Rustavi
Encyclopedia
Rustavi is a city in the southeast of Georgia
, in the province of Kvemo Kartli
, situated 25 km (15.53 mi) southeast of the capital Tbilisi
. It stands on the Mtkvari River
at 41°32′N 45°00′E. It has a population of 116,384 (2002 census) and is dominated by the Rustavi Metallurgical Plant
.
The history of Rustavi has two phases: an early history from ancient times until the city was destroyed in the 13th century, and modern history from the Soviet era to the present.
connects this process with the name of the glorious ancestor of Georgian people. As Leonti writes in his works "The description of the Kingdom of Georgia" Rustavi was called as Bostan-Kalaki. It was situated on the river Mkvari and it was founded by the wife of Kartlos. She built a castle to the east of the mountain lagluji.
The historian Leonti Mroveli
, who described the lives of the first Georgian kings, mentions the town Rustavi among those castles, which protested the troops of Alexander the Great.
Though it is proved in history that Alexander the Great never invaded Georgia but Rustavi itself is mentioned among such ancient towns as Uplistsikhe, Urbnisi, Mtskheta and Sarkineti. This fact proves that Rustavi as a city had been founded in the 5th-4th centuries B.C, it was the period of unification of Georgia.
This is what Leonti Mroveli
gives us in his work-“The lives of Kings”. The king Trdat, the 28th King of Kartli
(of the end of 4th century A.D) had built a church and a canal. The academician Nikoloz Berdzenishvili
wrote that from that time on Rustavi was considered as a big political and administrative center.
During the reign of Vakhtang Gorgasali (5th century) Rustavi took an important part in the political life of Georgia. Since then a Bishopricpulpit had been founded in Rustavi and of the bishops out of twelve was sanctified according to the wish of Vakhtang Gorgasali.
The churches of Kartli acted against the King Vakhtang Gorgasali as they were under the influence of Persia. That’s why the King of Kartli dismissed the main Bishop Michael and charged his man.
The Bishopric of Rustavi existed until 13th century, before it was ruined by Mongols
. Later the Bishopric was transferred to Martkopi, but the Bishop of Martkopi wore the ecclesiastic title of Rustaveli (Rustavi).
At the beginning of the 6th century, in 503, the Georgian troops resisted against the Persian King. In the battle the King Vakhtang Gorgasali was mortally wounded.
Georgian warriors remained without their commander and they had been defeated by the Persians. They destroyed the Kingdom of Kartli
and the government was given to Mirzahan-the vizier of Shah.
Besides the manuscripts, the excavations of the castle Rustavi prove that Rustavi was a big political and administrative center. During the archaeological excavations the remnants of ancients buildings were found, there are the remnants of the buildings of the 4th and 5th centuries.
It is well-known that in the 4th century Rustavi and Ujarma had been promoted in Kakheti.
Ujarma was the main residence of the king Vakhtang Gorgasali, its name comes from the Persian. “Ostan” or “Vostan” means the Kingdom, that’s why its ancient name was Bostan-kalaki. If we take into consideration this explanation, we must believe that Rustavi was the residence of the Georgian kings.
Rustavi was still a very important place when it was invaded by Arabs. In 8th century it belonged to Kakheti and it became one of the best administration centers.
The head of Kakheti
-Hereti
, Kvirike the Great sent one Eristavi
(the head of a nation) out of three to Rustavi and gave him the whole Kakheti.
As Arabs were defeated and driven out, another enemy invaded Georgia – those were Turkish-Seljuks. First the Turkish-Seljukes invaded Georgia in 1068 under the leadership of Sultan Alparsan. There was a terrible battle between king Bagrat the IV and the enemy. But Bagrat the IV was bitterly defeated. The Turkish-Seljukes took Akhalkalaki
. Later the king of Kakheti got into closer contact with the Turkish-Seljuks and they took the inner area of Kartli. Though as it was winter they left Georgia and as the enemy was leaving on the way home they took Tbilisi and Rustavi and gave them to Phadlon (Amira).
