 Geguti palace ruins | ||
| Geguti (გეგუთი) | ||
| Region (Mchare) | Imereti | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | unknown | |
no value for residents on Wikidata:  | ||
| height | 85 | |
| no value for height on Wikidata: | ||
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
| location | ||
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Geguti (გეგუთიis a village in Imereti, about 15 km south of the city center of Kutaisi. The ruins of the Geguti palace (12th century) are located near the village, the construction of which marked the transition of the Georgian kingdom to the modern feudal state.
background
The village of Geguti is located about 15 km south of Kutaisi and is in the municipality (large municipality) Zkaltubo managed. The place in the fertile Colchian Plain is characterized by intensive agriculture. The confluence of the Kwirila River into the Rioni and the Warziche hydroelectric power station on the Rioni are nearby.
The palace is located about 2 km north of the village. It was the residence of the Georgian kings in the Middle Ages.
getting there
The Geguti palace ruins are usually removed with a short excursion Kutaisi visited. From Kutaisi you can get to Geguti by minibuses. However, it is best to take a taxi (max. GEL 30 there and back), as you don't lose any time waiting for buses.
With the automobile drive straight ahead from Kutaisi through the prefabricated housing estate Nikea (Nikea Street). After the city limits, the road becomes a regional road შ -104. You drive past the garbage dump (keep windows closed!) And cross the Sestaponi-Samtredia railway line over a bridge. To get to the palace you have to turn left about one kilometer after this bridge and continue straight ahead into the village.
From Baghdati and Wani it is advisable to take the regional road შ -51 to drive to Wartikhe and then to drive on a paved local road over the dam of the Wartikhe power station to Geguti.
From Tbilisi or Samtredia you drive via the one that opened in November 2014 
Kutaisi bypass. This runs a few hundred meters north of the village and south of the palace ruins as a semi-developed motorway. At the 1 Geguti motorway junction (ს 1 / შ 104) is the შ -104 this expressway is connected with a three-quarter leaf clover.
mobility
From the place you can walk to the palace ruins. There are no taxis in Geguti itself, but hitchhiking is a good way to get around. Taxis are only available in Kutaisi.
Tourist Attractions
- 1 Geguti palace ruins (12th century) - see below.
- 2 Zminda Giorgi Church
- 3 Rodopolis: The ancient Greek settlement was fortified in the 4th to 6th centuries and was in the 9th-11th centuries. Century the important Georgian city of Egrisi. Major construction work was still taking place there in the 18th century, after which the settlement fell into desolation. The modern settlement of Vartsikhe was built right next to it; today a small village. In 1968 archaeological excavations took place in Rodopolis, the ruins of the fortress and settlement can be visited today. It is located on the left bank of the Rioni, directly after crossing the Warzichhessi hydroelectric power station (see below) on the left side of the road.
- Warzichhessi hydropower plant cascade (Vartsikhhesi) - opened in 1976. Over a 40 km long canal parallel to the Rioni, this power plant with its four barrages has a capacity of 256 MW. 4 The Warzichhessi 1 barrage is located 5 km southeast of Geguti and the dam is also a road bridge. The name of the power station comes from the nearby village of Warziche, Hessi is an acronym for hydroelectric power station.
Geguti palace ruins
The ruins of the palace complex take up over 2000 square meters. Extensive archaeological research between 1953 and 1956 made it possible to largely date and reconstruct the structure and decorations of this palace. The oldest part of the palace, a small building with a fireplace in the middle, was built on the 8th-9th centuries. Dated 16th century. The main part of the complex was commissioned by King Giorgi III (1156-1184) and consists of a four-row brick wall that rests on a three-meter-high stone wall. The spacious room in the shape of a cross was covered by a dome with a diameter of 14 m. The entire complex was fortified with walls and towers. In the west of the complex there are remains of other buildings, including a church from the 13th-14th centuries. Century.
The ruins of Geguti Palace are significant because they were largely secular buildings. Otherwise, mainly churches and monasteries have been preserved from the time of the medieval Kingdom of Georgia. Numerous secular buildings have been handed down in writings from this period, but only Geguti has survived in physical form to this day.
The main part of the palace was built during what is known as the "Golden Age" in Georgia. Up until the establishment of Geguti, the Georgian court was very mobile and often changed location. With the construction of a palace of this size near the second capital and an important cultural center, historians assume that the Georgian kingdom developed into a modern, stable feudal state. In fact, this tendency has also been proven elsewhere for the reign of Queen Tamar (1184-1213).
Directions:
- From Kutaisi the Nikea road out of town, past the garbage dump, crossing the railway by means of a bridge. After about a kilometer you will reach a small canal. Directly in front At the bridge you have to turn left onto an unmarked gravel path and after about 500 m you will reach the ruins.
- From the village of Geguti or the motorway exit, drive about one kilometer north and turn right onto the gravel road immediately after crossing the small canal. Continue as described above.
Access (Reproduction of the stand on site in February 2013):
Despite the great historical importance of the facility, it is neither signposted nor secured on the road. It is also hardly prepared for tourism, you will look in vain for explanatory notes, and there are no secured footpaths either. There is a steel gate at the entrance to the facility, but it is not locked. Even ruins of small huts - probably intended to sell tickets or souvenir shops - are not occupied. The facility is completely free and accessible around the clock. Since the outdoor area is overgrown and you can stumble over the remains of the wall again and again, it is a A visit in daylight is highly recommended!
activities
There are some typical village sports fields (meadow with two gates), where you can join groups playing football or rugby, spread across the village.
Shopping, cuisine, nightlife and lodging
The is located at the northern entrance to Geguti, at the intersection with the paved local roads to Partskhanakanevi and Warziche 1 "Geguti" restaurant, a small supermarket and a bakery, as well as a gas station.
Apart from other small mini markets, which are distributed in the local area, you have to look for larger supermarkets and shops as well as restaurants and hotels of all kinds Kutaisi drive.
The next hotel is that 1 Park Hotel Imeri, Kutaisi, approx. 5 km north of Geguti at the southern end of the suburban settlement Nikea. Price 50 Lari p.p. breakfast included.
Vartsikhe cognac is highly valued in Georgia and can be bought in most supermarkets. However, there is no factory outlet on site.
Safety and health
- General emergency call (Police, fire brigade, rescue): 112
- 1 There is one in Geguti Police station, it is located in the center of the village on the regional road შ -104
- Pharmacies, doctors and hospitals can be found in Kutaisi.
Practical advice
A tourist information is located in Kutaisi.
You also have to go to a post office and an internet café Kutaisi to seek out.
trips
Geguti is a major attraction in the area of Kutaisi. Other important attractions in the vicinity of the city are the monastery complexes Gelati (UNESCO World Heritage) and Mozameta, the nature park Sataplia and the Prometheus cave.
literature
Web links
- German-Georgian Center for International Relations: Geguti.
