3.8) 		−15.1
(4.8) 		−10.5
(13.1) 		−1.0
(30.2) 		2.8
(37.0) 		7.7
(45.9) 		6.1
(43.0) 		−0.2
(31.6) 		−4.8
(23.4) 		−11.5
(11.3) 		−22.2
(−8.0) 		−22.2
(−8.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 29.0
(1.14) 		28.2
(1.11) 		35.7
(1.41) 		53.1
(2.09) 		65.8
(2.59) 		58.7
(2.31) 		41.3
(1.63) 		36.6
(1.44) 		35.2
(1.39) 		41.9
(1.65) 		47.4
(1.87) 		33.7
(1.33) 		506.6
(19.94)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 6.4 6 6.8 8.3 10.1 8.5 5.6 5.1 5.3 6.8 6.8 6.6 82.3
Source:
NCEI[2][3]

History

Gori Fortress as of 1642, by an Italian missionary, Cristoforo Castelli

The territory of Gori has been populated since the early

Caucasus mountains
.

Gori Fortress on the hilltop

With the downfall of the medieval

Gori Uyezd of the Tiflis Governorate in 1801. It grew in size and population throughout the 19th century. A plan of 1824 shows the town on the hill slopes below the citadel, and a moat around it.[5] The town was destroyed in the 1920 earthquake, and almost completely rebuilt in the Soviet period. An important industrial center in Soviet times, Gori suffered from an economic collapse
and the outflow of the population during the years of a post-Soviet crisis of the 1990s.

Gori is close to the

Georgian Ground Forces was established at Gori.[7] The Georgian Agrarian Science Academy Branch was established in the city in 1995; this became Sukhishvili University
in 2003.

2008 conflict

Main article: Occupation of Gori
A damaged apartment building in Gori.

In the 2008

cluster bombs in civilian areas around Gori. According to HRW, on August 12 Russian forces dropped cluster bombs in the centre of Gori, killing 11 civilians and wounding dozens more.[10] Russian military officials deny using cluster munitions in the conflict, calling the HRW assertion "slanderous" and questioning the HRW's objectivity.[11] Numerous unexploded "bomblets" have been found by locals and HRW employees.[12]

By August 11, Georgian military personnel, government, and most residents had fled the city, which was then

South Ossetian separatist militia. HRW accused the militia of unleashing a campaign of looting, arson, kidnapping and other attacks against the remaining civilian population.[13] The Russian and South Ossetian forces withdrew from the city on August 22, 2008.[14] The following day Units of the Georgian Army returned to Gori. However, Russian checkpoints remained near Gori as well as in so-called buffer zones near the borders with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.[15]

Demographics

View of Gori
Akaki Tsereteli street


Year 1865 1897 1914 1916 1977 1989 2002 2014 2022 2023
Population 5,100[citation needed] 10,269[16] 25,355[17] 18,454[18] 54,100[19] 68,924[20] 49,522[20] 48,143[21] 44,524[22] 44,387[23]

Landmarks

Statue of Stalin stood outside the Town Hall until being removed in 2010 as part of the country's de-Sovietization process
Gori train station
Akaki Tsereteli street in Gori

Gori and its environs house several notable cultural and historical landmarks. Although for many foreigners Gori is principally known as the birthplace of

St. George's church of Gorijvari, a popular place of pilgrimage. The famous ancient rock-hewn town of Uplistsikhe and the 7th century Ateni Sioni Church
are located not far from Gori.

Stalin's association with the city is emphasized by the Joseph Stalin Museum in downtown Gori and, until recently, the Stalin monument in front of the Gori City Hall, one of the few such monuments to survive Nikita Khrushchev's de-Stalinization program. The monument was a source of controversy in a newly independent Georgia in the 1990s, but for several years the post-communist government acceded to the Gori citizens' request and left the statue untouched.[24][25] It was ultimately removed on June 25, 2010.[26] However, on 20 December 2012, the municipal assembly of Gori voted to reinstate the monument.[27][28]

Administrative divisions

The city is divided into 11 administrative districts, they are:[29]