This was the hardest period in the life of Rustavi. Its economy was ruined and it remained only as a military center. It had only a strategic meaning for Tbilisi.
In 1069 Bargat the IV defeated Arnira Phadlon and joined the fortress Rustavi, Partskhisi and Agarani. On 24 November 1072, Bagrat the IV died and George the II came to the throne. He tried to fortificate Georgia, to join all its friends and enemies by sweet words and good behaviour, by presents and so on, rather than by sword. George the II gave the betrayer Ivane (Ohanes) Orbeliani Samshvilde, as for the King of Kakheti he was given Rustavi. The whole royal family was against the King George the II. They were not satisfied with him. So he was compelled to retire and in 1089 his 16 year old son was called sanctified as a King. Later he was called David the Builder. Now the country developed again. It began to grow from Nikopsia to Darubandi.
In 1097 David the Builder stopped paying tribute to Turkish-Seljukes. In 1104 he joined Kakheti–Hereti. In 1105 he defeated the Amira of Ganja and the whole army of the enemy. Only Tbilisi, Rustavi, Samshvilde, Somkhiti and Agarani were in the hands of the enemy. In 1110 David took Samshvilde. In 1115 he took Rustavi. The enemy was excited as they lost Rustavi, as Rustavi and its surroundings were the pastures of their herds.
The famous Battle of Didgori
took place on 12 August 1121. The Georgian troops (55600 warriors) defeated the Moslems, who numbered about half a million. In 1122 David the Builder took Tbilisi. The liberation and the consolidation of Georgia was over. In those big battles Rustavi took an essential part.
In 1220 another misfortune broke out. Georgia again fought against the enemy. This time Mongols invaded the whole east part of Asia and they reached Georgia. Berka Khan, the sovereign of the Golden Horde, reached the Caucasus in spring of 1265. Georgia fought at a time against two enemies, - the llkhans of Iran and the Mongols. The Mongol leader Tamerlane completely destroyed Rustavi, and it became a desert.
's accelerated industrialization process, and included ironworks, steelworks, chemical plants and an important railway station on the Tbilisi
-Baku
railroad line. Rustavi is the site of approximately 90 large and medium sized industrial plants.
The core of the city's industrial activity was the Rustavi Metallurgical Plant
, constructed in 1941-1950 to process iron ore from nearby Azerbaijan
. Stalin brought workers from various regions in Georgia, specifically from the poorer rural provinces of Western Georgia. Rustavi became a key industrial centre for the Transcaucasus region. The industrial activity expanded to include the manufacture of steel
products, cement, chemicals, and synthetic fibers.
May 1944 was a significant time in the history of modern Rustavi. Geologists began to define the soil of the place where the metallurgical works were to be built. The area was nearly empty, and there were only temporary lodgings and slums available. A lot of people arrived at Rustavi, coming from different parts of Georgia. The first newspaper came out on 30 August 1944. It was called “Metallurgiisatvis” (meaning "For Metallurgy" in Georgian).
Rustavi was celebrating frequent housewarming parties as a lot of people were migrating each day. In 1948 the first streets were “baptized” in Rustavi. The first street was named after the Young Communist League
, the second one after the builders of Rustavi, and the third one after its ancient name Bostan-Kalaki.
On 19 January 1948, a decree of the Supreme Soviet of Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic declared Rustavi a town of republican importance. On 27 April 1950, the whole town celebrated the production of the first industrial Georgian steel. It was founded on the roots of the famous ancestors Khalibs.
German POWs who were captured in World War II
were enlisted to build the city of Rustavi. Modern Rustavi is divided into two parts--Dzveli Rustavi (Old Rustavi) and Akhali Rustavi (New Rustavi). Old Rustavi adheres to Stalinist architectural style while New Rustavi is dominated by a multitude of Soviet-era block apartments.
