Only a series of images, a bit lurid entitled as " Stalin's Rope Roads ", called my attention to the mining town of Chiatura in Imereti. It was immediately clear that one must see this once with own eyes. The small town is situated off the Georgian transport routes from east to west. From Zestaponi to Chiatura one needs about an hour by marshrutka. The town is located in a mountain valley on the banks of the Qvirila River. Because of its unusual location, crammed in the valley, the manganese mines are situated on the surrounding hills, the main transport is the ropeway. In the past there were several dozens ropeways, still most of them go as before – in its original unaltered condition.