Zugdidi is a city in the Western Georgian

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

 historical province of Samegrelo

Samegrelo

Samegrelo/Samargalo or Megrelia, Mingrelia is a historic province in the western part of Georgia, formerly also known as Odishi.It is inhabited by the Megrelians, an ethnic subgroup of the Georgians.-Geography and Climate:...

 (Mingrelia). It is situated in the north-west of that province. The city is located 318 kilometres west of Tbilisi

Tbilisi

Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...

, 30 km. from Black sea coast and 30 km. from Egrisi range. 100-110 metres above sea level. As of 2007, it had a population of 75,900. The city is a capital of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti

Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti

Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti is a region in western Georgia which includes the historical Georgian provinces of Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti and has Zugdidi as its capital.-Geography:...

 region which combines Samegrelo

Samegrelo

Samegrelo/Samargalo or Megrelia, Mingrelia is a historic province in the western part of Georgia, formerly also known as Odishi.It is inhabited by the Megrelians, an ethnic subgroup of the Georgians.-Geography and Climate:...

 (Mingrelia) and Svaneti

Svaneti

Svaneti is a historic province in Georgia, in the northwestern part of the country. It is inhabited by the Svans, a geographic subgroup of the Georgians.- Geography :...

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The name "Zugdidi" means "big/great hill" in Laz

Laz

Laz may refer to the Laz people, who live by the Black Sea, or to their language. As a given name, Laz may be a diminutive for Lazar, Lazarus, Lazaro, or Lazaros...

-Mingrelian (Colchian) language. Architectural sights of this city are Queen's palace and Niko's palace (now the Dadiani Palace museums. both of XIXth cent.), Blachernae St. Virgin (1825-30 y.) and Mantskhvar-kari (X-XIVth cent.) Churches. There are also an old Botanical Garden (Queen's Garden) and the city boulevard.

Historically Zugdidi was a capital of principality of Mingrelia (Odishi) until 1867, when the principality was abolished by the Russian Empire.
In 1993 there was an administration of first President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia

Zviad Gamsakhurdia

Zviad Gamsakhurdia was a dissident, scientist and writer, who became the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era...

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Napoleon’s death mask is on display in the Dadiani Palace Museum in Zugdidi, but the main treasure of this museum is a Shroud of Mary, the mother of Jesus

Mary (mother of Jesus)

Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...

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Sports

• FC Mglebi Zugdidi
  FC Mglebi Zugdidi
  FC Mglebi Zugdidi is a Georgian football club based in Zugdidi. They play in the Umaglesi Liga, the top division in Georgian football.In July 2006, FC Mglebi Zugdidi and FC Zugdidi merged.-Seasons:FC ZugdidiFC Mglebi Zugdidi...
  
  
• FC Dinamo Zugdidi
  FC Dinamo Zugdidi
  FC Odishi Zugdidi was a Georgia association football club.The club played in Umaglesi Liga until relegated in 1999. It also played as Dinamo Zugdidi in 1994 to 1996 and since 1999....
  
  
• FC Baia Zugdidi
  FC Baia Zugdidi
  SK Baia Zugdidi is a Georgian football club based in Zugdidi.-Women's team:The women's team participated in the 2010–11 UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying round, where it lost all three matches.-External links:* *...