The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 proved disastrous for Rustavi, as it also caused the collapse of the integrated Soviet economy of which the city was a key part. Most of its industrial plants were shut down and 65% of the city's population became unemployed, with the attendant social problems of high crime and acute poverty that such a situation brings. The population shrank from 160,000 in the mid-1990s to 116,000 in 2002 as residents moved elsewhere in search of work.
New York-based artist Greg Lindquist
(b.1979) has documented Rustavi's crumbling concrete factories in his paintings and installations, such as the exhibition "Nonpasts" in 2010. Lindquist has also worked with Georgian collaborators, such as artist Gio Sumbadze (b. 1976), in projects that address the current social, cultural and political significance of these architectures. In 2010, the Laura Palmer Foundation staged an exhibition at the Ministry of Transportation building (Tbilisi Roads Ministry Building
) in which Lindquist and Sumbadze installed paintings addressing the history of Georgia's transportation system. This BOMB magazine interview with La Toya Frazier for the exhibition "Planet of Slums" addresses many of the complexities of Lindquist's work in the Republic of Georgia.
Georgian State Academic Ensemble “Rustavi”
Georgian Sate Academic Ensemble “Rustavi” was founded in 1968. During 35 years that passed from its foundation the Ensemble has performed over 3000 concerts, and traveled in more than 50 countries with great success. The largest concert halls all over the world have greatly appreciated and praised the Ensemble’s performing art. In all countries wherever the Ensemble has played concerts the newspapers gave high ranking to their performance.
has not been reconstructed and got out of order. In 2009 the area were sold to the private company Stromos on the State auction. Now the track is under total reconstruction with a purpose to satisfy the FIA Grade II requirements.
with: Sumqayit
in Azerbaijan
Ganja in Azerbaijan
Łódź in Poland
(since 1995)
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, in the province of Kvemo Kartli
Kvemo Kartli
Kvemo Kartli is a historic province and current administrative region in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is a regional capital. The population is mixed between Azeris and Georgians .The current governor is Davit Kirkitadze.- External links :* *...
, situated 25 km (15.53 mi) southeast of the capital Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
. It stands on the Mtkvari River
Kura River
Kura is a river, also known from the Greek as the Cyrus in the Caucasus Mountains. Starting in north-eastern Turkey, it flows through Turkey to Georgia, then to Azerbaijan, where it receives the Aras River as a right tributary, and enters the Caspian Sea...
at 41°32′N 45°00′E. It has a population of 116,384 (2002 census) and is dominated by the Rustavi Metallurgical Plant
Georgian Steel
Georgian Steel, formerly Rustavi Metallurgical Plant is a Georgian steel company located in Rustavi. It was founded in 1948 by Soviet planners to process iron ore from Azerbaijan. The first steel was melted in April 1950....
.
The history of Rustavi has two phases: an early history from ancient times until the city was destroyed in the 13th century, and modern history from the Soviet era to the present.
Early history
Rustavi is one of the ancient towns of Georgia. The foundation of Rustavi is dated from time immemorial. Leonti MroveliLeonti Mroveli
Leonti Mroveli was the 11th-century Georgian chronicler, presumably an ecclesiastic. Mroveli is not his last name, but the adjective for the diocese of Ruisi, whose bishop he probably was...
connects this process with the name of the glorious ancestor of Georgian people. As Leonti writes in his works "The description of the Kingdom of Georgia" Rustavi was called as Bostan-Kalaki. It was situated on the river Mkvari and it was founded by the wife of Kartlos. She built a castle to the east of the mountain lagluji.
The historian Leonti Mroveli
Leonti Mroveli
Leonti Mroveli was the 11th-century Georgian chronicler, presumably an ecclesiastic. Mroveli is not his last name, but the adjective for the diocese of Ruisi, whose bishop he probably was...
, who described the lives of the first Georgian kings, mentions the town Rustavi among those castles, which protested the troops of Alexander the Great.
