Jvari (town)

Jvari (Georgian: ჯვარი) is a town in the northwestern Georgian province of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. The town is situated at an altitude of 280 metres near the Magana River where it flows into the Enguri River; The town is divided in two with "Jvari" lying on the Zugdidi-Mestia highway, and Jvarzeni (Upper Jvari) up the hill. In Georgian the word "Jvari" means "cross". There are three legends about where this name came from. Jvari is located in the far northwest of Georgia, at the beginning of the Mestia highway through the mountains, which provides the rest of Georgia with access to Svaneti. Jvari is a very old settlement in the north-west of Georgia in the Tsalenjikha municipality. According to the legends we can suppose that Jvari has a 2,000 year old history. Nearby Jvari is the Enguri Dam, which is an important part of Jvari's economy. The dam provides 46% of all electricity consumed in Georgia. There are three schools, a vocational college and a community centre funded by a German organisation.