Zugdidi Samegrelo

Mingrelia (Samegrelo)
The Mingrelia region, located in the Black Sea colchic lowlands, has always been a political and cultural center of Western Georgia. It belonged one after the other to the colonial and the lava empires, later to the united Georgia. From the 16th to the 19th century Mingrelia was a powerful, independent principality. The present-day port of Poti, former ancient city of Phasis, is still one of the most important main connections of Georgia.
Megrelia has interesting history and traditions. The peculiarity of the West Georgian architecture explains: next to the dwelling-house there is a small kiosk, the kitchen (Georg: Oda), where it is cooked for the whole family. The subtropical landscape, which hardly knows cold winters, causes the humidity in the country.
  The sights of Mingrelia: Dadiani Palace in Zugdidi, the port town of Poti, seaside resort Ankara, Paleostomi Lake, National Park Colchis, Martvili Cathedral, Martvili Canyon.

 

Dadiani Palace
The town of Zugdidi is located on the river Enguri in Mingrelia and was until 1803 the seat of the mingrelian noble family Dadiani. It was a powerful royal house of West Georgia and often ruled over Guria and Svaneti. The Mingrelian prince bore a title "Prince of the Black Sea".
The Dadinai Palace includes a castle with a court church and a botanical garden. Since 1921, the city "Museum of History and Folklore" has housed over 41 000 objects from the ruling family Dadiani. Among them are a picture of the French Emperor, arms, coats of arms, luxurious furniture, precious crockery and unique books, as well as a the mask of Napoleon. Achille Murat, the grandson of Napoleon's sister Caroline Bonaparte, was married to the daughter of the last Mingrelian ruler, Salome Dadiani. The museum also houses the garment of the Mother of God Mary, which was kept until 1453 in the imperial treasury of Constantinople.
Poti
The history of the Georgian harbor town of Poti dates back to the 6th century BC. At the mouth of the river Rioni there was a port town Poti, both river and port city, in ancient times the name Phasis. It was the place where, according to the Argonaut report, Jason and his companions anchor. Phasis, a Greek colony, formed an important stage of the ancient trade between Europe and India. The cultural significance of the city was as follows: In Phasis, the famous collegiate academy was built in the 3rd century BC.
The ancient Phasis sank in the swamp of the Rioni Delta. Only later, in 1858, the Russians declared Poti a port town. In the Soviet period, the marshes were kept dry. Here, huge eucalyptus trees characterize the landscape. Today, Poti is the second largest port town in Georgia on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.
 
Seaside resort Anaklia
Seaside resort Anaklia is located on the Black Sea at the mouth of the river Enguri, a few hundred meters away from Abkhazia. At the end of the summer of 2011 Anaklia was declared a seaside resort. Modern architecture, a marine and the world's longest wooden bridge over the Enguri River have given the city a new splendor.
The city gained international fame in 2014 when the famous music festival Gemfest took place.
Paleostomi Lake (Paliastomi Lake)
To the south of Poti lies the famous Paleostomi Lake, a former peninsula of the Black Sea, whose name goes back to Greek "Paläostoma", "Old Mouth". On the eastern shore to a nature reserve adjoins, preserves the remains of the original Colchian Liana forest. The area around Paleostomi Lake is protected area.
Colchis National Park
The Colchis National Park was founded in 1935 and covers an area of about 40,000 hectares. The nature reserve also includes the eastern part of the Black Sea and Paleostomi Lake. The park is distinguished by its botanical peculiarities, such as the Caucasian wing nut, alder, peat moss and insect-eating sundew. Above all, it is famous for its bird paradise. The animal protection authorities appreciate more than 190 different bird species.
In spring and autumn, the Rioni Delta is transformed into a bird paradise. Thousands of water-birds are over here.
Martvili Cathedral
The Martvil-Chkondidi cathedral (7th century) is situated on a hill in the homonymous town of Martvili. According to the legend, the church was built on the site where a large oak was used. Under this tree, the apostle Andrew is said to have brought local inhabitants to Christian faith. The name of the Chkondidi monastery is also derived from the oak tree, “tchkoni in mingrelian” means the oak, “didi” means large = "big oak".
The frescoes of the main church are from the 14th - 17th century. On the territory of the cathedral there is also a small church (10th century) and a bell tower (10-11th century). The whole area is surrounded by a wall.
Martvili Canyon
An interesting excursion destination is Martvili Canyon. It was named after the neighboring village of Martvili. The breathtaking canyon and waterfalls originated over millions of years. It is a natural monument in the incised valley. The length of Canyon is 2400 m, the depth of 20-30 m, and the width of 5-10 m.