Chiatura is a city in the Imereti region. Before the discovery of manganese deposits, there was a small settlement here called Kvirila, named after the river on whose banks it was founded. Manganese deposits in Chiatura were discovered in the mid-19th century. According to one version, the deposit was discovered by Akaki Tsereteli. Funding for the extraction of ore was provided by the governor of Kutaisi, I. K. Bagration-Mukhransky.
In 1879, the mines produced their first ore, and by 1895, a railway was extended to Chiatura for transporting raw materials. By the end of the 19th century, the Chiatura mines accounted for 50% of the world’s manganese production, and by 1912, this figure had increased to 58 percent. Six mines still operate within the city limits to this day.
In 1921, the village of Kvirila received its current name along with city status. In 1954, the first passenger cable car in the USSR was built here, connecting the center of Chiatura with one of the suburbs. Over the next decade, another 16 cable car lines were extended throughout the city, with a total length of more than six kilometers.