Kutaisi is the legislative capital of Georgia, and its second largest city,
after the capital Tbilisi. Situated 221 kilometres west of Tbilisi, it is the
capital of the western region of Imereti.
Geography Kutaisi is located along both banks of
the Rioni River. The city lies at an elevation of 125–300 metres above sea
level. To the east and northeast, Kutaisi is bounded by the Northern
Imereti Foothills, to the north by the Samgurali Range, and to the west and the
south by the Colchis Plain. = Landscape =
Kutaisi is surrounded by deciduous forests to the northeast and the
northwest. The low-lying outskirts of the city have a largely agricultural
landscape. The city centre has many gardens its streets are lined with high,
leafy trees. In the springtime, when the snow starts to melt in the nearby
mountains, the storming Rioni River in the middle of the city is heard far
beyond its banks. Climate
The climate in Kutaisi is humid subtropical with a well-defined
on-shore/monsoonal flow during the Autumn and Winter months. The summers
are generally hot and relatively dry while the winters are wet and cool.
Average annual temperature in the city is 14.5 degrees Celsius. January is the
coldest month with an average temperature of 5.3 degrees Celsius while
July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 23.2 degrees
Celsius. The absolute minimum recorded temperature is −17 degrees Celsius and
the absolute maximum is 44 degrees Celsius. Average annual precipitation is
around 1,530 mm. Rain may fall in every season of the year. The city often
experiences heavy, wet snowfall in the winter, but the snow cover usually does
not last for more than a week. Kutaisi experiences powerful easterly winds in
the summer which descend from the nearby mountains.
History Kutaisi was the capital of the ancient
Kingdom of Colchis. Archeological evidence indicates that the city
functioned as the capital of the kingdom of Colchis as early as the second
millennium BC. Several historians believe that, in Argonautica, a Greek
epic poem about Jason and the Argonauts and their journey to Colchis, author
Apollonius Rhodius considered Kutaisi their final destination as well as the
residence of King Aeëtes. From 978 to 1122 CE, Kutaisi was the capital of the
united Kingdom of Georgia, and from the 15th century until 1810, it was the
capital of the Imeretian Kingdom. In 1508, the city was captured by Selim I,
who was the son of Bayezid II, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
During the seventeenth century, Imeretian kings made many appeals to
Russia to help them in their struggle for independence from the Ottomans. All
these appeals were ignored as Russia did not want to spoil relations with Turkey.
Only in the reign of Catherine the Great, in 1768, were troops of general
Gottlieb Heinrich Totleben sent to join the forces of King Heraclius II of
Georgia, who hoped to reconquer the Ottoman-held southern Georgian lands,
with Russian help. Totleben helped King Solomon I of Imereti to recover his
capital, Kutaisi, on August 6, 1770. Finally, the Russian-Turkish wars ended
in 1810 with the annexation of the Imeretian Kingdom by the Russian Empire.
The city was the capital of the Gubernia of Kutaisi, which included much of west
Georgia. In March 1879, the city was the site of a blood- libel trial that
attracted attention all over Russia; the ten accused Jews were acquitted.
Kutaisi was a major industrial center before Georgia's independence in 1991.
Independence was followed by the economic collapse of the country, and,
as a result, many inhabitants of Kutaisi have had to work abroad. Small-scale
trade prevails among the rest of the population.
The city had a massive Soviet war memorial for the Georgians killed in
World War II. On December 18, 2009, a private demolition company working for
the Georgian government demolished the monument to make room for a parliament
building, despite massive protest from Russia and the Georgian opposition.
Safety regulations were violated, resulting in flying chunks of concrete
hitting civilian population centers. A woman and her daughter were killed in
the courtyard of their home, and four other people were critically injured.
In 2011 Mikheil Saakashvili, the president of Georgia, signed a
constitutional amendment relocating the parliament to Kutaisi.
On 26 May 2012, Saakashvili inaugurated the new Parliament building in Kutaisi.
This was done in an effort to decentralise power and shift some
political control closer to Abkhazia, although it has been criticised as
marginalising the legislature, and also for the demolition of a Soviet War
Memorial formerly at the new building's location.
Culture Kutaisi has an ancient cultural
tradition. Here is a list of the cultural centers in Kutaisi.
