Stepantsminda

Stepantsminda ( _ka. სტეფანწმინდა; formerly Kazbegi, ყაზბეგი), is a small town in the Khevi region of northern Georgia.

Geography and Climate

The town is located along the banks of the Thergi River, 157 kilometers (98 miles) to the north of Tbilisi at an elevation of 1,740 meters (5,710 feet) above sea level. Stepantsminda’s climate is moderately humid with relatively dry, cold winters and long and cool summers. The average annual temperature is 4.9 degrees Celsius. January is the coldest month with an average temperature of -5.2 degrees Celsius while July is the warmest month with an average temperature of 14.4 degrees Celsius. The absolute minimum recorded temperature is -34 degrees Celsius and the absolute maximum is 32 degrees Celsius. Stepantsminda’s average annual precipitation is 790 mm. (31.1 inches). The town is dominated by large mountains on all sides. The most notable mountain of the region, Mount Kazbek, lies immediately to the west of town. The second most prominent peak, Mt. Shani, rises to an elevation of 4,451 meters (14,600 feet) above sea level, 9 kilometers to the east of Stepantsminda. The town is located 10 kilometers to the south of the famous Darial Gorge.

History

Stepantsminda was named after a Georgian Orthodox monk named Stephan, who constructed a hermitage at this location on what later became the Georgian Military Highway. It came under the control of a local feudal magnate, the Chopikashvili clan, who were in charge of collecting tolls on travelers in the area in the late 18th century. After the expansion of the Russian Empire into the Kingdom of Georgia in the early 19th century, the people of the region revolted against Russian rule. However, the local lord Kazibek Chopikashvili remained steadfast in his loyalty to Russia and helped to suppress the revolt. In return, he was promoted to the rank of general in the Russian Army, and the town was renamed “Kazbegi” in his honor. Kazibek Chopikashvili's great-grandson was the famed Georgian writer Alexander Kazbegi, who was born in this town. After the independence of Georgia from the Soviet Union, the town reverted to its original name of Stepantsiminda.

Landmarks

Stepantsiminda is known for its scenic location in the Greater Caucasus mountains, and is a center for trekkers and mountain climbing. Local attractions include the Alexander Kazbegi Museum and Ethnographic Museum in town, and the Gergeti Trinity Church outside of town, as well as Mount Kazbegi itself and the alpine meadows and forests of the surrounding Kazbegi Nature Reserve.

References

*"Kazbegi." Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia. Vol. 10, Tbilisi, 1984, pp. 617
*Rosen, Roger. "Georgia: A Sovereign Country of the Caucasus." Odyssey Publications: Hong Kong, 1999. ISBN 9622177484

External links

* [http://www.kazbegi.info/ Information About Kazbegi]