Towns & Villages

Dobra Voda (Cyrillic: Добра Вода, romanized: Dobra Voda), from the Old Slavonic root words dobra (good) and voda (water) is a hamlet in the Mitrovice district. It is believed that two monks discovered a spring of mineral water in the area in the 12^th century said to possess great health benefits, likely due to high amounts of iron and other minerals which is likely how the hamlet got its name.

Grotdorf (Cyrillic: Гротдорф, romanized: Grotdorf, German: Grotdorf) is a village in the Krasnoznamensk district. It was founded after a wealthy German merchant known as Grot emigrated to the area in the 15^th century (also known as The Great Rustavia Renaissance) and purchased large amounts of farmland. Local peasants hired to work on the land eventually settled there, and the village came to be known as Grotdorf (meaning the village of Grot in German).

Jarov (Cyrillic: Яров, romanized: Jarov, German: Frühlingsdorf) is a village in the Mitrovice district founded in the late 16^th century. Until industrialization, the economy of the village mainly relied on agriculture and fishing.

In the second half of the 19^th century, large deposits of nickel were discovered northeast of the village, which resulted in an influx of laborers from other parts of the country. A tavern and church were built in the village, and in 1866 a steam railway was built between Jarov and the port city of Branibor from where the nickel was shipped to factories on Bukvats island. The quarry and railway were later purchased by the Bergwerk Mosebach Mining Co.

By the end of World War I, the nickel deposits were exhausted, operating the quarry was no longer viable, and the village fell into an economic depression. Following World War II, the new Communist government decided to refocus on agriculture to rebuild the village's economy. A kolkhoz (collective farm) was built northwest of the village as well as a grain silo to and from which grain is transported using the old railway. The government's effort to rebuild the local economy eventually turned out to be a success.

Komarovo (Cyrillic: Комарово, romanized: Komarovo) is a village situated in a valley east of Krasnoznamensk in the Krasnoznamensk district. The name is derived from the Old Slavonic word komar (mosquito). It is first mentioned in the book Chronicles of Novistrana written by explorer, philosopher, pedagogue, and theologian Slavomir Popov in the 9^th century as, “an old wooden church standing on a hill, overlooking a swamp”. There is no swamp in the area at present, but there is a stone church dating back to the 13^th century which is supposedly built on the same site where the old wooden church stood.

A sawmill was built in the village in 1926. The sawmill was nationalized by the Communist government following World War II and continues operating as a sawmill until the present day.

A kolkhoz (collective farm) was built in the village in 1957, and a military base was built in 1958 at which the 88^th Infantry Regiment has been stationed ever since.

The ruins of an old castle dating back to the 11^th century overlook the village from Krkav (Cyrillic: Кркав, romanized: Krkav) — a hill east of the village.

Mosebach (Cyrillic: Мосебах, romanized: Mosebach, German: Mosebach) is a town located in the Krasnoznamensk district. Its origins can be traced to the Middle Ages when limestone was first discovered and mined in the area for use in construction. During industrialization, demand for limestone rose rapidly due to its use in pulp mills, sugar refineries, and ironworks. The surrounding land was purchased by a wealthy German businessman and owner of the Bergwerk Mosebach Mining Co. which opened a quarry north of the town. A railway was built by the Bergwerk Mosebach Mining Co. in 1870, linking the quarry to the port city of Branibor, and also to the village of Jarov where a nickel quarry was already operating. The ease of accessibility from the island's largest city quickly led to a new town named Mosebach being established south of the quarry.

In the years following World War II, the Taviana arm of the Bergwerk Mosebach Mining Co. was nationalized by the Communist government, which by the late 1950s was facing a major housing crisis. The Communist Party set out to resolve the housing crisis by building low-cost apartment buildings constructed out of prefabricated concrete slabs. A model city named Mitrovice was to be built near the village of Shtangrad. It was decided that a cement factory would be constructed on the site of the Mosebach quarry. The factory would produce cement which would be transported to the building site using the already existing railways as well as to the port city of Branibor for export.

Novi Dvor (Cyrillic, Нови Двор, romanized, Novi Dvor, German: Neuer Hof), founded in the 16^th century, is a village in the Kryvoe district. The village features an inn named Maier Kneipe which was built in the 17^th century, destroyed by a fire in 1821, and rebuilt in 1825. Legend has it that the inn is haunted by the ghost of a lumberjack who was beheaded on the spot where the inn now stands after being falsely accused of murdering a local man due to jealousy towards a lover.

