Nino Kiguradze, daughter of Shalva Kiguradze, has donated archival documents to the National Archives of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia that depict her father's biography and career.

Engineer Shalva Kiguradze fell victim to Stalinist repressions. As head of Tbilisi's water supply project, he was arrested in 1937, four years after the opening of the Natakhtari water pipeline, accused of poisoning Tbilisi’s water supply, and executed. Until now, archives held only limited information on him.

Among the documents donated to the National Archives are materials related to Shalva Kiguradze's life and work, including photographs, written documents, books, and newspaper publications.

Shalva Kiguradze was born in 1897 in the village of Vaniskedi in the Ozurgeti district. From 1915 to 1917, he was part of the Social-Federalist Revolutionary Party, and during the First Republic of Georgia, he worked in educational institutions. He was one of the first students of the Faculty of Economics at Tbilisi State University.

Starting in 1927, he led efforts for the reconstruction and development of the capital. His name is associated with the construction of the balneological resort, the reconstruction of Vera Avenue, and the construction of the Queen Tamar (formerly Cheluskintsy) Bridge. In the early 1930s, he was appointed head of "Natakhtarmsheni" and successfully resolved Tbilisi’s drinking water supply issues.

 

Shalva Kiguradze’s personal collection has now become part of the Central Archive of Recent History. After the documents are processed according to archival standards, they will be accessible to interested parties in the researchers’ reading room.