Though it is proved in history that Alexander the Great never invaded Georgia but Rustavi itself is mentioned among such ancient towns as Uplistsikhe, Urbnisi, Mtskheta and Sarkineti. This fact proves that Rustavi as a city had been founded in the 5th-4th centuries B.C, it was the period of unification of Georgia.
This is what Leonti Mroveli
Leonti Mroveli
Leonti Mroveli was the 11th-century Georgian chronicler, presumably an ecclesiastic. Mroveli is not his last name, but the adjective for the diocese of Ruisi, whose bishop he probably was...
gives us in his work-“The lives of Kings”. The king Trdat, the 28th King of Kartli
Kartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
(of the end of 4th century A.D) had built a church and a canal. The academician Nikoloz Berdzenishvili
Nikoloz Berdzenishvili
Nikoloz Berdzenishvili was a Georgian historian who served as a Vice President of the Georgian Academy of Sciences from 1951 to 1957 and chaired the Department of History at Tbilisi State University from 1946 to 1956....
wrote that from that time on Rustavi was considered as a big political and administrative center.
During the reign of Vakhtang Gorgasali (5th century) Rustavi took an important part in the political life of Georgia. Since then a Bishopricpulpit had been founded in Rustavi and of the bishops out of twelve was sanctified according to the wish of Vakhtang Gorgasali.
The churches of Kartli acted against the King Vakhtang Gorgasali as they were under the influence of Persia. That’s why the King of Kartli dismissed the main Bishop Michael and charged his man.
The Bishopric of Rustavi existed until 13th century, before it was ruined by Mongols
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
. Later the Bishopric was transferred to Martkopi, but the Bishop of Martkopi wore the ecclesiastic title of Rustaveli (Rustavi).
At the beginning of the 6th century, in 503, the Georgian troops resisted against the Persian King. In the battle the King Vakhtang Gorgasali was mortally wounded.
Georgian warriors remained without their commander and they had been defeated by the Persians. They destroyed the Kingdom of Kartli
Kartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
and the government was given to Mirzahan-the vizier of Shah.
Besides the manuscripts, the excavations of the castle Rustavi prove that Rustavi was a big political and administrative center. During the archaeological excavations the remnants of ancients buildings were found, there are the remnants of the buildings of the 4th and 5th centuries.
It is well-known that in the 4th century Rustavi and Ujarma had been promoted in Kakheti.
Ujarma was the main residence of the king Vakhtang Gorgasali, its name comes from the Persian. “Ostan” or “Vostan” means the Kingdom, that’s why its ancient name was Bostan-kalaki. If we take into consideration this explanation, we must believe that Rustavi was the residence of the Georgian kings.
Rustavi was still a very important place when it was invaded by Arabs. In 8th century it belonged to Kakheti and it became one of the best administration centers.
The head of Kakheti
Kakheti
Kakheti is a historical province in Eastern Georgia inhabited by Kakhetians who speak a local dialect of Georgian. It is bordered by the small mountainous province of Tusheti and the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north, Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and...
-Hereti
Hereti
Hereti was a historic province in the medieval Caucasus on the Georgian-Albanian frontier. It roughly corresponds to the southeastern corner of Georgia's Kakheti region and a portion of Azerbaijan's northwestern districts.-History:...
, Kvirike the Great sent one Eristavi
Eristavi
Eristavi was a Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine strategos and normally translated into English as "duke". In the Georgian aristocratic hierarchy, it was the title of the third rank of prince and governor of a large province...
(the head of a nation) out of three to Rustavi and gave him the whole Kakheti.
As Arabs were defeated and driven out, another enemy invaded Georgia – those were Turkish-Seljuks. First the Turkish-Seljukes invaded Georgia in 1068 under the leadership of Sultan Alparsan. There was a terrible battle between king Bagrat the IV and the enemy. But Bagrat the IV was bitterly defeated. The Turkish-Seljukes took Akhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki
Akhalkalaki is a small city in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 60,975. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti Volcanic Plateau. The city is located about 30 km from the border with Turkey. 90 percent of the city's population are ethnic Armenians...
