German Houses in Bolnisi

In 1818 Germans from Swabia were settled near Ratevani village; they played significant role in the history of Bolnisi (coordinates: 41.265356 44.322871). German settlement was fist called Caterinenfeld, and after entering of Soviet army the colony was named after Soviet Communist Rosa Luxemburg. In 1941, as soon as the Second World War started, all German residents, who weren’t married to Georgian, were exiled to Siberia and Kazan. A lot of German-type houses, dated by the middle of XIX c. are preserved in Bolnisi presently. The houses are mainly two-storied and are distinguished by for fachwerks characteristic for German Architecture. It’s interesting that German houses built in Georgia often had balconies, characteristic for Georgian, Tbilisian houses. It demonstrates how well Germans shared Georgian architectural details. Wine-cellars are preserved in the village. Unlike Asureti, bigger, town-type streets are houses are constructed here.