Kizlyar is in Dagestan.
Understand
Kizlyar has been a centre of viticulture and wine making since the late 19th century, and famous for its locally produced cognac and a variety of other strong alcoholic beverages. The city is also known for traditional blacksmithing, such as artisan knives, daggers, and sabres.
History
The history of Kizlyar dates back to 1735 when the Russian military started construction of a fortress that laid the foundations for the Caucasian fortified borderline. In the 18th and 19th century it was a trading post between Russia, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
Climate
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Kizlyar has a moderate continental, arid climate. Most rain falls late spring and early summer, which are also the "greenest" months. Best times of the year to visit Kizlyar are summer and early autumn when temperatures are warm and sunny weather is almost guaranteed.
Orientation
The city is in the valley of the Terek river delta, part of the Caspian low lands, and on the river banks. Kizlyar is not far from the Chechen border, ca. 140 km north-west of the capital Makhachkala.
Get in
By train
The central 1 Kizlyar railway station is a pass-through station on the route between Makhachkala and Moscow, with connections to Tyumen, Baku, Volgograd, and Grozny.
Get around
![](https://maps.wikimedia.org/img/osm-intl,a,a,a,420x420.png?lang=en&domain=en.wikivoyage.org&title=Kizlyar&groups=mask,around,buy,city,do,drink,eat,go,listing,other,see,sleep,vicinity,view,black,blue,brown,chocolate,forestgreen,gold,gray,grey,lime,magenta,maroon,mediumaquamarine,navy,red,royalblue,silver,steelblue,teal,fuchsia)
There are 3 bus routes and about 12 minibus routes.
See
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Свято-Георгиевский_храм_г._Кизляр.jpg/220px-Свято-Георгиевский_храм_г._Кизляр.jpg)
- 1 Central mosque. A brand new mosque, erected in a single year after the previous construction burned down in 2015. Free.
- 2 Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Свято-Георгиевский храм).
- 3 Museum of Local Lore named after P.I.Bagration (Музей П.И. Багратиона).
- 4 Museum of the modern history of the city of Kizlyar. (Музей современной истории города), улица Урицкого 1.
- 5 Museum of the Cossacks (Музей Казачества), улица Кирова 1.
Do
Buy
Eat
Drink
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Бутылки_ККЗ_(5).jpg/220px-Бутылки_ККЗ_(5).jpg)
What Kizlyar is most famous for is, of course, its cognac and grape vodka Kizlyarka. Brandy production dates back to the 1880s when grape alcohol was matured in Caucasian oak barrels. Production at an industrial scale started in 1885 but was paused at the outbreak of the First World War, and resumed by the Soviet authorities in 1924. During the Second World War, production had to be evacuated to Armenia to avoid it being captured by the advancing German army. At the end of the war, brandy returned to Kizlyar and production ramped up during the 1960s to meet increased demand. Almost half of the bottles were exported to countries outside the Soviet Union, most in Western Europe. From 1998, the Kizlyar Brandy Factory received its official French certificate permitting it to sell its products under the protected name cognac.
Sleep
- 1 Европа, Пролетарская улица 5.