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{{Short description|Town in Abkhazia/Georgia}}
{{For|the union council in Pakistan|Gagra, Pakistan}}
<!-- Infobox begins -->{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Gagra
| native_name        = {{native name|ka|გაგრა}}<br/>{{native name|ab|Гагра}}
| nickname           = 
| official_name      = 
| settlement_type    = [[Administrative divisions of Abkhazia|Town]]
| motto              = 
| image_skyline      = Красотища - panoramio (2).jpg
| image_shield       = Герб Гагры.jpg
| image_map          = Gagra na mapě.svg
| image_caption      = Coastline of Gagra
| pushpin_map        = Georgia#Georgia Abkhazia
| map_caption        = Location of Gagra in Abkhazia
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Gagra
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = Georgia
| subdivision_type1  = Partially recognized <br/>independent country <!--Country-->
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Abkhazia}}<ref name="Abk">{{Abkhazia-note}}</ref>
| subdivision_type2  = [[administrative divisions of Abkhazia|District]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Gagra District|Gagra]]
| leader_title       = Mayor<ref name=mayor group=note>The Governor of [[Gagra District]] is at the same time Mayor of the Gagra municipality.</ref>
| leader_name        = Yuri Khagush<ref>{{cite news |title=В сухумский порт прибыл корабль Черноморского флота России |url=https://www.ekhokavkaza.com/a/32615537.html |access-date=7 December 2023 |work=Эхо Кавказа |date=29 September 2023 |language=ru}}</ref>
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 
| area_total_km2     = 
| area_footnotes     = 
| population_est     = 12002<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ugsra.org/ofitsialnaya-statistika.php|title=Государственный комитет Республики Абхазия по статистике|access-date=2022-12-04|archive-date=2022-01-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121235139/https://ugsra.org/ofitsialnaya-statistika.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| pop_est_as_of      = 2018
| population_as_of   = 
| population_total   = 
| population_density_km2 = 
| timezone           = 
| utc_offset         = +3
| timezone_DST       = 
| utc_offset_DST     = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|43|17|N|40|16|E|region:GE-AB<!--ABK-->|display=inline}}
| elevation_m        = 
| area_code          = 
| blank_name         = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info         = [[Humid subtropical climate|Cfa]]
| website            = 
}}
'''Gagra''' ({{lang-ka|გაგრა}}; [[Russian language|Russian]] and {{langx|ab| Гагра}}) is a town in [[Abkhazia]]/[[Georgia (country)|Georgia]],<ref name=status group=note>{{Abkhazia-note}}</ref> sprawling for 5&nbsp;km on the northeast coast of the [[Black Sea]], at the foot of the [[Caucasus Mountains]]. Its subtropical climate made Gagra a popular health [[Caucasian Riviera|resort]] in Imperial Russian and Soviet times.

It had a population of 26,636 in 1989, but this has declined considerably as a result of [[ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia]] and other demographic shifts during and after the [[War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)|War in Abkhazia (1992–93)]].

Gagra is the center of the [[Gagra District|district of the same name]]. It is located in the western part of the region of Abkhazia, and the [[Psou River]] serves as the border with the [[Krasnodar Krai]] of Russia.

== Etymology ==
According to a number of Georgian scholars, ''Gagra'' is derived from ''Gakra'' meaning "walnut" in the [[Svan language]], while ''Gakari/Kakari'' means "a place with walnut trees", which is in accordance to toponym used in old maps.<ref>Topchishvili, Roland (2005), [http://www.nplg.gov.ge/dlibrary/collect/0001/000070/Georgian_Mountein_Regions.pdf History of Georgian Mountain Regions: Svaneti and Its Inhabitants (Ethno-historical Studies)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310220525/http://www.nplg.gov.ge/dlibrary/collect/0001/000070/Georgian_Mountein_Regions.pdf |date=2012-03-10 }}. [[National Parliamentary Library of Georgia]]</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Kekelia |first=Igor |title=აფხაზეთის ისტორიული და თანამედროვე ტოპონიმია |date=2022 |publisher=Artanuji |isbn=978-9941-494-94-9 |pages=162-165 |language=ka |trans-title=Historical and modern toponymy of Abkhazia}}</ref> The name of the city is claimed by Z. Danelia to originate from the Gagaa family, who, according to Danelia, once lived there. However, the historicity of the Gagaa family and its connection to the city is disputed due to lack of evidence.<ref>{{cite book|title= В ГОРАХ АБХАЗИИ (''In Abkhazian mountains'')|last= БОНДАРЕВ|first= Н.Д.|year= 1981|publisher= Физкультура и спорт|location= Moscow|language= ru|url= http://wkavkaz.narod.ru/book/abhazia/index.html|access-date= 2009-06-07|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091122102345/http://wkavkaz.narod.ru/book/abhazia/index.html|archive-date= 2009-11-22|url-status= dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kekelia |first=Igor |title=აფხაზეთის ისტორიული და თანამედროვე ტოპონიმია |date=2022 |publisher=Artanuji |isbn=978-9941-494-94-9 |pages=162-165 |language=ka |trans-title=}}</ref> According to V. Kvarchia, the name ''Gagra'' is derived from a combination of two Abkhaz words: ''a-ga'' ("coast") and ''a-kra'' ("to close"), that is, "a place where the shore is closed".<ref>Кәарҷиа В. Е. Аҧсны атопонимика — Аҟәа. 2002. P. 92</ref> According to Z. Anchabadze, etymology of the city is derived from "Gagrifshi." The term "Gak" or "Kak" is considered a personal name, while the affix "-ri" denotes possession. Additionally, the affix "-fsh-" is interpreted as indicating "the importance of the place."<ref name=":0" />

