Abkhazia - Abchasien

View of the mountains from Lake Riza
location
Map of Eurasia with the location of Abkhazia marked
flag
Flag of Abkhazia
Short dates
CapitalSukhumi
Form of governmentPresidential republic; stabilized de facto regime
currencyRussian ruble (RUB)
surface8,600 km²
population243.000
languagesRussian, Abkhazian
power grid230 V / 50 Hz
Phone code 7840 / 7940
Time zoneUTC 4

Abkhazia (Abkhaz. Аҧсны /Aṗsny; Russian Абхазия /Abkhazia) is one in the south of the Caucasus to the Black sea bordering autonomous, state-like region that continues to be part of international law Georgia is seen. De facto, however, Abkhazia has been completely independent from Georgia since 1992. Abkhazia's independence was consolidated after the Caucasus conflict in 2008, as a result of which six UN states (Nauru, Nicaragua, Russia, Vanuatu, Venezuela and Tuvalu) recognized Abkhazia as officially independent.

Since 2008, the general situation and security in Abkhazia has stabilized massively thanks to Russian support. Regardless of the political situation, it makes sense for travelers to view Abkhazia as an independent country. The Abkhazian culture and language are very different from Georgia. The region was already a popular travel destination in Soviet times because of its mild climate, beaches and nature. In the meantime, the country has a growing tourism infrastructure again, but so far it has mainly been frequented by tourists from Russia and other CIS countries.

Today Abkhazia is a multicultural country in which, in addition to Abkhazians, Armenians, Russians, Georgians, Greeks and Ukrainians live. The region can look back on an eventful history going back to antiquity.

places

Map of Abkhazia

Other goals

background

geography

Campsite in Pizunda

Abkhazia is located south of the Caucasus on the north coast of the Black Sea west of the Enguri River in Georgia. Except for a narrow, agriculturally used coastal strip, the country is extremely mountainous and reaches heights of over 4,000 meters. The Voronya cave is located in the Arabika massif. At 2,190 meters, it is the deepest known cave in the world.

Thanks to the protection provided by the mountain ranges, the coastal strip has a subtropical climate, which is why Abkhazia developed into a popular holiday area in the Soviet era. The mild climate favors the cultivation of tobacco, tea, wine and fruit, so that agriculture and the food and beverage industry are among the most important economic sectors in the country.

Residents

Abkhazian move
Center of the capital Sukhumi

The current inhabitants of Abkhazia are called Abkhazians, but this is a people who immigrated from the North Caucasus to the south in the 16th century and thereby drove out the Cartelian (= Georgian) tribes who, according to Russian, the overwhelming majority of the country and Italian chroniclers: The Russian chronicler А. Н. Дьячков-Тарасов writes:

“The Abkhazians did not always live where they live now; Their many historical data and customs show that they came from the north and banished Cartelian tribes until they stopped at the Enguri. "

The theory that the modern Abkhazians originally entered the Cartwian settlement area by force is supported by the fact that, according to some foreign sources of the 17th century, not even Sukhumi was an Abkhaz city. According to Archangelo Lamberti, the settlements of Ilori, Mokwi, Dranda and Bedia were inhabited by Mingrelians. After the Italian missionary Zampi, Bitschwinta was not an Abkhazian city either. He wrote that the metropolitan seat of the West Georgian Catholicos was in Bitschwinta, near the Abkhazians. In addition, a small Greek minority and a few thousand Georgians lived in the region after they were no longer the majority due to the expulsions at the end of the 16th century. In the 20th century, the number of Georgians living in Abkhazia increased again massively, in particular due to migration. In 1931, by order of Josef Stalin, Abkhazia was annexed to the Georgian Soviet Republic within the Soviet Union, which led to a further influx of Georgians. In addition, numerous Russians, Armenians and Ukrainians have settled in the region since the end of the 19th century. The modern Abkhazians therefore became a minority in Abkhazia at the beginning of the 20th century. Abkhazians were also subjected to severe repression during Stalinism. However, Abkhazia was never subjected to the nationalization of peasantry under communism, which allowed peasants to keep their properties.

The last Soviet census of 1989 determined a population of around 525,000, of which almost 46% Georgians and 18% Abkhazians. The rest of the population consisted of Armenians (14.6%), Russians (14.3%), Greeks (2.8%) and some smaller minorities.

When Abkhazia declared itself independent from Georgia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Abkhazians were supported in their efforts by most of the other minorities, especially by Russians and Armenians, who expected better future prospects in an independent Abkhazia than in Georgia, which was then very nationalistically ruled.

