About Sights – Bakhmaro

At over 2000 meters above sea level, Bakhmaro (Georgian: ბახმარო) in Guria region is the highest alpine climatic resort in Georgia. The average annual relative humidity is 73 per cent and the mixture of sea and mountain air is beneficial for people with respiratory problems.  The surrounding mountains are a source of Bakhmaro bottled spring water, which is … Continue reading

About Sights – Ujarma Fortress

Established by King Vakhtang Gorgasali in the 5th century, Ujarma Fortress (Georgian: უჯარმა ციხე) was the second capital of Georgia until the 8th century. King Vakhtang Gorgasali is believed to have died there after he was wounded in battle against the Persians. The fortress consisted of two parts: the Upper Fortress (the Citadel) located on … Continue reading

About Sights – Tushetoba Festival

“Tushetoba” (Georgian: თუშეთობა) is a festival held every summer in Tusheti National Park. The festival celebrates Tushetian cultural heritage and is traditionally opened with horse racing. A flag and a sheep is awarded to the winner. The horse race is always hotly contested! Tusheti (Georgian: თუშეთი) is an isolated mountainous region in the north east of Georgia … Continue reading

About Sights – 6 May Park, Batumi

“6 May Park” in Batumi on Georgia’s Black Sea coast is one of the oldest public parks in Georgia and contains a beautiful lake, children’s rides, a Dolphinarium, a Zoo and an Aquarium. Construction of the park began in 1881 when the Prussian gardener Resler was engaged to design a garden. In 1888, the Russian Emperor Alexander … Continue reading

About Sights – Batumi Dolphinarium

Batumi Dolphinarium (Georgian: ბათუმის დელფინარიუმი), in the city of Batumi on Georgia’s Black Sea coast, opened in 1975. At the time it was the first dolphinarium in the whole of the Soviet Union. Its facilities were upgraded in 2011. New pools, water filtration and temperature systems were installed and seating capacity increased to 700 spectators. … Continue reading

About Sights – Signagi Museum

Signagi Museum, in the town of Signagi (Georgian: სიღნაღი) in Georgia’s easternmost region of Kakheti, was established in 1947 and contains exhibits providing glimpses of daily life in Eastern Georgia from the Stone Age to the 20th century. The Museum’s ethnographic collection contains five thousand artifacts, including textiles, copper and wooden domestic items, agricultural instruments, materials relating to … Continue reading

About Sights – The Memorial of Georgian Warrior Heroes in Gori

The sculptures that comprise the Memorial of Georgian Warrior Heroes were made between 1981-85 by Georgian sculptor Giorgi Ochiauri (Georgian: ოჩიაური გოგი) and placed around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Vake Park in Tbilisi. In 2009 the sculptures were moved to their present location at the foot of Gori Fortress in the city … Continue reading

About Sights – Gori Fortress

Gori Fortress (Georgian: გორის ციხე) is a 13th century castle in Georgia, situated on a hill above the city of Gori (Georgian: გორი) in the Shida Kartli region of eastern Georgia. Located on the main highway connecting eastern and western parts of Georgia it was of strategic importance for many centuries and was attacked several times by … Continue reading

About Sights – The National Botanical Garden of Georgia

The National Botanical Garden of Georgia (Georgian: საქართველოს ეროვნული ბოტანიკური ბაღი), formerly the Tbilisi Botanical Garden (თბილისის ბოტანიკური ბაღი), is a research, cultural-educational and nature conservation institution in Georgia. Located in the foothills of Narikala Castle in Tbilisi, it occupies an area of 161 hectares and possesses a collection of over 4,500 plant groups. The … Continue reading

About Sights – Egnate Ninoshvili Museum

During his short life and brief literary career Georgian writer Egnate Ninoshvili (ეგნატე ნინოშვილი) (1859-1894) wrote stories and novellas vividly depicting the harsh life of the Georgian peasantry and the greed of tsarist officials. Before taking up writing he worked as a teacher, telegrapher, typesetter, and manual laborer. His first literary works were articles for the Georgian … Continue reading

About Sights – St. George’s Church and Monastery complex in the village of Ubisa

St. George’s Monastery is situated in the village of Ubisa (Georgian: უბისა) in the Imereti region of Georgia. The monastic complex comprises the 9th-century St. George’s Monastery founded by St. Gregory, a tower and fragments of a 12th-century defensive wall. The four-storey tower was built by Simon Chkondideli in 1141. The monastery contains a unique … Continue reading

About Sights – The Money Museum of the National Bank of Georgia

The Money Museum of the National Bank of Georgia in Kvareli in Kakheti Region is the place to go to see the centuries-old history of money circulation in Georgia, from the 6th century B.C. up to the present. The exhibits cover twenty-six centuries and contain Colchian tetri, Alexander the Great staters, coins of the Roman Republic and Empire, … Continue reading

About Sights – The Giorgi Chitaia Open Air Museum of Ethnography (Georgian: გიორგი ჩიტაიას სახელობის ეთნოგრაფიული მუზეუმი ღია ცის ქვეშ)

The Giorgi Chitaia Open Air Museum of Ethnography (Georgian: გიორგი ჩიტაიას სახელობის ეთნოგრაფიული მუზეუმი ღია ცის ქვეშ) was founded in 1966 by the famous Georgian ethnographer Giorgi Chitaia, whose name it bears. The open-air museum is located on a hill overlooking the Vake district of Tbilisi. The 52 hectare site houses around 70 buildings that … Continue reading

About Sights – Tbilisi Funicular Railway

The Tiflis Funicular railway was constructed to develop the uninhabited Mtatsminda plateau that overlooks the city and was opened on 27 March 1905. The railway carriage accommodated up to 50 people and the journey time was 6 minutes. Vaso Kvavilashvili, the first locomotive-driver of the Funicular recalls: “At first people feared that the rope might … Continue reading

About Sights – Gelati Monastery

Gelati (Georgian: გელათის მონასტერი) is a monastic complex near Kutaisi in Imereti region in western Georgia. Built between the 12th and 17th centuries, it contains wonderful mosaics and wall paintings and is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. David IV “the Builder”, also known as David II (Georgian: დავით აღმაშენებელი) founded the monastery and is … Continue reading

About Celebrations – Restoration of Bagrati Church

The restoration of Bagrati Church (Georgian: ბაგრატი; ბაგრატის ტაძარი) in the city of Kutaisi was completed in August this year. Named after Bagrat III, the first king of a unified Georgia, this early 11th century church is seen as a symbol of the unity of the Georgian state. Devastated by an explosion during an invasion of the Kingdom of Imereti by … Continue reading