No. District No. District No. District No. District
1 Kvernaki Settlement 4 Tsmindatskali 2nd Locality 7 Chala-Tskarosubani Settlement 10 Central Settlement 1st Locality
2 Verkhvebi Settlement 5 IDPs Settlement 8 Kombinati Settlement 1st Locality 11 Central Settlement 2nd Locality
3 Tsmindatskali 1st Locality 6 Sadguri-Elektripikatsia Settlement 9 Kombinati Settlement 2nd Locality

Notable people

Joseph Stalin

Important sights

Joseph Stalin Museum, Gori
Joseph Stalin Museum


References

  1. ^ E.M. Pospelov, Geograficheskie nazvaniya mira (Moscow, 1998), p. 121.
  2. ^
    National Oceanic and Atmosoheric Administration. Retrieved 17 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link
    )
  3. ^ "World Meteorological Organisation Climate Normals for 1981–2010 - Georgia".
    National Oceanic and Atmosoheric Administration. p. 5. Archived from the original
    on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  4. ^ Sempad the Constable. Chronicle
  5. ^ Закарая, П. (1983) Памятники Восточной Грузии. Искусство, Москва, 376 с. [Zakaraya, P. Monuments of Eastern Georgia](In Russian)
  6. ^ Georgia Today: "Georgian Armed Forces modernize infrastructure" Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine, October 4, 2007.
  7. ^ New military base in Gori Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine. Ministry of Defense of Georgia, January 18, 2008.
  8. ^ "Russian jets attack Georgian town", BBC News, 9 August 2008
  9. ^ "Georgia conflict: Screams of the injured rise from residential streets", The Telegraph, 10 Aug 2008
  10. ^ "Georgia: Russian Cluster Bombs Kill Civilians. Stop Using Weapon Banned by 107 Nations" Human Rights Watch, August 15, 2008,
  11. ^ Александр Брод: западных правозащитников не интересует трагедия Южной Осетии // Полит.ру, 21 августа 2008
  12. ^ "Georgia: Civilians Killed by Russian Cluster Bomb ‘Duds’. More Attacks Confirmed; Unexploded Ordnance Threatens Many", Human Rights Watch, August 21, 2008
  13. ^ Russia/Georgia: Militias Attack Civilians in Gori Region; Russia Should Curb Militias and Allow in Humanitarian Aid, Human Rights Watch, August 17, 2008,
  14. ^ Civil Georgia: "Police Back in Gori", 23 August 2008
  15. ^ Schwirtz, Michael (24 August 2008). "Georgia Prepares for Refugees; Russians Declare Pullback Finished". The New York Times.
  16. ^ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  17. ^ Кавказский календарь на 1915 год [Caucasian calendar for 1915] (in Russian) (70th ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1915. p. 245. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021.
  18. ^ Кавказский календарь на 1917 год [Caucasian calendar for 1917] (in Russian) (72nd ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1917. pp. 206–213. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021.
  19. ^ (in Georgian) Kakabadze, V., Gvasalia, J., Gagoshidze I., Menabde, L., Zakaria, P. (1978), გორი ("Gori"). Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, vol. 3, p. 226. Tbilisi.
  20. ^ a b "2002 General Population Census Major Findings" (PDF). National Statistics Office of Georgia. Retrieved 10 May 2016.[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ "Population Census 2014". www.geostat.ge. National Statistics Office of Georgia. November 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  22. ^ "Population by cities and boroughs, as of 1 January 2022". www.geostat.ge. GeoStat. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  23. ^ "Population - National Statistics Office of Georgia". www.geostat.ge. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  24. ^ Will Lasky. Selling Stalin. Georgian Business Magazine, Issue 4, August 2007.
  25. ^ Salome Asatiani. Great Terror: In Stalin's Birthplace, Forgiving And Forgetting. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, August 14, 2007.
  26. ^ "Stalin statue removed in Georgian town of Gori", BBC News, 25 June 2010
  27. ^ "Georgia: A Stalinist Restoration", The New York Times, 20 December 2012
  28. ^ "Georgia to Reinstate Stalin Monument", RIA Novosti, 21 December 2012
  29. ^ "Administrative Entities". gori.gov.ge. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  30. ^ "Gorijvari". visitingeorgia.com. 17 July 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gori, Georgia.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Gori.

41°58′N 44°06′E / 41.967°N 44.100°E / 41.967; 44.100

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