Kwemo Kartli - Kwemo Kartli

Kwemo Kartli (ქვემო ქართლი), German also Niederkartlien, is an administrative region (Mchare) in the south Georgia and part of the historical province of Kartli. Capital is Rustavi.

Regions

The region closes directly on the southern outskirts of Tbilisi and is divided into the eastern part with a mountainous steppe landscape and the western part in the small Caucasus, the Trialeti chain

places

• Rustavi, Capital
• Gardabani
• Marneuli
• Bolnissi (Katharinenfeld) - center of the former settler movement of the Caucasus Germans
• Dmanissi
• Zalka
• Tetrizkaro

Other goals

• Dmanisis Nakalakari, castle ruin and archaeological site known by the Finds of human skeletonswho have rewritten paleoanthropology in recent years.
• Gold mining area near Kasreti
• Red Bridge (Tsiteli Chidi), border crossing too Azerbaijan
• Assureti, the second largest settlement of the Caucasus Germans (Elisabethtal)
• Birtwissi, an early medieval fortress and settlement, which can only be reached on foot in narrow gorges, a two-day excursion with wild camping is recommended.
• Former Caucasus German settlements from Sartichala (Marienfeld) and Tamarisi (Traubenberg, at Marneuli)
• Sadachlo and Guguti, border crossings to Armenia
• Manglissi and the Algeti nature reserve, a popular summer resort for Tbilisi people.
• The Gardabani Nature Reserve is located on the left bank of Mtkvari and extends from the south end Rustawis to the Azerbaijan border. Wild birds can be seen well in the alluvial forests.

background

language

Most of the Azeris live in large parts of the Gardabani and Marneuli districts. There are still a few Pontic Greeks living around Zalka, while there are still a few Caucasian Germans in the Bolnissi and Tetrizkaro districts. The foreign language Russian is widely understood.

getting there

railroadEven if the region is criss-crossed by railway lines, passenger traffic only takes place on the route Azerbaijan instead, with two daily train pairs Tbilisi-Rustavi-Gardabani. The two-day night train TbilisiYerevan also holds in Marneuli. The route to Bolnissi-Kasreti has no passenger traffic as well as the route over Tetrizkaro and Zalka to Ninozminda and Akhalkalaki; the latter is currently being used as part of the railway line Tbilisi-Kars expanded.

Bus and marshrutkaFrom Tilfis there are numerous minibus connections to the larger towns, from neighboring countries you can usually easily get to the border by minibus, cross the border on foot and then continue your journey with another minibus.

roadThe main international roads are the E 60 (Tbilisi-Baku) above Rustavi to the Red Bridge, the E 001 (TbilisiVanadzor) above Marneuli to Sadachlo as well as the E 117 from Marneuli over Bolnissi to Guguti and further to Yerevan. The Tbilisi bypass begins north of Rustavi, from which you can also connect to the trunk road Kakheti A well-developed regional connection runs from Ninozminda in Samtskhe Javakheti above Zalka and Manglisi to Tbilisi.

planeNext airport is in Tbilisi.

mobility

Most of the main and regional connections are well developed. Sights away from these routes can often only be reached by off-road vehicle (Pitareti, Samschwilde) or even on foot (Birtwissi).

Tourist Attractions

• Rustavi shines in the center with a very well-preserved ensemble of late Stalinist urban development, furthermore the administration building of the steel mill is a jewel of the Soviet architecture of the late 1940s
• In Bolnissi there is a local museum worth seeing as well as numerous German houses.
• You can also use Assureti still admire German settler houses in the half-timbered style that is otherwise not native to Georgia.
• In the region around Zalka and Tetrizkaro there are numerous pre-Christian stone circles and menhirs.
• The church Pitareti - difficult to access - impresses with beautiful, old frescoes
• Birtwissi - historical fortress town, only accessible on foot
• Near Bolnissi the historic churches of Bolnisis Sioni and Tsughrughasheni are located
• Dmanisis Nakalakari - even if the name suggests it, this place is from Dmanissi Quite a distance: There is next to a castle ruin also the archaeological excavation site, the human skeletons found there have revolutionized paleoanthropology.
• Samschwilde - medieval fortress ruins and urban settlement south of Tetrizkaro, only accessible by off-road vehicle.
• Aruchlo excavations at Marneuli
• Red Bridge (Tsiteli Khidi) right on the border with Azerbaijan - Until 10 years ago, all international long-distance traffic was handled via this bridge from the 17th century, before a new bridge was built next to it over the Chrami River. The bridge, which is located in the no man's land between the two border posts, has a caravanserai in the basement and unfortunately cannot be visited. But viewed from a distance, it is no less impressive.
• Ghwataeba monastery complex (6th century) at Martkopi northeast of Tbilisi

activities

• Hiking and camping in Birtwissi
• Hiking in the Algeti nature reserve Manglissi
• Bird watching in Gardabani Nature Reserve
• Day hike from Kodschori (in Tbilisi, accessible by city bus) to Assureti and back - approx. 15 km each way.
• Metallurgi Rustavi football club plays in the Georgian first division.
• In Rustavi there is also an F3 car racing track and the largest used car market in the South Caucasus.

kitchen

• In addition to the standard Georgian cuisine, you can also get Azeri cuisine in the Azeri populated areas.
• In the south of the region there is intensive agriculture, you can buy fruit and vegetables from local farmers on the streets, cheaper than at the market in Tbilisi. Potato off Marneuli enjoy (next to those from Akhaltsikhe) an excellent reputation in Georgia.

nightlife

The nightlife is limited to private parties. However, in Rustavi, the only big city in the region, now has a few bars and pubs as well as occasional spontaneous alternative festivals.

security

• No particular deviations from the security situation in the rest of the country.
• In 2012/13 there were isolated incidents between Orthodox Christians and Muslims in Georgia. However, these incidents were local and rarely violent. Nevertheless, when driving through a Muslim settlement, it is advisable to keep your eyes open to avoid any inconvenience.

climate

• The Zalka region is located on a high plateau, where it is significantly colder than in the lowlands, the cold corner is also known as the "Siberia of Georgia".

literature

University of Zurich, press release from October 17, 2013: Unique skull discovery refutes early human biodiversity

Web links

http://kvemokartli.gov.ge/ - Official website of Niederkartlien