The village also features the Church of Christ the Saviour, built in the late 17^th century on the spot where an earlier wooden church, built in the 16^th century, is said to have stood. Local legend has it that the church is haunted by the ghost of a white lady who is said to have had an affair with the priest and drowned herself in the nearby lake in fear of the consequences after the villagers discovered their affair.

A barrel factory was built in the village in the early 19^th century by local businessman Abraham Arazim. The factory was briefly converted into a repair shop in 1942 when the 1^st Luftwaffe Field Division set up base in the village and used the fields south of lake Sleypac (Cyrillic: Слепац, romanized: Sljepac) as a runway. Following World War II, the factory was nationalized by the Communist government and continues to produce wine and beer barrels until the present day.

A kolkhoz (collective farm) was built in the village in 1959.

Polyanka (Cyrillic: Полянка, romanized: Poljanka) is a small settlement in the Kryvoe district built in the early 20^th century. The name Polyanka is derived from the Old Slavonic root word polye (field).

The first building in Repkov (Cyrillic: Репков, romanized: Repkov) was a farmhouse constructed by Hanz Fischer and his wife Amelia in 1854. A second farmhouse was constructed by Otto Müller and his brother Ferdinand in 1867. Repkov was granted hamlet status by the royal city of Kryvoe in 1916. Little is known about the origins of its name. As of 1960 when the Taviana SSR was divided into districts, Repkov still falls under the Kryvoe district.

Shtangrad (Cyrillic: Штанград, romanized: Štangrad) is an ancient port and market town located in the historic Shtangrad parish which today is a part of the Mitrovice district. Archeological excavations in the area of the town square uncovered human remains dating back to the Neolithic Period, including numerous artifacts belonging to the Gutes and a large amount of silver Arab dirham coins. This indicates that the port was used for trade with the neighboring island of Gotland and possibly also by Rus' merchants who traded with the Abbasid Caliphate. The town square was also likely a market where livestock, agricultural produce, weapons, and artifacts were sold by local farmers and merchants.

During industrialization, a machining factory was built in the town along with several multi-floor buildings around the town square to house the factory workers, including a pub and a villa to house the factory owner.

During World War II, the Kingdom of Rustavia was occupied by Germany and the port facilities in Shtangrad were enlarged to accommodate larger vessels of the Kriegsmarine, which used the port to refuel and carry out repair work. The machining factory was also repurposed to machine metal parts for the vessels. The port survived World War II largely unscathed. Following World War II the factory was nationalized by the Communist government and incorporated into the Taviana Machine-building Co. (Cyrillic: Тавиянский Машиностроительний Завод (ТМЗ), romanized: Tavijanskij Mašinostroitelnij Zavod (TMZ)) conglomerate.

Stara Crkva (Cyrillic: Стара Црква, romanized: Stara Crkva) is a hamlet in the Branibor district. Little is known about the hamlet as it does not appear in any documents until the early 19^th century; although it is believed that an old church once stood at the site due to its name which translates to old church.

Stari Dvor (Cyrillic: Стари Двор, romanized: Stari Dvor, German: Alter Hof) is an ancient settlement in the Kryvoe district. First mentioned in texts dating back to the 13^th century — it has been a significant point of commerce on the road from Kryvoe to Bilgrad Na Moru since medieval times. A small chapel was constructed there in the late 14^th century. Local legend has it that a witch doctor who healed people using his extensive knowledge of local herbs once lived in the village.

Treshnyevo (Cyrillic: Трешнево, romanized: Trešnjevo) is a hamlet founded in the 1980s, in the Kryvoe district. The hamlet is located along a newly built railway linking Branibor and the newly constructed Treblyanka NPP. Initially, Treshnyevo was a train yard used to store unneeded train carriages that would otherwise have to be stored in Branibor. A train station was subsequently built, around which several houses were later built. A new train depot is planned to be built in the village. Treshnyevo got its name from several cherry trees that used to grow on the site.

Vedich (Cyrillic: Ведич, romanized: Vedič) is an ancient village located in the Chernovar district, first mentioned as two log cabins in the book Chronicles of Novistrana written by explorer, philosopher, pedagogue, and theologian Slavomir Popov in the 9^th century. Little is known about the village, although the name is thought to be derived from the Old Slavonic word vedati (to know/possess knowledge) (Cyrillic: вѣдати, romanized: vědati). It is therefore likely that someone who the locals considered to be a witch resided in the area.