Nowy Afon
| Nowy Afon Афон Ҿыц Новый Афон |
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| ახალი ათონი | |||
| State : |
 Abkhazia (de facto) Georgia (de jure)
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| Rajon : | Gudauta district | ||
| Founded : | 3rd century | ||
| Coordinates : | 43 ° 5 ' N , 40 ° 48' E | ||
| Residents : | 1300 (2003) | ||
| Time zone : | Moscow Time (UTC + 3) | ||
| Telephone code : | (+7) 840 444 | ||
| Postal code : | 6913 | ||
| License plate : | DEP | ||
| Mayor : | Felix Dautija | ||
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Nowy Afon ( Abkhazian Афон Ҿыц / Afon Ttschyz , Russian Новый Афон / Nowy Afon ; Georgian ახალი ათონი / Achali Atoni ; German New Athos ) is a city in the disputed region of Abkhazia on the Black Sea. Today it is one of the most important tourist destinations in the country.
history
An urban settlement was located where Nowy Afon is today, probably long before the birth of Christ. The present city is mentioned as Anakopija in the 5th century AD . From the 7th to the 8th century the city was the political center of the Principality of Abkhazia and later also the capital of the kingdom of the same name until it was relocated to Kutaisi .
In 1874 Russian monks came from Athos in Greece to the place now called Psyrzcha . By 1879 they built a monastery here, which they called New Athos . The name of the monastery was later transferred to the city.
A few kilometers east of Novy Afon, near the village of Eschera, the most violent battles of the Abkhaz "War of Independence" took place in 1992 and 1993, in which the Abkhaz separatists fought against the troops of the Georgian government.
Attractions
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Anakopija fortress
The ruins of the Anakopija fortress and an ancient church are located on the Iwiron mountain in the north-west of the city, 345 m above sea level. The fortress with meter thick walls dates from the 4th or 5th century. At its entrance there is a half-destroyed tower and not far away is a 16-meter-high tower from Roman times. The fortress had a cistern carved into the rock that has been preserved. It is still puzzled today how the water gets into the five by six meter reservoir. In the center of the fortress ruins are the remains of a church from the 8th century. According to tradition, the church, which is said to have been built on a pagan, ancient Abkhazian place of worship, is said to have been a miraculous icon of Mary, which is said to have stopped the advance of Arab attackers in 737 . Ancient Greek inscriptions and wall paintings showing early Christian symbols have been preserved in the church ruins.
Church of Saint Simon
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The church in the typical early Orthodox cross-dome style was built on the spot where, according to tradition, its namesake, the martyr Simon Zelotes , was killed by pagans in the year 55 . Simon was one of the disciples of Jesus Christ and, according to tradition, came to Abkhazia with the apostle Andrew to evangelize the pagan population. Two early medieval inscriptions have been preserved in the interior of the church. The church still serves as a burial place for clergymen of the Sukhumi eparchy . Not far from the church are the Simon Grotto, in which Simon Zelotes is said to have lived, and a small lake. Believers bathe here to wash away their sins.
monastery
In 1874 Russian monks came from Athos in Greece and built a monastery on the slope of the mountain, which they also called Athos . At the time of the Russo-Ottoman War (1877-1878) they had to interrupt their work. From 1875 to 1884 the lower part of the monastery was built, consisting of the Church of the Protection of the Virgin Mary , a pilgrims 'hostel, a boys' school and several farm buildings, including a winery. In 1884 the construction of the upper part began, which was completed at the beginning of the 20th century. The opening of the monastery, to which the Russian Tsar Nicholas II traveled, was the last monastery opening of the Russian Orthodox Church before the October Revolution of 1917.
The main church of the monastery, the Protection of the Virgin Mary and Intercession, was built in a style very atypical for Russian monasteries. The building was supposed to usher in a new era in the architecture of Russian sacred buildings, which was prevented by the takeover of the Bolsheviks .
The highest building in the monastery is the 50-meter-high bell tower.
Stalin dacha
Not far from the monastery is the summer house of the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin . It was built in 1946 and 1947 on the place where the house of the Hegumen , the monastery chief , had previously stood. Stalin had several dachas in Abkhazia, the most frequent of which he is said to have visited in Novy Afon. Not far from the house there was a specially set up state farm that supplied the dictator and the other nomenclature who visited the house with food. There was a tangerine garden right next to the house , of which only remnants are left today. The dacha currently serves as a residence for the Abkhaz President. However, most of the year it is open to the public as a museum. The bedroom, billiard room, conference room and reception room have been partially preserved in their original furnishings.
cave
In 1961 the Novy Afon Cave was opened to tourists. In 1975 an underground railway was built that takes visitors into the karst cave . The cave is one of the largest in the world. Their largest hall is the Speleologists ' Hall , which is 260 m long, up to 75 m wide and up to 50 m high. With a height of up to 70 m, the apsar room is the highest in the cave.
waterfall
There is a waterfall near the Simon Kananit Church, which is created by an artificial dam. The wall is 8.6 m high and 21 m long. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century to damm up the waters of the Psyrzcha River and thus operate a nearby mill. The waterfall is now a popular destination.
Genoese tower
The Genoese tower was built in the 11th century to defend the city against attacks from the sea. In the 19th century, the monks built a two-story pilgrims' hostel at the foot of the tower, where Anton Chekhov in 1888 and the writers Isaak Babel and Konstantin Paustowski stopped in in 1922 .
Coastal park
Seven ponds were created near the mouth of the Psyrzcha River into the Black Sea in 1880, and the “coastal park” around them was created in 1908. There are several restaurants in the park, including an apazcha (a traditional Abkhazian café) and a snack bar where, among others Adjarian Khachapuri are served.
War museum
On the other bank of Psyrzcha, on Lakoba Street, the main road that is part of the highway to Sukhumi , a memorial or museum was built for the fallen of the so-called Abkhaz War of Independence . The Abkhaz separatists fought victoriously against the armed forces of the Georgian central government from 1992 to 1993 .
traffic
Nowy Afon is located on the main road in Abkhazia, which crosses the country along the coast and is part of the Georgian S1 . In addition, there are two railway stations on the main Abkhasskaya zhelesnaja doroga line in the city: the Novy Afon central station and the Psyrzcha stop .
Town twinning
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Sergiev Posad (since 2007) -
Sarov (since 2007)
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Ryazan (since 2008)
sons and daughters of the town
- Viktor Korchagin (* 1967), Russian orienteering skier and mountain bike orienteer
literature
- Šeremet, Pavel / Čania, Izida: Abchazija - strana duši. Vypusk II. Moskva: Partizan, 2008. ISBN 978-5-91114-006-9 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Georgian Post: Find a Postal Code. Retrieved October 4, 2017 .
- ↑ Международные связи - Администрация города Рязани . Retrieved March 12, 2015.
