When you hear the name Joseph Stalin, it may immediately evoke fear, repression and some of the darkest chapters of the 20th century.
You might therefore wonder why I am writing a blog about him. Is this an attempt to promote his legacy?
Absolutely not.
As a Georgian, my personal attitude toward Stalin is very clear. Although he was born in Georgia, I do not admire him, and I believe it is important to remember the enormous suffering caused by his regime. Georgia itself experienced Soviet occupation, political repression, executions, deportations and the loss of its independence. Even my grandmother was deported by his regime from her home to another town of Georgia from where she came back her village after Stalin’s death.
The reason I am writing about Stalin is different.
Many of my guests are very interested in Soviet history and particularly in Stalin’s biography. They want to know about his early life in Georgia—where he studied, where he lived, where he worked and how a young Georgian named Ioseb Jughashvili became one of the most powerful and controversial figures of the 20th century.
As a historian and tour guide in Georgia, I believe that I should know this part of our history and be able to explain it objectively.
So, let’s look at some of the places in Tbilisi connected with Stalin’s early life.
1. Tbilisi Spiritual Seminary — Where Stalin Studied
In 1894, at the age of 15, he moved to Tbilisi and entered the Tiflis Spiritual Seminary.
Stalin was born in Gori on December 18, 1878, according to the Gregorian calendar (December 6 according to the Julian calendar then used in the Russian Empire).
The seminary was located in the area of today’s Rustaveli Avenue,. The historic building still exists, although it has undergone significant changes and has had different functions over the years.
Stalin studied at the seminary from 1894 until 1899.
Although he was preparing for a religious career, he became increasingly interested in political and philosophical literature. He read works that were considered forbidden by the authorities and became attracted to Marxist ideas.
In 1899, he left the seminary before completing his studies.
This was an important turning point in his life. Instead of becoming a priest, he increasingly devoted himself to revolutionary activity.
It was during these years in Tbilisi that the young Ioseb Jughashvili began moving toward the revolutionary world that would eventually define his life.
2. Tiflis Physical Observatory — His First Job
After leaving the seminary, Stalin found employment at the Tiflis Physical Observatory.
He began working there in December 1899 as a meteorological observer. Historical records place his employment there from approximately December 1899 until March 1901. (catalog.shm.ru)
The observatory was located in the area of what is today David Aghmashenebeli Avenue.
This was Stalin’s first known regular civilian job.
His work involved meteorological observations, including recording weather conditions. At the same time, however, his revolutionary activities were becoming increasingly important in his life.
In 1901, he left the observatory and went underground as a revolutionary.
Interestingly, the observatory building is also connected with one of the most extraordinary stories surrounding the 1907 Tiflis bank robbery: some historical accounts state that part of the stolen money was temporarily hidden at the observatory because Stalin had previously worked there. (Kiwix Server)
3. The Avlabari Underground Printing House
One of the most fascinating places connected with Stalin in Tbilisi is the underground printing house in Avlabari, at 7 Kaspi Street.
The secret printing facility operated approximately from 1903 to 1906.
Underground, around 15 metres below ground level, illegal revolutionary literature was printed and distributed. The operation was designed to remain hidden from the Tsarist authorities. (advantour.com)
The printing house was associated with the revolutionary movement in Tbilisi, and Stalin—then still known primarily as Ioseb Jughashvili and among revolutionaries as Koba—was involved in this underground activity.
The site is particularly interesting because it demonstrates how revolutionary organizations operated under the Russian Empire.
The underground press was eventually discovered by the authorities in 1906.
Today, the location is one of the most unusual places in Tbilisi for anyone interested in the pre-Soviet revolutionary period.
4. Stalin and His First Wife — Sulkhan-Saba Street
Another Tbilisi location associated with Stalin’s personal life is Sulkhan-Saba Street.
Stalin married his first wife, Ekaterine (Kato) Svanidze, in 1906.
Kato came from a Georgian family in Tbilisi, and the Svanidze family home is traditionally associated with No. 3 Sulkhan-Saba Street.
Their marriage was tragically short.
Their son, Yakov Dzhugashvili, was born in March 1907. Kato died of tuberculosis in November 1907, only about a year after her marriage to Stalin.
This period of Stalin’s life is particularly interesting because it shows him not only as a revolutionary, but also as a young husband and father living in Tbilisi.
5. Freedom Square — The 1907 Tiflis Bank Robbery
Perhaps the most famous place in Tbilisi connected with Stalin’s revolutionary career is Freedom Square, historically known as Erivansky Square.
On June 26, 1907 (June 13 according to the Old Style Julian calendar), an armed group carried out one of the most famous revolutionary robberies in the Russian Empire.
The target was a cash shipment being transported to the Tiflis branch of the State Bank.
The revolutionaries attacked the carriage using bombs and firearms.
Around 40 people were killed and approximately 50 injured, according to official accounts, and approximately 241,000 rubles were stolen. (Chped)
The operation was carried out by a group led by Simon Ter-Petrosian, better known as Kamo, while Stalin was among the Bolshevik figures involved in organizing the operation.
It is therefore more accurate to say that Stalin was involved in organizing the robbery, rather than saying that he personally carried out the robbery.
The event is important because the money was intended to finance revolutionary activities.
Standing today in peaceful Freedom Square, it is difficult to imagine that in 1907 this location was the scene of a violent armed attack that shocked the city.
6. Why Tbilisi Was Important in Stalin’s Early Life
When we put these places together, we can follow an extraordinary transformation:
Gori → Tbilisi Spiritual Seminary (1894) → Tiflis Observatory (1899–1901) → underground revolutionary activity → Avlabari printing house (1903–1906) → marriage to Kato Svanidze (1906) → 1907 Tiflis bank robbery
These were formative years in Stalin’s life.
He arrived in Tbilisi as a teenager preparing for a religious career.
He left the seminary as a young man increasingly attracted to revolutionary politics.
He worked at the observatory, became involved in underground political activity and eventually emerged as an important revolutionary figure in the Caucasus.
Years later, this Georgian revolutionary would become the leader of the Soviet Union.
My Personal View
For me, visiting these places is not about celebrating Stalin.
It is about understanding history.
As a Georgian tour guide and historian, I believe that we should be able to discuss controversial historical figures honestly. We do not need to admire someone in order to understand their life and historical importance.
Stalin was born in Georgia, spoke Georgian, spent his formative teenage and young-adult years in Tbilisi and became involved in revolutionary politics here.
But being Georgian does not make him a national hero.
Quite the opposite: understanding his history also means understanding the complicated and painful relationship between Georgia and the Soviet Union.
That is why I show these places to my guests.
Not to glorify Stalin—but to understand how history was made.
Mukhran Guliashvili
