Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti (Georgian:რაჭა-ლეჩხუმი და ქვემო სვანეთი,Rach’a-Lechkhumi da Kvemo Svaneti[ɾät͡ʃʼäle̞t͡ʃʰχumid̥äkʰʷe̞mo̞s̪ʷän̪e̞t̪ʰi]) is a region (mkhare) in northwesternGeorgia with a population of 28,500 (2021[2]), making it the most sparsely populated region in the country. It has a nominal area of 4,954 km2 (1,913 sq mi), of which 4,600 km2 (1,800 sq mi) isde facto controlled by Georgia.[5] The remainder is effectively underSouth Ossetian control.[nt 2] The region hasAmbrolauri as its administrative center and Parmen Margvelidze is governor of the region since June 2021.[6][7] Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti includes the historical provinces ofRacha,Lechkhumi andKvemo Svaneti (or Lower Svaneti).
Ambrolauri, the administrative center and the second largest city of the region
Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti is located in the north of Georgia and covers an area of 4,954 km2 (1,913 sq mi). The eastern tip of the region isde facto in South Ossetia and is not under Georgian control. This concerns approximately 354 km2 (137 sq mi). Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti borders theSamegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region to the west, the Russian Caucasian republics ofKabardino-Balkaria andNorth Ossetia-Alania to the north, the GeorgianShida Kartli region to the southeast, andImereti to the south. Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude.
The region is surrounded by mountain ranges as a natural border. The north-south watershed and main ridge of the Greater Caucasus forms the natural northeastern boundary of Racha-Lechkumi and Kvemo Svaneti while theRacha Range form the southern boundary from the main ridge of the Greater Caucasus to the outlet of the region'sRioni andTskhenistsqali rivers. To the west of this, theEgrisi Range forms the southwestern natural border and theSvaneti Range the northwestern. In addition, the region itself is also separated into separate areas by mountain ranges. TheShoda-Kedela Ridge, together with theLechkhumi Range, form a natural division between the historical regions of Mountain-, Upper- and LowerRacha,Lechkhumi and LowerSvaneti. Upper and Lower Racha have their natural boundary in the kHidiskari Gorge in the Rioni River between the villages of Tsesi and Kmimsi.
The largest river entirely in Georgia, theRioni, has its major origins in Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, more specifically in Mountain Racha in the Greater Caucasus main ridge northwest of the village of Ghebi at the 3779 meter high Mt Pasismta. TheTskhenistsqali, the sixth river of Georgia, which flows into the Rioni after 176 kilometers atSamtredia, also finds its origin in this region, like the Rioni at Mt Pasismta. Both rivers flow in opposite directions through the region and find their exit in the southwest corner through the Khvamli chalk massif.
According to data from the National Statistical Bureau of Georgia, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti had 28,500 inhabitants as of January 1, 2021,[2] a decrease of 11% from the 2014 census.[5] Of these, 23.7% live in urban areas and 76.7% in rural villages. Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti is the smallest region in Georgia in terms of inhabitants and has depopulated in a rapid pace, partly forced by limited economic prospects, especially in the hard to reach valleys deeper in the region.
Population development of the region Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti[8]
* Research after 2014 census showed the 2002 census was inflated by 8-9 percent.[9] ** Corrected data based on retro-projection 1994-2014 in collaboration with UN[10] *** Part of Oni is outside Georgian government authority and has not been counted since 2002.
The population of (Georgian controlled) Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti consists almost entirely of Georgians. The 2014 census counted no more than 112 inhabitants belonging to a minority group, with ethnicRussians (29) andOssetians (28) being the most represented. Others includeArmenians,Ukrainians, andGreeks.[11]
The population of (Georgian controlled) Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti almost entirely identifies themselves asOrthodox Christians, with only 90 people belonging to another religion.Jehovah's Witnesses are the most significant religious minority with 69 followers, according to the 2014 census, followed by s small number ofJews,Armenian Gregorians andMuslims.[12]
Oni has long been one of the main centers of Georgian Jews. At its peak, the community is said to have been as large as 3,500 people.[13][14] According to the census of the period 1920-1970, around 1,100-1,200 Jews lived in Oni. Migration to Israel, in particular, started from 1968 when the Soviet Union began to allow emigration. Under Foreign MinisterEduard Shevardnadze, this was made easier, accelerating the exodus in the late 1980s. By the early 1990s, most Jews had left Oni, especially to Beer Sheva in Israel's Negev desert. This town has had a twinning relationship with Oni ever since.
The synagogue in Oni is the third largest in Georgia, and was opened in 1895 after a 4-year construction period. The synagogue is inspired by the Great Synagogue in Warsaw (Poland).[15][14] The rabbi of Oni saw this synagogue during a study in Warsaw and wanted a similar synagogue in Oni. He had a Polish design made in an eclectic style that also has references to synagogues in Tykocin and Krakow. It was built by Greek workers using limestone and rock. By 2021 the Jewish community in Oni is only 12 people small and it is difficult to keep the synagogue open. Services are only held if the attendance is at least 10.
