Khashuri

Chaschuri (Georgian ხაშური, Russian Хашури ) is a town in western Georgia in the region of Inner Kartli. It lies at the foot of the Lesser Caucasus on the river Suramula and has 29,341 inhabitants ( 2009). Chaschuri is the administrative center of the municipality Chaschuri.

Chaschuri developed in the 19th century as an important transportation hub. In 1884 the railway line Chaschuri - Borjomi was built. In 1896, the city became the way station of the Baku - Batumi pipeline first. They ran along the railway line and pumped fuel for shipment to the Black Sea. 1929-1930 a new pipeline for crude oil was built. Today it is a 232 - kilometer section between Chaschuri and Batumi in operation. The oil is transported by rail from Azerbaijan Dubendi after Chaschuri and transhipped.

Main Employers today are a factory for glass container, a crude oil storage and the nearby Suramula hydroelectric power plant, which was built with EU assistance.

The city is home of Dzhugashvili family, who came from Josef Stalin. In May 2000, a 2.5 -meter-high monument to Stalin, which was in 1956 from the main square of the city, re-erected.

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