John Malkhaz Shalikashvili History Museum of Georgian Army

History of John Malkhaz Shalikashvili

Since John Malkhaz Shalikashvili belongs to one of the oldest Georgian lineages, the museum was opened in the house of the Shalikashvili family.

His father, Prince Dimitri Shalikashvili, was an officer of independent Georgia in 1918-21. After the invasion of the Red Army in Georgia, lieutenant-colonel Shalikashvili, along with his wife, emigrated to Poland, where they had two sons – Otar and John Malkhaz, and a daughter – Gale. In 1952, the family moved to the USA, when the future general was 16 years old. John Malkhaz entered the US Army in 1958, when a brilliant career began.

Advised more than once to change his last name because it was difficult to pronounce, John - like his brother Otar, another American army officer - refused to concede the point. Instead, until the end of his life, his shirt proudly bore his ancestral name: SHALIKASHVILI.

The museum celebrates a combination of personal, cultural and national history. In 2005, the general bequeathed his awards and military uniform to the museum, as well as those of his brother. An exhibition hall is devoted to the history of the Shalikashvili family from the XV century to the present day. The museum also depicts Georgia’s military past through a range of photographs and documents.