In the course of the Civil War, ethnic cleansing and expulsions took place, and around 250,000 residents (including around 200,000 Georgians) left the country. Numerous other residents of the country later emigrated due to the difficult economic situation. In 2003 the population was only about 215,000. However, the situation in Abkhazia has been improving continuously since 2008 and the population is now increasing again. According to the 2011 census, the country had around 241,000 inhabitants, who at the time consisted of 50.8% Abkhazians, 19.3% Georgians, 17.3% Armenians, 9.2% Russians, 0.7% Ukrainians, 0.6% Greeks and about 0.8% other minorities.

A large number of the residents have received passports from the Russian Federation, as an Abkhaz passport can only be used to enter a few other countries. Many Abkhazians of Georgian descent are also Georgian citizens.

The Georgians living in Abkhazia are particularly concentrated in the south of the country, in Gal Raion they make up 98.2% of the population, in Tkuartschal Raion 62.4% and in Ochamtschyra Raion about 9.5%. In all other parts of the country, the proportion of Georgians after ethnic cleansing, which culminated in the Sukhumi massacar, is well below 5%.

language

The official languages ​​of Abkhazia are Abkhazian and Russian, both of which are written in the Cyrillic alphabet. Russian is mostly dominant in public life. Even with a basic knowledge of Russian, you can communicate well with locals, who are mostly very helpful. English or other foreign languages ​​are not really common, even if young people are now learning these languages. Without a knowledge of the Cyrillic alphabet and a minimal knowledge of Russian, a trip to Abkhazia is likely to be very complicated.

Although Abkhazia still belongs to Georgia under international law, the Georgian language is not particularly widespread in the country. The government of the de facto independent Abkhazia has not approved Georgian as one of the official languages; many Abkhazians feel it is an affront to be addressed in Georgian. In the south of the country in particular, however, there are many ethnic Georgians who speak their language accordingly. There are also Georgian schools and media there.

Travelers should note that numerous places in Abkhazia have very similar but not identical names in Russian and Georgian, usually the Georgian name ends with a i, the Russian not, as for example in Sochum (i), Gal (i), Ingur (i). It is advisable to use the Russian place names in Abkhazia and the Georgian place names in Georgia (or the area controlled by the Georgian government) in order not to harm the mostly fragile national pride on both sides. Places are often called very differently in Abkhazian than in Russian and Georgian (e.g. Sukhum (i) means in Abkhazian Aqwa), but you will seldom come into contact with these terms as a tourist.

getting there

Tourist visa as an insert, to be picked up at the "Ministry of repatriation"

There are two official border crossings: one Psou, the border with Russia at Adler, on the other hand Ingur, the border with Georgia near Zugdidi. You can also enter from Russia by ship.

The border with Georgia (Ingur) has been temporarily closed by the Abkhazian side since June 27, 2019 until further notice (information from the Abkhaz consulate July 30, 2019).

The Georgian authorities are not allowed to travel through Abkhazia. Anyone entering from Russia must also leave for Russia, the same applies from the Georgian side. Otherwise you risk draconian penalties for illegally crossing the border.

Entry requirements

All citizens of non-CIS countries need a visa, which can be obtained directly from Abkhaz Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be applied for online.

If the entry application is approved (which is actually always the case with applications for tourist visas), a confirmation will be sent by e-mail or fax, which must be presented upon entry. After entering the country, you must go to the Ministry of Repatriation (no longer the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in Sukhumi as soon as possible, where the final visa will be issued.

The visa fee is currently 350 RUR (approx. 5 €; as of April 2019) and can now be paid in cash or by credit card, it is no longer necessary to go to a bank for payment. The visa is usually only inserted into the passport, not pasted or stamped, in order to save the traveler difficulties with the Georgian authorities when entering Georgia. Upon departure, the visa will be collected again.

Alternatively, a trip can be made through a selected travel agency, who will relieve the vacationers of a large part of the formalities.

From Russia

Entry via Russia is relatively straightforward. The Russian airport Sochi / Adler is only a few kilometers away from the Abkhazian border and is also served by German airports. From Sochi, taxis and marshrutkas drive to Abkhazia at reasonable prices. As a rule, you are only driven to the border crossing and have to look for a ride again on the Abkhazian side, but this should not be a problem. The border clearance takes place without any problems and without many questions.

Please note that a Russian double entry visa is required to return to Russia. In addition, you have to fill out a new migration card (these are available at the border post). This is also the only one stamped at the Psou border crossing.

