History of the city of Gori

An excursion to the city of Gori from Tbilisi will be interesting for history lovers. Here you can see the Joseph Stalin Museum, which was built next to the house where he was born in 1878. The ancient fortress of Goristsikhe is located in the center of Gori, and the ancient cave settlement of Uplistsikhe is located in the vicinity of the city.

After leaving Tbilisi, follow the autobahn to the west. The distance to the Stalin Museum will be 85 kilometers. After visiting the museum, head to the Goristsikhe Fortress, which is 800 meters from the museum. The cave settlement of Uplistsikhe is located 14 kilometers from the fortress. If you leave Tbilisi early, then an excursion to Gori can be combined with a visit to the temples of the ancient capital Mtskheta.

There are also several other museums and attractions in Gori, but these three places are the most interesting:

1. The Stalin Museum
2. Goristsikhe Fortress
3. Uplistsikhe Cave City

1. The Stalin Museum

Gori is famous for being the birthplace of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, therefore the Stalin Museum is located here. He was the leader of the Soviet Union between 1925 and 1953. During this time, many events took place in the USSR. There are many diametrically opposite opinions about it. People can hold different points of view, but the scale of the personality of Joseph Stalin is undeniable. He is certainly one of the greatest statesmen in world history. 

The Joseph Stalin Museum is located on the site of a small house in the center of Gori, where Joseph Dzhugashvili was born on December 6, 1878. His father Vissarion Ivanovich Dzhugashvili was a shoemaker, his mother - Ekaterina Georgievna Geladze (Keke) was a dressmaker. 

2. Gori fortress

Gori fortress is located on a rocky hill that rises above the Bolshaya Liakhvi river where it flows into the Kura. The ancient settlement on this hill appeared in the 7th century BC. 

The city of Gori at the foot of the Goristsikhe fortress was founded during the time of king David IV the Builder. The stone fortifications of the Gori fortress, which have survived to this day, were built in the second half of the 16th century under Tsar Rostom. The buildings on the top of the hill have not been preserved. They were destroyed during the earthquake of 1920, and then were not restored. 

3. Uplistsikhe Cave Settlement

The caves of the Cave Settlement of Uplistsikhe were hollowed out in the Sandstone rock on the bank of the Kura river in the 1st Millennium BC, and the last inhabitants left it only in the 19th century. In the 4th century BC, Uplistsikhe became a full-fledged town, with numerous streets. 

For a long time Uplistsikhe was a place of worship. Here animals were sacrificed and pagan gods were worshipped, the main one being the female sun deity. For some time after the baptism of Georgia in 337, the inhabitants of Uplistsikhe did not allow Christian preachers to enter the city. The main historical attraction of Uplistsikhe is the Tamara Hall. In the middle ages, it was the Royal residence. In the 11th and 12th centuries, the Georgian state flourished, which was ruled by kings from the Bagration dynasty. The reign of Queen Tamara is considered its peak. She was crowned in 1178 as co-ruler of her father George III in the main hall of the rock-hewn town of Uplistsikhe.