- Bolnisi
Bolnisi is a city in the country of Georgia. It lost a significant portion of its non-Georgian population after the fall of the
Soviet Union and currently has an estimated 13,800 inhabitants.The town was founded in 1818 by 95 German colonist families from
Swabia and was named Katharinenfeld. After the occupation of theRed Army in 1921, it was renamed to Luxemburg after the German communistRosa Luxemburg . 1941 all the Germans descendants who were not married to Georgians were deported toSiberia andKazakhstan . 1944 the town was once again renamed as Bolnisi.The economy is mostly agrarian with the notable exceptions of a winery, brewery, and a
gold mine in the village of Ratevani.Bolnisi is the home of the oldest dated
Christian structure in Georgia and theCaucasus .Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), "Studies In Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts", p. 316. Peeters Bvba, ISBN 90-429-1318-5.] It is known asBolnisi Sioni (Sioni being Georgian forZion and a designation used by many of their churches). This three-navebasilica church dates to the 5th century AD and features some pagan elements in its stonework. The original roof is missing but has been replaced with a modern covering.A dedication inscription from the Bolnisi church, carved in the late 5th century, is one of the oldest dated specimens of Georgian writing. It mentions Bishop David of Bolnisi and two
Sassanid kingsPeroz I andKavadh I .An airfield near the city was reported to have been bombed by Russia on August 8th, 2008 during the
War in South Ossetia (2008) . [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080808/ap_on_re_eu/georgia_south_ossetia_28;_ylt=AmbBKrNHVd8FYkuYULUW5J9bbBAF]References
See also
* The history of The Caucasus Germans in Georgia
External links
* [http://caucasus-pictures.blogspot.com/2007/01/bolnisi-ex-katharinenfeld.html A blogpost with fotos of former "german" houses in Bolnisi]
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