If you want to travel to Georgia after your stay in Abkhazia, you should note that when entering via Russia there is neither a visa nor an entry stamp in your passport. From a Georgian point of view, you entered the country illegally and will face difficulties when entering Georgia. However, there is no stamp in the passport from either the Russian or Abkhazian side, and the visa is not stuck on, and Georgia can also be visited with an identity card.

From Georgia

The transition is closed to Russian citizens! A Russian place of birth can lead to lengthy controls.

The only open border post is on the Inguri River, between Zugdidi and Gali. The 10 km from Zugdidi drive marshrutkas for a lari, taxis for 10 liters there. Before entering the bridge, you have to show your passport (will be scanned) and the printed Abkhaz visa confirmation at the Georgian police post in front of the bridge - this police post does not officially open until 10 a.m., although it is already occupied (as of April 2019). The passports are sometimes kept longer, even if the Abkhazian post is already up. The border can only be crossed on foot or by horse-drawn carriage. The Abkhazian post opens at 8:00 a.m. There is only a simple snack bar and a pharmacy at the Georgian post. On the Abkhazian side there is no food, toilet or change of place. It is essential to obtain ruble cash in Zugdidi, exchange offices can be found in abundance around the market. Lari cannot be exchanged anywhere in Abkhazia.

A direct Marshrutka runs from / to Kutaisi once or twice a day.

Long waiting times and surveys are to be expected at the border. Two hours from arrival on the Georgian side to leaving the border post on the Abkhazian side are normal, but ideally the border can be crossed without long waiting breaks. On the Abkhaz side, there are three posts to be passed: the Abkhaz police, the Russian FSB and the Abkhaz customs. It is to be expected that one will be asked by the Russian FSB into an interrogation room and questioned there. Questions about the purpose and duration of the trip as well as place of residence, employment etc. in Germany can be asked. Knowledge of Russian can speed up the process significantly, but you should also get away with English. But it can also happen that you are not questioned and the border crossing is done in 10 minutes. In the direction of Georgia, border clearance usually works much faster than the other way around.

There are taxis behind the border and marshrutkas are only available in the morning Sukhumi, later in the day you have to change trains in Gal. Taxes at the Gal-Grenz cost 200 R, but there are also marshrutkas available (labeled “Гал”). From there you can get to Sukhumi without any problems, there are regular buses and marshrutkas for 250 R. A taxi between Sukhumi and the border in Ingur costs between 1500 and 3000 rubles, depending on the taxi driver, trading skills and knowledge of Russian.

Gudauta in Abkhazia
Church of Saint Simon
Church in Lychny, from the 6th to 7th centuries

mobility

Ruins in Zandrypsch
Lake Riza inland

Local public transport (ÖPNV) in Abkhazia is primarily done with omnibuses and minibuses (Marschrutka). There is a network of routes which is not easily accessible to outsiders, but which can really be used to reach any place in the country. Traveling with these modes of transport is very inexpensive, but it does involve some unpredictability. The fare for the bus is paid before the start of the journey, the fare for using the mini-bus is usually paid when the destination is reached. The bus stops at fixed stops, the mini-bus stops wherever possible when requested by the passenger.

Another way of traveling in Abkhazia is hitchhiking. It is used by the population themselves as a means of travel and it often works faster than public transport. It is customary to reward the takeaway with money.

At the border crossing between Russia and Abkhazia in Psou, there are always vehicles available on the Abkhazian side, the owners of which offer them to a certain extent as an unofficial private taxi or themselves as the driver. The fare should definitely be agreed before the start of the journey and action is strongly advised. Taking advantage of this offer is on the one hand clearly more convenient and time-saving than public transport, on the other hand it is much more expensive (e.g. from the Russian border to Sukhumi [distance: 120 km] 1,500 RUB / ~ 35 EUR by car compared to 150 RUB / ~ 3, 50 EUR by mini bus).

At the border crossing between Georgia and Abkhazia near Otsartse, between Gali and Zugdidi on the Enguri River and at both ends of the 870-meter-long Enguri Bridge that crosses it and was built by German prisoners of war from 1944 to 1948, entry into Abkhazia is certainly also possible possible, but rather tricky. Since the tensions between Georgia and Abkhazia are also manifested in the external appearance of the border crossing, the infrastructure is not as developed as at the border crossing to Russia. In terms of traffic, everything here is more geared towards the so-called small border traffic of the local population. It is rather rare that the border is crossed here by tourists or other travelers. Therefore, there are also more unusual means of transport such as horse-drawn vehicles available to continue the journey. From Gali, the aforementioned travel options and means of transport are available again.

