Chiatura

Chiatura (Georgian ჭიათურა ) is a city in the Imereti region of Georgia. The name literally means: " A worm or no " and comes from the famous Georgian Akaki Tsereteli author who has done this saying at the sight of the winding streets of the city and, thus the name. It has 16,736 inhabitants and is situated at the foot of the Caucasus on the river Kwirila to 149 meters above sea level. End of the 19th century it was a center of Manganerzabbaus.

In Chiatura there is the Tsereteli State Theater, ten schools, a Faculty of the Georgian Technical University and the Mgwimewi Cathedral ( 10th to 11th century). A substantial public transport in the city are 26 cable cars that meet at various cable stations. In addition, over 50 cable cars for manganese removal. 24 cableways for passenger and 50 for material transport were planned and built by Giorgi Mumladze.

Near the town are extensive manganese ore deposits which are mined for 1877 days. The state mine Tschiaturmanganumi has filed bankruptcy in the 1990s. In 2004 it was sold for 12.5 million U.S. dollars to the Russian company EvrazHolding.

Before the First World War was the largest Chiatura Manganerzproduzent the world. Its share of the world's advent was nearly 40 %, the share of world exports was over 50%. Since 1879 almost all fields were in the hands of German companies. Among them were the Oberhausen Gutehoffnungshütte, the Friedrich Krupp AG, Schalke mines and metallurgical club, the Gelsenkirchen Mining Shares Company and the Hamburg Caucasian pit club. The majority of the exported manganese ore was processed until 1918 in Germany. After the October Revolution, it served the structure of the Russian and Georgian heavy industry. Today, the high quality reserves are almost exhausted.

1992 has collapsed in Chiatura the gas, water and electricity supply. Power there since 2004. The gas and water supply network is now completely rotten. Water flows every 3 - 5 days for about 30 minutes. Drinking water has in canisters of sources and a few wells are brought in in the city. Apartments, even in high-rise buildings are heated with wood stoves. Due to the situation, the population has almost halved. 2008, the trolleybus has ceased operations.