. Later the king of Kakheti got into closer contact with the Turkish-Seljuks and they took the inner area of Kartli. Though as it was winter they left Georgia and as the enemy was leaving on the way home they took Tbilisi and Rustavi and gave them to Phadlon (Amira).
This was the hardest period in the life of Rustavi. Its economy was ruined and it remained only as a military center. It had only a strategic meaning for Tbilisi.
In 1069 Bargat the IV defeated Arnira Phadlon and joined the fortress Rustavi, Partskhisi and Agarani. On 24 November 1072, Bagrat the IV died and George the II came to the throne. He tried to fortificate Georgia, to join all its friends and enemies by sweet words and good behaviour, by presents and so on, rather than by sword. George the II gave the betrayer Ivane (Ohanes) Orbeliani Samshvilde, as for the King of Kakheti he was given Rustavi. The whole royal family was against the King George the II. They were not satisfied with him. So he was compelled to retire and in 1089 his 16 year old son was called sanctified as a King. Later he was called David the Builder. Now the country developed again. It began to grow from Nikopsia to Darubandi.
In 1097 David the Builder stopped paying tribute to Turkish-Seljukes. In 1104 he joined Kakheti–Hereti. In 1105 he defeated the Amira of Ganja and the whole army of the enemy. Only Tbilisi, Rustavi, Samshvilde, Somkhiti and Agarani were in the hands of the enemy. In 1110 David took Samshvilde. In 1115 he took Rustavi. The enemy was excited as they lost Rustavi, as Rustavi and its surroundings were the pastures of their herds.
The famous Battle of Didgori
Battle of Didgori
The Battle of Didgori was fought between the armies of the Kingdom of Georgia and the crumbling Great Seljuq Empire at the place of Didgori, 40 km west of Tbilisi, the modern-day capital of Georgia, on August 12, 1121...
took place on 12 August 1121. The Georgian troops (55600 warriors) defeated the Moslems, who numbered about half a million. In 1122 David the Builder took Tbilisi. The liberation and the consolidation of Georgia was over. In those big battles Rustavi took an essential part.
In 1220 another misfortune broke out. Georgia again fought against the enemy. This time Mongols invaded the whole east part of Asia and they reached Georgia. Berka Khan, the sovereign of the Golden Horde, reached the Caucasus in spring of 1265. Georgia fought at a time against two enemies, - the llkhans of Iran and the Mongols. The Mongol leader Tamerlane completely destroyed Rustavi, and it became a desert.
Modern history
Rustavi was rebuilt as a major industrial center during the Soviet era. The development of Rustavi was part of Joseph StalinJoseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's accelerated industrialization process, and included ironworks, steelworks, chemical plants and an important railway station on the Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
-Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
railroad line. Rustavi is the site of approximately 90 large and medium sized industrial plants.
The core of the city's industrial activity was the Rustavi Metallurgical Plant
Georgian Steel
Georgian Steel, formerly Rustavi Metallurgical Plant is a Georgian steel company located in Rustavi. It was founded in 1948 by Soviet planners to process iron ore from Azerbaijan. The first steel was melted in April 1950....
, constructed in 1941-1950 to process iron ore from nearby Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. Stalin brought workers from various regions in Georgia, specifically from the poorer rural provinces of Western Georgia. Rustavi became a key industrial centre for the Transcaucasus region. The industrial activity expanded to include the manufacture of steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
products, cement, chemicals, and synthetic fibers.
May 1944 was a significant time in the history of modern Rustavi. Geologists began to define the soil of the place where the metallurgical works were to be built. The area was nearly empty, and there were only temporary lodgings and slums available. A lot of people arrived at Rustavi, coming from different parts of Georgia. The first newspaper came out on 30 August 1944. It was called “Metallurgiisatvis” (meaning "For Metallurgy" in Georgian).