== History ==
The town was established as a [[Greek colonisation|Greek colony]] in the kingdom of [[Colchis]], called Triglite ({{langx|grc|Τριγλίτη}}), inhabited by Greeks and Colchians. Colchis came under the control of the [[kingdom of Pontus]] in the 1st century BC before being absorbed by the [[Roman Empire]], which renamed the town as ''Nitica''. Its geographical position led the Romans to fortify the town, which was repeatedly attacked by [[Goths]] and other invaders. The town and the whole region of [[Colchis]] remained part of [[Byzantine Empire]].

It became a major trading settlement in which [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] and [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] merchants were prominent, trading in the town's main exports – wood, honey, wax and slaves. The name "Gagra" appeared for the first time on a map in 1308, on a map of the Caucasus made by the Italian Pietro Visconti, which is now in the [[Biblioteca Marciana|Library of Saint Mark]] in Venice.

=== Gagra within the Russian Empire ===
[[File:Oldenburg palace.jpg|thumb|left|Palace of the Prince of Oldenburg]]
[[File:Old Gagra.jpg|left|thumb|Old houses in Gagra]]

In the 16th century, Gagra and the rest of western Georgia were conquered by the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The western merchants were expelled and the town entered a prolonged period of decline, with much of the local population fleeing into the mountains. By the 18th century, the town had been reduced to little more than a village surrounded by forests and disease-ridden swamps. Its fortunes were restored in the 19th century when the [[Russian Empire]] expanded into the region, annexing the whole of Georgia. The swamps were drained and the town was rebuilt around a new military hospital. Its population, however, was still small; in 1866, a census recorded that 336 men and 280 women, mostly local families or army officers and their dependents, lived in Gagra. The town suffered badly in the [[Russo-Turkish War, 1877-1878]], when Turkish troops invaded, destroyed the town and expelled the local population. Russia won the war, however, and rebuilt Gagra again. [[File:Gagry.jpg|250px|thumb|View of Gagra's wharf sometime between 1905 and 1915.]]

In 1904 the town was discovered by [[Duke Alexander of Oldenburg]], a member of the Russian royalty.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Saparov |first1=Arsène |title=From Conflict to Autonomy in the Caucasus: The Soviet Union and the Making of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno Karabakh |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |pages=134}}</ref> He saw the potential of the region's sub-tropical climate and decided to build a high-class resort there. Having raised a large sum of money from the government, he built a palace there for himself and constructed a number of other buildings in an eclectic variety of architectural styles from around Europe. A park was laid out with tropical trees, and parrots and monkeys were imported to give it an exotic feel. Despite the expensive work, the resort was not initially a success, although it did later attract a growing number of foreign tourists visiting on cruises of the Black Sea. Following the founding of the resort, the area was ceded from [[Sukhum Okrug]] to [[Black Sea Governorate]] in 1904.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Saparov |first1=Arsène |title=From Conflict to Autonomy in the Caucasus: The Soviet Union and the Making of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno Karabakh |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |pages=134}}</ref>

=== Gagra under the Soviet Union ===
In the [[Russian Revolution of 1905]], a local uprising produced a revolutionary government in the town, which founded a short-lived Republic of Gagra. This was soon defeated and the revolutionaries were arrested ''en masse''. The First World War a few years later was a disaster for Gagra, destroying the tourist trade on which it depended. The [[Russian Revolution of 1917|Russian Revolution]] shortly afterwards saw the [[Bolsheviks]] take over the town; despite a brief French attempt to repel them during the [[Russian Civil War]], the town was firmly incorporated into the new Soviet Union within [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]n SSR.

