Lanchkhuti
Market town in northern Guria on the Tbilisi–Batumi railway, centre of a district that runs down to the beach at Grigoleti.
LanchkhutiPhoto: M., CC BY 3.0Lanchkhuti is the main town of northern Guria, a low, green place on the plain between Samtredia and the Black Sea, ringed by hazelnut orchards and maize fields. It lies on the Tbilisi to Batumi railway and close to the main road to the coast, so many travellers pass through without stopping. The town is small and unhurried, with a busy market, several modern churches and a proud local football tradition. Its municipality reaches the sea at Grigoleti and takes in part of Kolkheti National Park, which makes it a quiet, practical base for exploring both.
The best-known sight nearby is the Jikheti convent in the village of Sameba, whose church was completed in 1895 to a design by the architect Ilarion Menabde; its nuns once ran a school teaching girls to read, write and work at crafts. The district is also where the Gurian Republic began, when peasants around Nigoiti started a boycott of landlords in 1902. From town, Grigoleti's beach is about 40 minutes away by car and Ozurgeti about 30 minutes.
History
The Lanchkhuti area was the cradle of the Gurian Republic, a peasant self-government movement that grew out of a 1902 protest in the village of Nigoiti and spread across Guria until Russian troops crushed it in 1906. In the Soviet era the town became a district centre on the railway, and its football club, Guria, reached the Soviet top division in the late 1980s, a rare feat for such a small place.
What to see and do
- The Jikheti convent, completed in 1895
- The local market for hazelnuts, cheese and pickles
- A starting point for Grigoleti beach and the Kolkheti wetlands
- The story of the 1902 to 1906 Gurian Republic
How to visit
Getting there
Lanchkhuti is about 290 km from Tbilisi, roughly 4.5 hours by car via Kutaisi and Samtredia, and about 25 km north of Ozurgeti. The Tbilisi to Batumi railway runs through town, and marshrutkas between Kutaisi, Ozurgeti and Batumi call here.
When to go
April to October. Plan 1–2 hours here.
- Use it as a quiet off-season base when the coastal resorts close
- Combine it with Jumati Monastery and Grigoleti beach
- Buy hazelnuts and Gurian pickles at the market
Lanchkhuti: FAQ
Where is Lanchkhuti?
In northern Guria, about 25 km north of Ozurgeti and around 4.5 hours by car from Tbilisi. Its municipality reaches the coast at Grigoleti.
What was the Gurian Republic?
A peasant self-government movement that began in 1902 around Nigoiti, near Lanchkhuti, and ran much of Guria until Russian forces suppressed it in 1906.
Nearby places
Straight-line distance from Lanchkhuti.
