Georgia's Mingrelian capital — the gateway to Svaneti's medieval towers, elarji cheese polenta, and a palace holding Napoleon's personal belongings
Zugdidi is the capital of the Samegrelo region and the unofficial capital of Mingrelia — one of Georgia's most distinct historical sub-regions, with its own language (Mingrelian, still widely spoken), its own culinary tradition (Megrelian cuisine is considered spicier and more complex than standard Georgian food), and the extraordinary Dadiani Palace Museum. The city is the main gateway to Svaneti — the remote high-Caucasus region of medieval defensive towers (accessible by the spectacular Enguri Gorge road) — and sits in the subtropical Colchis lowlands referenced in Greek mythology as the l…
Zugdidi was the seat of the Dadiani dynasty — the ruling house of the Principality of Mingrelia from 1512 to 1866. The Dadiani were among the most powerful noble families of the western Caucasus, maintaining a semi-independent principality even under nominal Ottoman and then Russian suzerainty. The Dadiani Palace was built in the 19th century by David IV Dadiani and became famous when his son Niko Dadiani married a niece of Napoleon Bonaparte — the palace still holds the personal belongings of Napoleon that came as part of her dowry, including his death mask and personal effects. Russia forma…