Batumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an
autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. With a population of 154,100,
Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a
subtropical zone, rich in agricultural produce such as citrus fruit and tea.
While industries of the city include shipbuilding, food processing, and light
manufacturing, most of its economy revolves around tourism. Since 2010, the
face of the city has been transformed by the construction of new high-rise
landmark buildings and the renovation of the Old Town.
History = Early history =
Batumi is located on the site of the ancient Greek colony in Colchis called
Bathus or Bathys – derived from the Greek phrase βαθύς λιμεν bathus limen or
βαθύς λιμήν bathys limin meaning "deep harbour". Under Hadrian, it was
converted into a fortified Roman port and later deserted for the fortress of
Petra founded in the time of Justinian I. Garrisoned by the Roman-Byzantine
forces, it was formally a possession of the kingdom of Lazica until being
occupied briefly by the Arabs, who did not hold it; in the 9th century it
formed part of the Bagratid monarchy of Tao-Klarjeti and at the close of the
10th century of the unified kingdom of Georgia which succeeded it.
From 1010, it was governed by the eristavi of the king of Georgia. In the
late 15th century, after the disintegration of the Georgian kingdom,
Batumi passed to the princes of Guria, a western Georgian principality under the
sovereignty of the kings of Imereti. A curious incident occurred in 1444 when
a Burgundian flotilla, after a failed crusade against the Ottoman Empire,
penetrated the Black Sea and engaged in piracy along its eastern coastline until
the Burgundians under the knight Geoffroy de Thoisy were ambushed while
landing to raid Vaty, as Europeans then knew Batumi. De Thoisy was taken captive
and released through the mediation of the emperor John IV of Trebizond.
= Ottoman Rule = In the 15th century in the reign of the
prince Kakhaber Gurieli, the Ottoman Turks conquered the town and its
district but did not hold them. They returned to it in force a century later
and inflicted a decisive defeat on the Georgian armies at Sokhoista. Batumi was
recaptured by the Georgians several times, first in 1564 by prince Rostom
Gurieli, who lost it soon afterwards, and again in 1609 by Mamia Gurieli. In
1723 Batumi again became part of the Ottoman Empire. With the Turkish
conquest, the Islamisation of the hitherto Christian region began, but
terminated and to a great degree reversed, after the area was re-annexed
to Russian Imperial Georgia after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78.
= Imperial Russian rule = In 1878, Batumi was annexed by the
Russian Empire in accordance with the Treaty of San Stefano between Russia and
the Ottoman Empire. Occupied by the Russians on August 28, 1878, the town
was declared a free port until 1886. It functioned as the center of a special
military district until being incorporated in the Government of
Kutaisi on June 12, 1883. Finally, on June 1, 1903, with the Okrug of Artvin,
it was established as the region of Batumi and placed under the direct
control of the General Government of Georgia.
The expansion of Batumi began in 1883 with the construction of the
Batumi-Tiflis-Baku railway and the finishing of the Baku-Batumi pipe-line.
Henceforth, Batumi became the chief Russian oil port in the Black Sea. The
town expanded to an extraordinary extent and the population increased rapidly:
from 8,671 inhabitants in 1882 to 12,000 in 1889. By 1902 the population had
reached 16,000, with 1,000 working in the refinery for Baron Rothschild's
Caspian and Black Sea oil company. In the late 1880s and after, more than
7400 Doukhobor emigrants sailed for Canada from Batumi, after the government
agreed to let them emigrate. Quakers and Tolstoyans aided in collecting funds for
the relocation of the religious minority, which had come into conflict
with the Imperial government over its refusal to serve in the military and
other positions. Canada settled them in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
= War, communism, and late 20th-century independence =
During 1901, sixteen years prior to the October Revolution, Joseph Stalin, the
future leader of the Soviet Union, lived in the city organizing strikes. On March
3, 1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk gave the city back to the Ottoman
Empire; unrest during the closing weeks of World War I led to the re-entry of
Turkish forces in April 1918, followed in December by British forces, who
stayed until July 1920. Kemal Atatürk ceded the area to the Bolsheviks of the
Soviet Union on the condition that it be granted autonomy, for the sake of the
Muslims among Batumi's mixed population. When the USSR collapsed in 1989, Aslan
Abashidze was appointed head of Adjara's governing council and subsequently held
onto power throughout the unrest of the 1990s. Whilst other regions, such as
Abkhazia, attempted to break away from the Georgian state, Adjara remained as
an integral part of the Republic's territory. Abashidze exploited the
central government's weaknesses and ruled the area as a personal fiefdom. In
May 2004, he fled to Russia because of mass protests in Tbilisi sparked by the
Rose Revolution. = Present day =
Batumi today is one of the main port cities of Georgia. It has the capacity
for 80,000-tonne tankers to take materials such as oil that are shipped
through Georgia from Central Asia. Additionally, the city exports regional
agricultural products. Since 1995 the freight conversion of the port has
constantly risen, with an approximate 8 million tonnes in 2001. The annual
revenue from the port is estimated at between $200 million and $300 million.