Last but not least, another way of traveling in Abkhazia is to use the railroad. The once well-functioning, fully electrified railway network also collapsed completely after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent civil war in Abkhazia and was partially non-existent due to looting. In recent years, however, the network has been put back into operation and there is again the possibility of traveling with a regular train from Moscow to Sukhum. The restoration of the railway network is now said to have progressed to Ochamtschira, for goods traffic (including coal transport) even over a branch line to Tkuartschal, but not from Ochamtschira further towards Gal or even Zugdidi in Georgia.

So far, no information is available about the once also given travel option by ship along the Black Sea coast. There should be first approaches to the reorientation of this travel option, which would represent a very interesting way of getting around from a tourist perspective, because many coveted destinations are located close to the sea.

Sukhumi does have an airport, but it is not currently used for passenger transport.

accommodation

  • Inter Suchum (Интер Сухум). In Sukhum (uliza Lakoba / улица Лакоба 109), very close to the sea.Price: From 1,400 RUB (~ 30 €) per night (Oct 2013).
  • Hotel Riza (Рица). Located in Sukhumi in the center directly on the beach promenade.

Tourist Attractions

Nowy Afon Monastery
Ruins of the ancient city of Anacopia
6th century cathedral in Dranda
  • Botanical Garden in Sukhumi
  • the city of Sukhumi itself
  • Riza lake (in northern Abkhazia).
  • Monastery of Saint Simon (in Nowy Afon). Next to it is also Stalin's dacha (summer house).
  • Castle (ruin) Anakopija in Novy Afon
  • System around the Psyrkha train station on the river of the same name in Nowy Afon

activities

Abkhazia used to be one of the most popular travel destinations in the USSR. Even today, thousands of tourists, mainly Russian tourists, come every year, mostly to take a beach holiday. There are also numerous monasteries, churches and other cultural monuments in the country that are well worth seeing.

shop

The official currency in Abkhazia is the Russian ruble. There are now many ATMs in Sukhumi where you can easily withdraw (and only) rubles with a credit card. So you don't need to bring in too much cash with you. You can change euros and dollars in all major cities, but only in banks. The exchange rates are mostly very different, so the exchange rate in the Gagra Bank (Gagra) in October 2013 was 1 euro = 37 rubles, at the Sberbank Abkhazia in Sukhum 1 euro = 40.10 rubles.

There are some 24-hour shops in the towns. Sukhumi has a new shopping center on the outskirts of the city. Otherwise everything is spread over small shops, mini markets and numerous kiosks. The largest grocery store in Gagra is called "Continent".

kitchen

Abkhazian wine

In Abkhazia, Caucasian and Russian cuisine are dominant. Shish kebab is available almost everywhere. Abkhazia is also a wine-growing region.

nightlife

There are a few cafes and bars in Sukhum. Alcohol is available around the clock across the country. The locals like to drink a lot and at any time of the day. As a foreigner in particular, people like to be invited to home-made wine or cha-cha, the local schnapps.

security

The foreign ministries of most western countries (including Germany, Austria and Switzerland) continue to advise against traveling to Abkhazia, as consular assistance cannot be provided there. In concrete terms, this means that if you lose your passport there, you often no longer have the opportunity to leave the country legally without outside help. In the (unlikely) case of arrest, the embassy in question cannot provide consular assistance.

Before entering Abkhazia, it is advisable to make a copy of your passport and Russian visa. If the passport is lost in Abkhazia, a permit to enter Russia can be obtained from the Russian consulate in Sukhum. After re-entering Russia, the German consulate in Moscow must be visited, where a passport replacement will be issued. If you lose your passport in Abkhazia, you can still leave the country legally.

In the case of entry via Georgia, the standard procedure in the event of loss of passport is the issue of a new passport by the embassy in Tbilisi and delivery by the Red Cross. This can take a while, which is why you should be more careful with the pass than anywhere else.

The traffic is very chaotic and most of the roads are in poor condition. Accidents often occur. However, the main road Psou - Gagra - Nowy Afon - Sukhum is well developed and traffic is regulated there.

climate

In summer it is very hot and humid. It can stay warm in summer until October.

communication

Abkhazia has its own telephone and cell phone network, which is covered in particular by the two providers Aquafon and A-Mobile. Foreign SIM cards do not work due to a lack of international recognition. A SIM card costs around 200 rubles, including a 150 ruble credit, there are special tariffs for vacationers. UMTS is available in almost all localities. Communication between Abkhazian and German cell phone numbers often doesn't work. Abkhazian numbers cannot be reached at all from the Georgian network.

trips

In many cities and towns, jeep and bus excursions to various sights in the country are often offered.

literature

Web links

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