Rustavi was celebrating frequent housewarming parties as a lot of people were migrating each day. In 1948 the first streets were “baptized” in Rustavi. The first street was named after the Young Communist League
Young Communist League
The Young Communist League was or is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name YCL of XXX was generally taken by all sections of the Communist Youth International.Examples of YCLs:...
, the second one after the builders of Rustavi, and the third one after its ancient name Bostan-Kalaki.
On 19 January 1948, a decree of the Supreme Soviet of Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic declared Rustavi a town of republican importance. On 27 April 1950, the whole town celebrated the production of the first industrial Georgian steel. It was founded on the roots of the famous ancestors Khalibs.
German POWs who were captured in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
were enlisted to build the city of Rustavi. Modern Rustavi is divided into two parts--Dzveli Rustavi (Old Rustavi) and Akhali Rustavi (New Rustavi). Old Rustavi adheres to Stalinist architectural style while New Rustavi is dominated by a multitude of Soviet-era block apartments.
The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 proved disastrous for Rustavi, as it also caused the collapse of the integrated Soviet economy of which the city was a key part. Most of its industrial plants were shut down and 65% of the city's population became unemployed, with the attendant social problems of high crime and acute poverty that such a situation brings. The population shrank from 160,000 in the mid-1990s to 116,000 in 2002 as residents moved elsewhere in search of work.
New York-based artist Greg Lindquist
Greg Lindquist
Greg Lindquist is an American artist , living and working in New York City.-Biography:Greg Lindquist was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, graduated from Emsley A...
(b.1979) has documented Rustavi's crumbling concrete factories in his paintings and installations, such as the exhibition "Nonpasts" in 2010. Lindquist has also worked with Georgian collaborators, such as artist Gio Sumbadze (b. 1976), in projects that address the current social, cultural and political significance of these architectures. In 2010, the Laura Palmer Foundation staged an exhibition at the Ministry of Transportation building (Tbilisi Roads Ministry Building
Tbilisi Roads Ministry Building
The Georgian Ministry of Highway Construction is a building in Tbilisi, Georgia. It was designed by architects George Chakhava and Zurab Jalaghania for the Ministry of Highway Construction of Georgian SSR and finished in 1975. The engineer was Temur Tkhilava. Today it is a property of the Bank of...
) in which Lindquist and Sumbadze installed paintings addressing the history of Georgia's transportation system. This BOMB magazine interview with La Toya Frazier for the exhibition "Planet of Slums" addresses many of the complexities of Lindquist's work in the Republic of Georgia.
Georgian State Academic Ensemble “Rustavi”
Georgian Sate Academic Ensemble “Rustavi” was founded in 1968. During 35 years that passed from its foundation the Ensemble has performed over 3000 concerts, and traveled in more than 50 countries with great success. The largest concert halls all over the world have greatly appreciated and praised the Ensemble’s performing art. In all countries wherever the Ensemble has played concerts the newspapers gave high ranking to their performance.
Rustavi Race Circuit
The last of the racetracks built in the USSR. Competitions started in the end of 1979. Till 1989 the track hosted eleven USSR Championship events. Until 2009 the trackRustavi International Motorpark
The Rustavi International Motorpark is a motor racing venue located 20 km south-east of Tbilisi, Georgia. Now the circuit is under total reconstruction.-History:...
has not been reconstructed and got out of order. In 2009 the area were sold to the private company Stromos on the State auction. Now the track is under total reconstruction with a purpose to satisfy the FIA Grade II requirements.
Twin towns - sister cities
Rustavi is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Sumqayit
Sumqayit
Sumgayit is one of the largest cities in Azerbaijan, located near the Caspian Sea, about 31 kilometres away from the capital, Baku. The city has a population of 308,700 , making it the third-largest city in Azerbaijan after the capital Baku and Ganja. The city has a territory of 83 km². It...
in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
Ganja in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
Łódź in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(since 1995)