- Shamkir Rayon
Shamkir (Şəmkir) is a rayon of
Azerbaijan . The capital isŞəmkir Born from the German settlement of Annanfeld, Shamkir still retains some of its initial atmosphere, with tree lined streets and a semi-abandoned church. Today the population is Azeri, as the German population was expelled to central Asia after Hitler violated the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and invaded the USSR, starting the "Great Patriotic War".
Given the proximity of the Armenian border the town houses a military garrison. The Regional Historical Museum is located on S. Vurgun Street. For entertainment there is also a stadium and a cinema. Shamkir is served by an hotel, located near the mosque.
Shamkir gets its name from the old fortress town of Shamkir, now ruined, located about 20km east of present day Shamkir, near the village of Mukhtariat. You can still see parts of the walls and what left of a bridge. Old-Shamkir was the place of a battle with the Georgians and was later flattened by the Mongols.
You can reach Shamkir by bus from Ganca or Kur or by train from Ganca, use the Dallar station for Shamkir and the Shamkir station for old-Shamkir.
North of the town you'll find a large reservoir on the Kura river, with an important hydroelectric power station (380MWt).
350 km west of Baku
Shamkir is popular with its wines. Shamkir Shampan is well known world wide.
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