In early centuries,Svaneti was a part ofColchis, after it became a part ofEgrisi. In the 11th-15th centuries,Svaneti was aSaeristavo of theGeorgian Kingdom. After the break of the united kingdom,Svaneti was divided into different parts:
In early period,Racha withTakveri was forming theTakveri Saeristavo which was part ofEgrisi. After, withLechkhumi which formed theSaeristavo of Racha-Lechkhumi. In the end of the 10th century, was created theSaeristavo of Racha. After the final abolishment of the Saeristavo,Racha became a part ofImereti and after the unification ofImereti with theRussian Empire,Racha became an okrug and an uyezd.
According toVakhushti Bagrationi, a lot of noble families ruled Racha, including: the Tsulukidze, the Iashvili, the Japaridze, the Inasaridze and the Lashkhisshvili.
In the 10th century, theRachis Saeristavo, an territorial-administrative entity in the feodalGeorgia was created. According to written sources, the firstEristavi was Rati from the Baghashi noble family. After theEristavi became his son, Kakhaberi. The noble family Kakhaberisdze which was borne by the Baghashi's part who controlledRacha, comes from him. TheRachis Saeristavo was a very important entity in theGeorgian Kingdom. ItsEristavis played important roles in the Georgian politics in the 10th-13th centuries.By north,Racha was bordered bySvanetis Eristavi. Their separator was the mountains ofLechkhumi. By west, it was separated withTakveri byGuelistavi
In the 10th-13th centuries, theEristavis ofRacha were the vassals of theKing of Georgia. They were ordered to collect money, and to support the military. At this period, the main residence of the Eristavi was theMindatsikhe.
In the end of the 13th century,Davit VI, cancelled theSaeristavo. The Kakheberisdze noble family, disappeared. In 1330,Giorgi V unitedGeorgia andRacha entered as its component. Later, the Georgian kings restored theSaeristavo inRacha. At first, the title was borne by the Charelidze family, and since 1488, the Tsetidze. In the 15th century, after the break of the united kingdom,Racha was incorporated inMingrelia.
In the 15th-17th centuries, the kings ofImereti owned lands inRacha. Their possessions wereKhotevisa andKvari tsikhe,Nikortsminda. Their summer residence wasShaori andAmbrolauri. After the death of the kingAleksandre III, theEristavis ofRacha were engaged in internal wars. Their wants were to expend their territory, to cancel thevassalage withImereti and to gain independence.
At first, Racha's Eristavis relied on Rachvelian nobles with the battle with the Kingdom ofImereti. The Allies, firstly, misappropriated the king of Imereti's proprieties : the Iashvili family tookKvaristsikhe, the Tsulukidze family tookKhotevisa and the major parts of Imeretian possessions were taken by theEristavi. In 1769, the Imeretian king Solomon I captured Rostomi (Eristavi) and his family, and theRachis Saeristavo was cancelled. In 1784, theSaeristavo was restored by Davit (King of Imereti). Katsia II Dadiani, helped him to take the decision to restore theSaeristavo.?He place as Eristavi, his nephew Anton which was badly saw by the Tsulukidze and Tsereteli.
In 1785, the king ofImereti, changed his mind and decided to place his father, Giorgi asEristavi ofRacha. Beri Tsulukidze and Papuna Tsereteli fled toAkhaltsikhe and in 1786, an army of 500Laks and 1000Turks broke down inRacha. The king ofImereti went to fight inRacha. At the final battle, on 26 January 1789, close to the village Skhvava, Davit win, but the Eristavi Giorgi died in 1787 during the battle. Anton was declaredEristavi. In 1789, inImereti, Solomon II became king and abolished theRachis Saeristavo.