= Museums and other cultural institutions =
1. Kutaisi State Historical Museum 2. Kutaisi Museum of Sport
3. Kutaisi Museum of Martial Art 4. Museum of Zakaria Paliashvili
5. Kutaisi State Historical Archive 6. Kutaisi State Scientific-Universal
Library 7. David Kakabadze Fine Art Gallery
8. Art Salon 9. Akaki Tsereteli State University
= Theatres and cinema = 1. Kutaisi Lado Meskhishvili State
Academic Theatre 2. Kutaisi Meliton Balanchivadze State
Opera House 3. Kutaisi Iakob Gogebashvili State
Puppet Theatre 4. Cinema and Entertaining Center
“Suliko” 5. Hermann-Wedekind-Jugendtheater
= Professional unions and public organizations =
Georgian Writers’ Union Georgian Painters’ Union
Folk Palace = Media =
Local newspapers include: Kutaisi, Imeretis Moabe, PS, Akhali Gazeti, and
Kutaisuri Versia. Other publications include Chveneburebi, a journal
published by the Ministry of Diaspora Issues, and Gantiadi, a scientific
journal. TV: "Rioni"; Radio: "Dzveli Kalaki"
Also all the republican newspapers, journals and television stations have
their representatives in Kutaisi. Sport
Kutaisi has a great tradition in sports, with many famous sport clubs. FC Torpedo
Kutaisi has participated on the highest level of the Soviet Union football
league. After Georgia achieved independence, it won many domestic and
international titles. RC AIA Kutaisi won the Soviet Championship several times in
rugby, and after independence, national championships and cups. Kutaisi also had
an influential basketball club BC Kutaisi 2010.
Main sights The landmark of the city is the ruined
Bagrati Cathedral, built by Bagrat III, king of Georgia, in the early 11th
century. The Bagrati Cathedral, and the Gelati Monastery a few km east of the
city, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of the famous churches in Georgia is
Motsameta Church. It is named after two saints, brothers David and Constantine.
They were the Dukes of Margveti, and were martyred by Arab invaders in the
8th century. Besides the churches, there are many interesting places in Kutaisi,
such as: Sataplia Cave, where one can observe footprints of dinosaurs; Geguti
Palace, which was one of the residences of Georgian monarchs; "Okros Chardakhi"
– Georgian Kings’ Palace; and the Pantheon, where many notable citizens
are buried. In December 2009, the demolition of a
major World War II memorial in the city resulted in the death of two people.
Russia had heavily protested the decision to remove the memorial.
Economy On April 2, 2009, the Georgian economy
minister, Lasha Zhvania, announced that an Egypt-based home appliances producer
company, Fresh Electric, intends to create a free industrial zone in
Kutaisi. Transport
= Airport = David the Builder Kutaisi International
Airport is an airport located 14 km west of Kutaisi. It is one of three
international airports currently in operation in Georgia.
= Railway = Kutaisi Rail Terminal has direct
connection with Tbilisi. Line is served by Georgian Railways.
Local celebrations "Kutaisoba" is the most important
holiday in Kutaisi. It is celebrated on the second of May. On this day the
population of Kutaisi crowds into the central park, with their children and
celebrate together. Some people make masks and there are many kinds of
performances, so it is a lot of fun. Also little children sell chamomiles. It
is an old tradition, in the past ladies collected money for poor people, so
today children also collect money for them.
On this day one can see traditional Georgian dances and you can hear folk
music. Also it is an old tradition to go in the forest, which is near Kutaisi.
Families barbecue and play games. On this day, people wear traditional
clothes, choxa, so you can imagine that you are in past times. Also there is a
new tradition of writing lyrics which have been written by writers from
Kutaisi and then airplanes throw them from the sky. There is also a
competition in different kinds of martial arts.
Notable natives Aeëtes - King of Kingdom of Colchis
Bagrat III - King of united Kingdom of Georgia in 975-1014
George I - King of united Kingdom of Georgia in 1014-1027
Bagrat IV - King of united Kingdom of Georgia in 1027-1072
George II - King of united Kingdom of Georgia in 1072-1089
David IV - King of united Kingdom of Georgia in 1089-1125
Veriko Anjaparidze - Georgian actress Ak'ak'i Vasadze - Georgian actor
Teimuraz Apkhazava - World and European champion in Wrestling
Revaz Gabriadze - cinematographer, writer, director, production designer
Niko Nikoladze - Georgian public figure Meliton Balanchivadze - Georgian
composer Zakaria Paliashvili - Georgian composer
Iakob Nikoladze - Georgian sculptor, designer of the previous state flag of
Georgia. Władysław Raczkiewicz - first president
of the Polish government-in-exile, 1939–1947
Joseph Orbeli - orientalist David Kakabadze - Georgian painter
Victor Dolidze - Georgian composer Otar Korkiya - Georgian basketball
player, European Champions' Cup champion and Olympic silver medalist
Dodo Chichinadze - Georgian actress Revaz Dzodzuashvili - Georgian football
player, winner of the Bronze Medal of the World Cup 1966
Zurab Sakandelidze - Georgian basketball player, Olympic champion
Mikheil Korkiya - Georgian basketball player, Olympic champion
Meir Pichhadze - Israeli painter, Kutaisi native
Tengiz Sulakvelidze -Georgian football player, played in 1982 FIFA World Cup
Maia Chiburdanidze - the seventh Women's World Chess Champion
Nikoloz Nemsitsveridze - three-time Russian Rugby Champion with his team AIA
Kutaisi Besik Khamashuridze - Georgian rugby
player, won 53 caps, RC Aia Kutaisi player-coach
David Khakhaleishvili - Olympic champion in Wrestling
Katie Melua - singer International relations
= Twin towns and sister cities = Kutaisi is twinned with:
See also Colchis
Imereti References
External links http:www.nkta.org/