Chiatura — abandoned mining town.
A small town modestly lost in the mountain vastness of Georgia, so impressed the imagination of the traveler, photographer and founder of the Bureau TEG — Paul Makarov that he spent a few days in it, while the main attractions are the numerous cable cars. Chiatura — mining town located on both sides of the gorge where there are dozens of operating and broken funiculars, built in the 1950-ies.
Ghost town is literally permeated with the spirit of the Soviet era, half-ruined houses and a feeling of hopelessness. But once, during the Soviet era, he predicted a great future for the extraction of vast reserves of ore and manganese. Time takes its toll on the city’s forgotten…
The cable car passes over suburban areas.
Passing over the river Kvirila. The view from the roof of the booth operating the cable car.
A key attraction of the city — the manganese mines, which are located throughout the neighborhood of Chiaturi. Anyone who came here, can watch the process of mining of manganese.
Manganese mine in Chiatura has more than 100 years. There are six mines of the manganese, which is developing a network of cable cars.
For over 60 years and the locals live in the City — steadily, slowly, remembering the days of the former power of the Soviet Union. The city is somewhat reminiscent of today’s Baikonur, or Chernobyl…
To the outskirts of the city, the gorge narrows, leaving room only for roads, rivers, railway lines and cable car stations. Houses are much smaller, but there are cable car to the mines.
Today, the city remains the only city in the world with the largest number of lifts, which are used as free public transport.
Night view of the city centre where the market, bus station, railway station and three cable stations. From the center of the road runs in Sachkhere, along which lies the town.
Operator ropeway tells many interesting and tragic stories. There have been cases of breakage of a cable of a cableway, in case of brake failure with a fatal outcome.
Mechanic one of the cable cars shows. It’s simple — motor, manual and automatic brakes. In the event of a power outage you can manually by using manual thrust to bring the trailer cable to the destination.
Chiatura is located 220 km from Tbilisi, and it can be reached by train or car.
City continue to leave the locals. One of the many abandoned apartments in the city.
People are leaving this place in Tbilisi, in Russia, leaving belongings and documents.
In this kitchen for a long time nobody was prepared.
This apartment in a 12-storey building in which about 60% of apartments abandoned. Heating in the house there, the people are heated by stoves.
Abandoned Railways.
So moves the mined manganese.
Chiatura — a non-touristy city. However, worth to visit, it’s atmospheric and unique place with its leisurely way of life, hospitality of the local people and incredible beauty of the species.
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