Georgia’s Enguri Dam transform into a tourist zone
The Enguri hydroelectric dam (Engurhesi) is located on the Enguri River and is the world’s second highest concrete arch dam, with a height of 271.5 metres. The Enguri Dam (Engurhesi) represents not only a hydroelectric station, but one of the most beautiful and breathtaking sights of Georgia. As long as it is located on the main road of the World Cultural Heritage Monument Zemo Svaneti (Upper Svaneti), this site is very attractive to tourists and locals alike.
According to the Georgian Journal, soon Engurhesi will become a huge tourism center. At the the presentation of the Engurhesi tourist zone concept, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili stated that “Georgia will have a very large and multifunctional tourist zone — the “Engurhesi” tourist center, which will become a world-class attraction.”
While the arch dam is located on the Georgian-controlled territory in Upper Svaneti, the power station is located in the Gali district of Abkhazia region of Georgia. The facility’s arched dam, located in the town of Jvari, was included in the list of cultural heritage of Georgia in 2015.
Construction of the Enguri dam began in 1961, becoming temporarily operational in 1978 and completed in 1987.
Kvirikashvili is convinced that, based on its uniqueness, the Engurhesi tourism center will definitely become Georgia’s trademark: “Fortunately, today we have a very special, unique “Engurhesi “ building, whose arch dam is the second by its size in the world and therefore, deserves the status of a monument of industrial and cultural heritage.”
According to the concept of the project, which is the result of joint work of many people and specialists of different fields, tourism infrastructure will be located on 157 hectares. The Cognitive and Discovery Center, the museum-informational space, the rope road, the open concert space, the naval infrastructure, the world’s highest 280-meter elevator, the tunnels on the Enguri River, and components for the extreme lovers will be arranged in the new tourism center.
According to preliminary estimates, this tourist zone will receive up to 400 thousand tourists annually.
“The fact that Engurhesi is located on the main road of the World Cultural Heritage Monument Zemo Svaneti (Upper Svaneti) gives us the basis to think that the new tourism zone will become a tourism center of regional importance and will have a significant impact on the country’s economic development,” Kvirikashvili said.