Bolshevik leader [[Vladimir Lenin]] issued a decree in 1919 establishing a "worker's resort" in Gagra, nationalising the resort that had been built by Oldenburg. It became a popular holiday resort for Soviet citizens and during World War II gained a new role as a site for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. After the war, various state-run [[sanatorium]]s were built there. The resort grew and was developed intensively as part of the "[[Caucasian Riviera|Soviet Riviera]]". A 1985 musical film ''[[Winter Evening in Gagra]]'' further popularized the resort.
[[File:Заброшенное здание в Гагре. - panoramio (7).jpg|thumb|Abandoned buildings are common in Old Gagra]]

=== Gagra in post-soviet Abkhazia ===
{{See also|Battle of Gagra}}In the late 1980s, tensions grew between the Georgian and Abkhazian communities in the region. An all-out war erupted between 1992 and 1993 which ended in a defeat of the Georgian government's forces. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Georgians were expelled from their homes in Abkhazia and thousands were massacred in an outbreak of mass [[Ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia|ethnic cleansing]].<ref>Human Rights Watch Arms Project. [[Human Rights Watch]]/[[Helsinki]]. March 1995 Vol. 7, No. 7. [https://www.hrw.org/reports/1995/Georgia2.htm Georgia/Abkhazia: Violations of the Laws of War and Russia's Role in the Conflict]</ref> Gagra and the Abkhazian capital [[Sukhumi]] were at the centre of the fighting and suffered heavy damage. To this date ethnic Georgians have an IDP status and have not been able to return to their homes.

== Monuments ==
The main sights of Gagra are:
*Ruins of the Abaata Fortress (4th–5th AD)
*A 6th-century [[Church of Gagra]]
*Marlinsky defensive tower (1841)
*19th-century palace of the Prince of Oldenburg

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" perrow="5">
File:Untitled - panoramio - Karim Jamal (21).jpg|House of Culture in Gagra
File:Красотища - panoramio (3).jpg|Coastline of Gagra
File:Гагра. Ресторан Гагрипш. - panoramio.jpg|Gagra Restaurant "Gagripsh"
File:Nikanor Chernetsov. Gagra Fortress.jpg|''Gagra Fortress (1879)'' painting by [[Nikanor Chernetsov]]
File:Anacopia church.jpg|An early [[medieval]] [[Church (congregation)|church]] of [[the Protection]] of the Virgin
File:Черное море Абхазия.jpg|View on the Black sea in Old Gagra
File:2014 Gagra, Plaża (17).jpg|Beach in Gagra
File:Gagra train tunnel.jpg|Gagra train tunnel
File:Hammond Slides Russia 35.jpg|View from an aircraft in 1958. North side of Gagra, with the Abaata station and Zhoekvar river valley in the center. The city of Gagra itself is to the right.
File:600 м над уровнем моря - panoramio.jpg|Apartment buildings of New Gagra
File:Gagra300.jpg|New Gagra aerial view
File:Gagra - panoramio.jpg|New Gagra in wintertime
File:Kumaal16.jpg|Streets in Gagra
File:- panoramio - Николай Семёнов (64).jpg|Avenue in Gagra
File:Площадь им. Гагарина - panoramio.jpg|Nartaa square, Gagra
File:Гагры Колонада.jpg|Colonnade in Primorsky Park
File:A tribute to Romantism.jpg|Winter Theater
File:Гагра. Замок принца Ольденбургского - panoramio.jpg|19th-century palace of the Prince of Oldenburg (at restoration)
File:Gagrypsh.jpg|View from the Black Sea on Gagra
File:Gagra Station.JPG|The building of the [[Gagra railway station]]
File:Monument in Gagra (1).jpg|Monument to the dead in [[the Great Patriotic War]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Gagra District]]
* [[Sochi conflict]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Gagra}}
*{{Wikivoyage-inline|Gagra}}
*[http://webcam.abhazia.com webcamera in Gagra] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100519055854/http://webcam.abhazia.com/ |date=2010-05-19 }}

{{Coord|43|20|N|40|13|E|region:GE_type:city|display=title}}

{{Gagra District}}
{{Administrative divisions of Abkhazia}}
{{Cities and towns in Georgia (country)}}
{{Black Sea resorts|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places in Gagra District]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Greek colonies in Colchis]]
[[Category:Georgian Black Sea coast]]