Bolnisi was settled by 95 German colonist families from Swabia in 1818, whilst part of the Georgia Governorate of the Russian Empire.

Upon the arrival of the German colonists, the town was renamed Yekaterinenfeld in honor of the sister of Tsar Alexander I, Ekaterina Pavlovna, who was married to the King of Württemberg.

On 3 April 1943, the town was finally renamed to Bolnisi, which remained unchanged after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The town's contemporary economy is mostly agrarian with the notable exceptions of a winery, brewery, and a gold mine in the nearby village of Kazreti.

Bolnisi has long been the seat of a bishop or archbishop, and is the home of the oldest dated Christian structure in Georgia.

[8] Starting with these Dmanisi hominins, the exhibit also covers the Sakdrisi goldmine and contains a room on the German settlers, across four halls.

[11] Whilst a German colony within the Russian Empire, Bolnisi had cycling, gymnast, and football teams in the 19th century.