Author: Giorgi Pantsulaia

Sometimes, the children of great people remain unnoticed by society and history, as if they cannot escape their parent’s shadow. In this case, the opposite happened. The lives and achievements of Niko Nikoladze’s descendants became a continuation of his immeasurable contribution. The work of Niko’s son, Giorgi Nikoladze, is no less significant than his father’s.

However, let us start from the beginning…

In 1872, Niko Nikoladze had a daughter, Nino Makarova, in St. Petersburg from an unofficial relationship with a woman named Makarova. Nino’s mother died early, and Nino grew up in an orphanage in St. Petersburg at her father’s expense. Later, when Niko married Olga Guramishvili, Olga found Nino, brought her to Georgia at the age of 14, and raised her as their fourth child. Olga raised Nino with a Georgian spirit, teaching her to love Georgian traditions and values. She also ensured Nino received a proper education. Nino graduated from Kutaisi St. Nino Women’s Gymnasium and married Ivane Zurabishvili in 1896. Ivane later became a famous lawyer and public figure. In 1905, Ilia Chavchavadze recommended him to lead the National Democratic Movement.

In 1921, after the Red Army entered Georgia, the couple moved first to Turkey and then to Paris in 1924. They had three sons. The youngest son, Levan, is the father of Salome Zurabishvili.

Niko Nikoladze married his first wife, Bogumila (Botia) Zemianskaya (1854-1931), a Polish emigrant, in 1875. They had a son who died soon after. Later, they had two daughters: Nino (Teliko) in 1877 and Elisabeth (Lolo) in 1880. Teliko married General Louis Coquet, the Governor-General of Indochina. They lived in Saigon and later returned to Paris. Lolo had a son from an unofficial relationship with Belgian writer and later Prime Minister Karl Huysmans. In 1917, she moved to Georgia but tragically lost her son and ended her life.

Niko’s second wife was Olga Guramishvili, cousin and goddaughter of Ilia Chavchavadze’s wife, also named Olga Guramishvili. Olga was one of the first Georgian women, along with Niko’s sisters Ekaterine and Olympiada, to receive higher education abroad at the University of Geneva. She died in 1940 at the age of 85.

Niko and Olga had three children: Rusudan, Giorgi, and Tamar.

Rusudan Nikoladze was one of the first female professors in Georgia. A Doctor of Chemistry, she was one of the founders of the Georgian Polytechnic Institute alongside her brother Giorgi. For 50 years, she led the Department of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry. A polyglot, she spoke seven languages. She died in 1981 at the age of 96. Her husband, Professor Mikheil Poliektov, was a historian and prominent scientist. Their son, Nikoloz Poliektov, became a Doctor of Technical Sciences and led the Department of General Physics at Tbilisi State University.

Tamar Nikoladze was a physiologist and associate professor at Tbilisi State University’s Department of Physiology. She was also the first Georgian female athlete. Together with her brother Giorgi, Tamar laid the foundation for Georgian professional sports. In 1923, she participated in the first international women’s gymnastics competition in London and won first place. Later, she became the first rector of the Georgian Pedagogical Institute. She died at the young age of 46. Her husband, Academician Niko Muskhelishvili, was a world-renowned mathematician and the first President of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. Their son, Guram Muskhelishvili, became a Doctor of Physical and Geographical Sciences. Guram’s daughters, Marine and Olga, are accomplished scientists in mathematics, law, and physics, actively contributing to public and educational work in Tbilisi.

Giorgi Nikoladze was born on August 12, 1888, in Didi Jikhaishi. He was the only child of Niko Nikoladze to be born in the family home. After graduating from Tbilisi Gymnasium in 1906, he entered the Chemistry Department at the St. Petersburg Technological Institute.

In 1913, Giorgi successfully graduated, defending his diploma project titled Innovation in Production. Afterward, he began working in Tula, Yuzovka (Donetsk), and Enakievo. Despite being offered a place to stay at the institute, he gained experience in Donbas and became the best metallurgist in the Russian Empire.

In 1918, Giorgi returned to Georgia. He began teaching at Tbilisi State University (TSU), lecturing in physics, mathematics, and engineering. In 1928, he became a professor. At the newly established Georgian Polytechnic Institute, he led the departments of Drawing Geometry and Electrometallurgy, training future metallurgists.

Giorgi and his colleagues, including Niko Muskhelishvili, Andria Razmadze, and Archil Kharadze, founded the Higher Mathematical School in Georgia. In 1928, Giorgi defended his doctoral thesis, On Continuous Systems of Geometric Figures, at the Sorbonne University.

Giorgi also contributed to Georgia’s industrial development. He helped plan the Zestaponi Ferroalloy Plant, leading successful experiments at a pilot plant in Didube.

Giorgi was a pioneer of mountaineering and tourism in Georgia. In 1923, he led a group to climb Mount Kazbegi. In 1925, on his 37th birthday, he led 19 climbers to Mount Elbrus. These expeditions laid the foundation for Georgian mountaineering. He also founded the Georgian Geographical Society’s mountaineering department.

While abroad, Giorgi invented an electric arithmometer, a revolutionary electromagnetic calculating machine. Though foreign firms offered to buy the invention, Giorgi chose to work on it in Georgia. Unfortunately, the model and its description were lost in Moscow in 1936.

In sports, Giorgi excelled in gymnastics and promoted physical education in Georgia. He introduced many sports to the country and trained teachers. Giorgi married Georgetta Gambashidze, whom he had known since his student years. In 1928, they cycled through France, Italy, and Spain for their honeymoon.

Giorgi Nikoladze died at the young age of 42 on February 5, 1931, from pneumonia. He is buried in the Didube Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures.

Giorgi Nikoladze’s legacy inspires Georgia with his achievements in education, sports, science, and industry.