Gori, Georgia - The birthplace fo Stalin

Thank you all for your comments on my previous posts

The Georgian city of Gori is synonymous with one man, Iosef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, better known as Joseph Stalin. I won't go into too much detail about the man here, there are plenty of web pages where you can read about him (wikipedia for example).

What is interesting is that the house in which he was born was enshrined within a protective building right outside of a museum that was built and dedicated to him. While other ex-communist and ex-Soviet countries quickly destroyed all visible remnants of communism (such as Lenin and Stalin statues, hammer and sickle decorations on buildings/bridges/buildings) and renamed all squares and streets that had soviet names, Gori proudly kept everything that was named after Stalin.


Main street in Gori, the Stalinis gamziri (Stalin Avenue)




Soviet military monument




Stalin's armor plated rail car, weighing in at a little over 83 tons. Stalin became increasingly paranoid, convinced that people were trying to kill him, he had a armor plated railway car constructed. He refused to travel by airplane, only trusting this rail car for protection. It was used for all of his trips for 12 years (including the trip for the July 1945 Potsdam conference).






Inside of the rail car, Stalin's samovar, desk and bed.








The very first air conditioning unit in the Soviet Union, custom made for Stalin.




Statue of Stalin in front of the house where he grew up




Entrance to the museum
Interestingly, some of the most important people in Stalin's life (Khrushchev, Trotsky and Stalin's daughter Svetlana, who defected to the U.S. in 1966) are completely absent from the museum.




Lady working in the gift shop, wearing a very nostalgic uniform




What would a gift shop be without tacky souvenirs for sale? I have to admit to indulging a bit myself, I bought a book called "Poetries by J.B. Stalin". That's right, early in his life Stalin fancied himself a poet. Here is an example:

To T.R. Eristavt

When driven to tears by the suffering peasants,
you, bard, devoted to the people of Georgia,
bemoaned their faith and justice demanded,
addressing the heaven above.

Moved by the passion for a prosperous future of our nation,
you sounded like a delightful lute, blessed by the lord.

Singing the praise of your country,
with glorious adoration
and the strings of your heart
resounded with joy...

But then some Georgians
are going to enthrone you
and your past troubles and sufferings
will be crowned in our days

Your words have taken root already
in their hearts, and now, venerable elder,
you will reap the fruits of your hard labor

Listen to the people's appeal
use it in your struggle as a sickle:
Long live Raphiel! May the nation have more sons like you!!!

29 October, 1895


In case poetry isn't your style, you can always buy a bottle of wine




The museum










A copy of Stalin's death mask




Gifts he received from other heads of state




Statue at the entrance




His desk and personal belongings




The house where he grew up




This is the room which his father rented from the owner, Stalin lived here until he was 15




Gori fortress, built upon ancient fortified foundations, it dates from the Middle Ages




Views from the top






Despite it being around noon, a local kid was already sleeping off some alcohol




Statue of Stalin standing proudly in front of the city hall, in the middle of the Stalinis gamziri (Stalin Square). The post communist government wanted to destroy the statue but decided to leave it intact after the citizens of Gori pleaded to leave it in place.



Here is the page with some additional photos on my site:
http://www.jimbojack.com/Countries/Georgia/Gori.htm

I hope you enjoyed these photos, next up will be a series from the World Heritage sites in Armenia.