Gori

Things to do in Gori

Gori is just 1.5 hours by minibus or minibus from the capital, so you can easily visit it on a day trip from Tbilisi. However, I think it’s worth spending at least one night here.

As you will see, there is enough space to keep you busy for 2 full days, especially if you add an optional trip to the cave town of Uplistsikhe.

About Gori

Gori is the seventh largest city in Georgia by population and is the administrative capital of the Shida Kartli (Middle Kartli) region. Situated between Tbilisi and Kutaisi, it served for centuries as an important transit point on east-west trade routes (including the Silk Road).

The name “Gori” comes from the Georgian word “mountain”, which means “heap” or “hill”. Approaching Gori by car or train, you’ll immediately see where the name comes from: a huge, flat-topped sandstone hill rising above the flat plain in the center of the city, close to where the Kura river flows. and Liakhvi rivers meet.

Looking at a map of Georgia, you will notice that Gori is located uncomfortably close to the dotted line marking the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone. Tskhinvali, the capital of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia (Tskhinvali/Samachablo), is less than an hour’s drive away.

In 2008, when the Russian-Georgian war unfolded, Gori found itself directly in the line of fire. The city was subjected to airstrikes and was occupied by ground forces. Cluster bombs have killed dozens of civilians, according to Human Rights Watch. The so-called “Five Day War” left a huge scar in Gori, both physically and psychologically.

There is one more thing to note about this city. Both within Georgia and throughout the world, the city is best known as the birthplace of Joseph Dzhugashvili, also known as Joseph Stalin. I bet that’s what first drew your attention here – indeed, it’s the reason I wanted to visit this place in the first place.

Stalin was born in Gori in 1878, reportedly in a small wooden cottage that is now located in the city center. The museum also contains his personal railway carriage and a memorial hall dedicated to the leader. It mainly covers the earliest chapters of his life in Gori and Tbilisi, where he founded an illegal propaganda printing house.

Is it worth visiting the Stalin Museum?

This post is about things to do in the city, but that doesn’t mean I’m discouraging you from visiting it. After all, this is the main attraction of Gori.