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Jvari ჯვარი | |
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  Jvari Location of Jvari in Georgia Show map of Georgia Jvari Jvari (Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti) Show map of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti | |
| Coordinates:42°43′03″N42°03′03″E / 42.71750°N 42.05083°E /42.71750; 42.05083 | |
| Country |  Georgia |
| Region | Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti |
| District | Tsalenjikha |
| Elevation | 280 m (920 ft) |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
• Total | 1,206 |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (Georgian Time) |
Jvari (Georgian:ჯვარი) is a town in the northwesternGeorgian province ofSamegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. The town is situated at an altitude of 280 metres near theMagana River where it flows into theEnguri River; The town is divided in two with "Jvari" lying on the Zugdidi-Mestia highway, and Jvarzeni (Upper Jvari) up the hill.
In Georgian the word "Jvari" means "cross". There are three legends about where this name came from.
Jvari is located in the far northwest of Georgia, at the beginning of theMestia highway through the mountains, which provides the rest of Georgia with access toSvaneti. Jvari is a very old settlement in the north-west of Georgia in the Tsalenjikha municipality. According to the legends we can suppose that Jvari has a 2,000 year old history.
Nearby Jvari is theEnguri Dam, which is an important part of Jvari's economy. The dam provides 46% of all electricity consumed in Georgia.[2]
There are three schools, a vocational college and a community centre funded by a German organisation. The first school in Jvari opened in 1888. Its founder and first teacher was a priest named Bede Getia. The school didn't have its own building, just a single room. In 1907 a wooden 8-room building was constructed, but this burned down on 31 August 1930. Construction of a new school began in 1934.
In 1949 many Jvari residents left to Abkhazia under instruction by the Georgian government. Then in 1992 the Russian war in Abkhazia started and around 10,000 refugees came to the Enguri area.
It was the hometown ofMeliton Kantaria, the sergeant of theSoviet Army, who was photographed hoisting a Soviet flagBanner of Victory over theReichstag following the final defeat ofNazi Germany.
42°43′03″N42°03′03″E / 42.71750°N 42.05083°E /42.71750; 42.05083