In the region ofLechkhumi, human life can be traced back to theNeolithic period. During theAntiquity, the region was densely populated. In ancient sources, the region was calledSarkineti (სარკინეთი :Land of Iron); and duringLazica, it was calledSkvimnia. In foreign sources, the region was first mentioned in the 6th century with the name ofSkvimnia. Its long time centre is the city-fortressTsageri. At this time, Skvimnia was gouvernated by anEristavi under the king ofEgrisi. The Skvimnians's (Lechkhumians) main occupation was agriculture. This region was well-knew for its wine andmetallurgic centres. The Skvimnians played a large role in the future with the Rachvelians (Inhabitants ofRacha) in the creation ofTakveri and later with Rachvelians, political and cultural rapprochement with Imeretian (inhabitants ofImereti) and Kartlian (inhabitants ofKartli) kingdoms. ThisColchian tribe was calledLechkhumians. In the 10th century, after the unification of theKingdom of Abkhazia with the United Georgian kingdom, the region lost his self-gouverning status and was unified toTakveri,Racha and theOkribi regions. Later,Lechkhumi became independent. Its economic centre was in Laila.After the creation of theKingdom of Imereti (15th century),Lechkhumi entered in the kingdom as aRoyal Domain.Lechkhumi was the most little political unity in WesternGeorgia. But, there were many fortresses and during the wars, the warriors of Imereti were coming into the region and reinforced there against the invaders.Lechkhumi's gouvernant main prisons were calledMuris Tsikhe. In theRioni gorge, the roads fromImereti were protected by theseMuris Tsikhe.Since the 17th century, inLechkhumi, the want of independence appeared, titles were created such asLechkhumis Tavi (Head of Lechkhumi). The Lechkhumians tired to create their own nobles. In this side, the Inasanidze were the most popular. Later, the whole region was under theChikovani family. In 1714, after the Lechkhumi's dirigeant Bejan I Dadiani became theMtavari ofMingrelia,Lechkhumi was attached to it, and was ruled by Dadiani's selected commander. The little region played a big role in the economical and military affairs ofOdishi. In the 18th-19th centuries, the king ofImereti, Solomon II tried to capture the region, but failed. After the entrance ofMingrelia in theRussian Empire, an administrative and territorial unity was created on the Lechkhumian soil, the Uyezd of Lechkhumi.
The relatively isolated region is connected with neighbouring regionsSamegrelo-Zemo Svaneti andImereti through a limited set of national roads. The 157 km (98 mi) longnational route Sh15 comes fromKutaisi and follows theTskhenistsqali upstream viaTsageri andLentekhi to Upper Svaneti andMestia via the 2,620 m (8,600 ft) high Zagari pass. This is the vital artery through the western and northern area of the region. The 161 km (100 mi) longnational route Sh16, which follows theRioni upstream from Kutaisi, serves the southern and eastern part of the region and passes throughAmbrolauri andOni before ending at the 2,911 m (9,551 ft)Mamison Pass on the Russian border. There is no border crossing here. This road was also known as theOssetian Military Road, originally constructed in the 19th century as an addition to theGeorgian Military Road to connect South Russia with theKutais Governorate. Furthermore,national route Sh17 connects Ambrolauri, the administrative center of the region, with central Georgia.
Since autumn 2021, a new road from central Georgia to Oni has been opened. It starts inSachkhere (Imereti) and runs through theRacha Range] to the Oni-Ambrolauri road (Sh16), which significantly reduces travel time.[16] This road reaches a highest point of almost 1,900 m (6,200 ft) meters above sea level and replaces the old route fromGori viaTskhinvali to Oni which has been effectively closed since the 1990s. A direct road between the towns ofLentekhi andMestia in Upper-Svaneti via the Laskadura valley and a 6 kilometer long tunnel through theSvaneti Range has been announced several times, especially in election campaign times.[17]
In 2017, anairport was opened in Ambrolauri to develop tourism and to serve the local population.Vanilla Sky Airlines operates flights between Ambrolauri and the regional airport ofNatakhtari, which is close toTbilisi. Since 1887, the nearest train station has been inTkibuli (Imereti), the terminus of the line from Kutaisi.
The majority of the region is mountainous, while the economy mostly relies on agriculture from the valleys. In the region, cultivation ofpotatoes andviticulture andanimal husbandry is mostly developed. The regional production's part in theGDP ofGeorgia is 0.6%, with a GDP of GEL 300m ($100m) in 2020.[18]
The area aroundAmbrolauri is mostly known for its Khvanchkara wine production. Due to the protected climate, the Rioni valley is used for viticulture: the red wineKhvanchkara, popular in the former Soviet Union, is produced in this area.[19] This is also reflected in the design of the coat of arms of the municipality. The namesake of the wine, which is a mixture of theAleksandrouli andMujuretuli grapes, is the village of Khvanchkara, which is located 12 km (7.5 mi) west of Ambrolauri.
^South Ossetia's status is disputed. It considers itself to be an independent state, but this is recognised byonly a few other countries. TheGeorgian government and most of the world's other states consider South Ossetiade jure a part of Georgia's territory.
^With the formation ofmkhare (regions) in 1995, a small part of the former South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast was incorporated in the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region. Since the2008 Russo-Georgian War the Georgian central government lost effective control over South Ossetia.
.jpg)
![Overlapping borders of de jure Racha-Lechkhumi region and de facto Republic of South Ossetia[nt 1]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aRacha-Lechkhumi_in_Georgia_(disputed_hatched).svg)
.jpg)
_Oni_Synagogue.jpg)
.jpg)
.svg)