The tower house in Lenjeri shows the pairing a Svan homestead rested on: the machub living quarters and the defensive tower beside it, joined in one yard. Inside, the hearth, the utensils, the tools and the ladders up the tower levels survive. Svan architecture is easiest to grasp exactly this way, from inside a single yard.
The house stands in Lenjeri, a village in the Mestia municipality, a few kilometres west of Mestia. Around it are slopes, the towers of neighbouring yards and the view of the range. The village is lived in, so visits happen by arrangement with the hosts.
The visit takes half an hour. Come between late spring and early autumn; in winter the road and the weather in Svaneti are unpredictable. Arrange the visit in advance through the hosts or a guide.
Tips
- Arrange the visit in advance, the house is lived in
- Ask whether you can climb the tower, the view is a story of its own
- Plan the trip for summer, the passes and roads are harder in winter
How to get there
- West from Mestia, about ten minutes by car
- Roughly four hours from Zugdidi along the road via Jvari and Khaishi
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