| Tskhinvali Tskhinval | ||
 | ||
| Salutation | Chreba | |
|---|---|---|
| State | South Ossetia | |
| Altitude | 860 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 7.4 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 30.432 (2015) | |
| Prefix tel | 7 99744, 995 344 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 7300 | |
| Time zone | UTC 3 | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
Tskhinvali (in Georgian: ცხინვალი; in Russian/Ossetian: Цхинвал, transliterated: Cxinval) is a city ofSouth Ossetia, as well as the capital city and fulcrum of the state.
To know
Geographical notes
The city is located on the Great Liakhvi River, about 100 km northwest of the Georgian capital Tbilisi.
How to orient yourself
Tskhinvali: full screen map.How to get
The city is usually the terminus of tour operators who organize trips and shipments to South Ossetia. Obviously, the city cannot be reached via the Georgia, despite being on the border with it, as the road to Tskhinvali is heavily guarded. In any case, it is possible to get very close to the demarcation line and observe Tskhinvali a few kilometers away. It is not uncommon to find Georgians who have come to take a look at South Ossetia using their binoculars or spotting scopes. This is possible and accepted by the surveillance as long as no one present films the prepared military equipment or any soldier present there.
According to the authorities, the only way to reach the city from the outside is through Vladikavkaz, capital ofNorth Ossetia-Alania, in Russia.
By car
It is the most recommended and used method to reach the nation in general Vladikavkaz South Ossetia can be reached via the P270 road towards Tskinvali-Gufta-Java-Roki. After an hour and forty travel we reach the "Roki Tunnel", a tunnel a couple of kilometers long which marks the border with Georgia. The Russian authorities will most likely be there, but they are usually willing to let visitors, including journalists, pass through. In any case, to avoid problems, it is advisable to rely on local tour operators, able to communicate and negotiate efficiently with the locals. Once out of the tunnel, you are officially in South Ossetia, and you can reach Tskinvali in a scarce hour of travel.
Another option is to take one maršrutka. A very common shuttle-taxi in former Soviet areas that runs twice a day from Vladikavkaz to Tskinvali. The road traveled is the same as by car.
By bus
There are some routes that allow you to reach Tskinvali, but it is simply about maršrutka.
How to get around
The city is very compact and it is possible to cross it easily on foot.
By car
If you have reached the city with your own car, or with the means of a tour operator, you can move through the streets of the city reaching the historic center or the suburbs.
What see
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- Parliament building. It is the place where the South Ossetian parliament meets. The building was heavily damaged by the conflict in 2008. All in all it is a large Italian-style neoclassical building.
- Memorial to the victims of the Ossetian-Georgian conflict.
- 1 Surb Astvatsatsin Church. One of the hubs of city life, a symbol of the city and located near many commemorative monuments
- Abaity Vasoiy statue. Called in Ossetian Абайты Васойы
- Khetagkaty Kostaiy statue. Called in Ossetian Хетæгкаты Къостайы
Events and parties
What to do
- Walk the streets of the historic center.
Shopping
There are a few grocery, souvenir and clothing shops around town and all of them quite cheap.
How to have fun
Shows
- 1 Tskhinval Theater. Most majestic theater in the entire state that often organizes concerts and shows
Where to eat
The city is dotted with small bars, but most of them are not in very good condition.
- 1 Кафе "Vincenzo" Цхинвал, ул. Сталина, 21 А, ☎ 7-9298040390.
09:00 - 23:00. A cozy and modern bar in the city center. It offers European food but also typical Ossetian dishes. It has a very good Wi-Fi connection
09:00 - 23:00. A cozy and modern bar in the city center. It offers European food but also typical Ossetian dishes. It has a very good Wi-Fi connectionModerate prices
- 2 Sushi Bar "Sakura", Харебаты Исакы уынг, ☎ 7-9298125356.
Variable. For orders over 700RUB, more or less € 8, it offers free home delivery service. 11:00-23:00. Restaurant near the University of South Ossetia offering Asian specialties, along with various versions of pizza.
Variable. For orders over 700RUB, more or less € 8, it offers free home delivery service. Where stay
- 1 Alan Hotel (Just outside the city center near a train stop). Hotel not exactly beautiful from the outside
- A beautiful hotel facing the theater park, called Iryston was destroyed in the 2008 war. The hotel entrance was very evocative thanks to the presence of a circular square with a beautiful fountain in the center.
- 2 South Ossetia Sports Academy. It offers rooms in good condition with toilets at reasonable prices. However the showers are shared. An excellent breakfast is served at the "Champions League Pub", which has an agreement with the hotel
Safety
The city has long been the safest spot in the nation, but that doesn't imply it's a tourist paradise. Due to the war, the sanitation system has completely collapsed, therefore, it is advisable if not necessary to be equipped with first aid systems and to have medicines with you. Obviously, although it is not the most environmental choice possible, it is advisable to drink only bottled water.
- 1 Hospital.
How to keep in touch
Post office
- 2 Post Office (Пост).
Telephony
The Russian company Megafon allows you to make international calls between theSouth Ossetia and theNorth Ossetia-Alania without price increases.
Internet
South Ossetia has only recently been connected to the internet thanks to the intervention of the Russia. However, Wi-Fi connections aren't often present except in some bars. In particular, the Vincenzo bar, according to some online reviews, has the best Wi-Fi connection. As Georgia is not in European Roaming, the use of mobile data is subject to a fee, unless you are able to buy Ossetian telephone offers.
Around
From Tskinvali 4 different roads branch off.
- The largest of these is the P270 Tskinvali-Gufta-Java-Roki highway, the same that is used to reach the city and which allows you to reach the town of Didi Gupta from which it branches in two directions.
- The so-called "Strada di Dzari" allows you to reach the village of the same name and then rejoin the P270 motorway;
- Another road, written in Georgian "ცხინვალი-ახალგორი", allows you to reach Akhalgori in just over an hour of travel. From Akhalgori it is then possible to reach various northern locations in the province of Leningor, but, being these on the northern border with Georgia, it is then necessary to retrace one's steps and reach again Tskinvali;
- Another road that allows you to reach Java branches off from the city of Prisi, passing through many small villages avoiding the motorway, recommended for those who do not like large vehicular traffic and prefer a more direct approach to the Ossetian culture and environment.
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Tskhinvali
Commons contains images or other files on Tskhinvali