Since the change of power in Adjara, Batumi has attracted international
investors, and the prices of real estate in the city have trebled since 2001. In
July 2007, the seat of the Constitutional Court of Georgia was
moved from Tbilisi to Batumi to stimulate regional development. Several
new hotels opened after 2009, first the Sheraton in 2010 and the Radisson Blu in
2011. The Trump Tower and the Kempinski will open in 2013.
Batumi was host to the Russian 12th Military Base. Following the Rose
Revolution, the central government pushed for the removal of these forces,
and reached agreement in 2005 with Moscow. According to the agreement, the
process of withdrawal was planned to be completed in 2008, but the Russians
completed the transfer of the Batumi base to Georgia on November 13, 2007,
ahead of schedule. In 2013, TAM GEO LLC announced it was
investing $70 million to start construction of the 170- meter,
45-storey mix-use complex Babillon Tower, which will be tallest residential
building in Georgia. Climate
Batumi lies at the southern periphery of the oceanic climate, but it is
classified as "Cfa" according to Köppen's classification. The city's
climate is heavily influenced by the onshore flow from the Black Sea and is
subject to the orographic effect of the nearby hills and mountains, resulting in
significant rainfall throughout most of the year, making Batumi the wettest city
in both Georgia and the entire Caucasus Region.
The average annual temperature in Batumi is approximately 14 °C. January is the
coldest month with an average temperature of 7 °C. August is the
hottest month, with an average temperature of 22 °C. The absolute
minimum recorded temperature is −6 °C, and the absolute maximum is 40 °C. The
number of days with daily temperatures above 10 °C is 239. The city receives
1958 hours of sunshine per year. Batumi's average annual precipitation is
2,718 mm. September is the wettest month with an average of 335 mm of
precipitation, while May is the driest, averaging 92 mm. Batumi generally does
not receive significant amounts of snow), and the number of days with snow
cover for the year is 12. The average level of relative humidity ranges from
70–80%. Cityscape
= Contemporary architecture = Batumi's skyline has been transformed
since 2007 with remarkable buildings and monuments of contemporary architecture,
including: Radisson Blu hotel
Public Service Hall A large Kempinski hotel and casino is to
open in 2013, a Hilton Hotel as well as a 47-storey Trump Tower is also planned.
Novelty architecture Novelty architecture in Batumi includes:
Sheraton Hotel, designed in the style of the Great Lighthouse at Alexandria,
Egypt Alphabet Tower high), celebrating
Georgian script and writing Piazza, a mixed-used development in the
form of an Italian piazza Buildings designed in the style of a
lighthouse, the Acropolis, and an upside-down White House
Transportation The city is served by Batumi Airport,
one of three international airports in the country. A bike-sharing scheme named
BatumVelo allows you to rent a bicycle on the street with a smart card.
Subdivisions According to the March 31, 2008 decision
of the Batumi City Council, Batumi is divided into seven boroughs, those of:
Demographics and religion Religion
While there is a Sunni Muslim minority, the majority of the inhabitants belong
to the Georgian Orthodox Church. Batumi is also home to Eastern Orthodox
Christian, Muslim, Catholic, Armenian Apostolic, and Jewish communities. The
places of worship in the city are: Georgian Orthodox Cathedral of the
Mother of God, and Saint Barbara Church Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit
Saint Nicholas Church Batumi Mosque
Batumi Armenian church Batumi Synagogue
Main sights Attractions include
Adjara State Museum Aquarium
Batumi Botanical Garden, started by professor Krasnov
circus Former resort area along the Black Sea
coast. Postage stamps
International relations = Twin towns - sister cities =
Batumi is twinned with: Tourist attractions
Notable people Notable people who are from or have
resided in Batumi: References
Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia. Georgian SSR. 1981. pp. 16–18.
External links Official website
Official Visitor Guide to Batumi Batumi Photo Gallery