Places to visit in Tbilisi
Tbilisi, Jvari. May 31, 2019
On the way to Jwari, we stopped to exchange money and had to look at the pharmacy. This quarter of the city is called Digami. It is relatively far from the city center but is in high demand today. Tbilisi is a constant influx of people, and the surrounding villages are gradually becoming part of the city. You can buy an apartment in Digami for 35-45 thousand dollars.
Jvari means the cross in Georgian. This church can be called the Cross. It appeared as one of the early churches and Georgia. It was a monastery. From here, from the cliffs, you can see the high Caucasus and the snow-capped peaks of Kazbega.
Saint Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia, founded three worship places, one of which is Jwari. The pagan temple ones stud at this place. The transformation of it into a Christian shrine was a critical moment. The first building dates back to the sixth century and in its architecture and proportions can indicate Byzantine influence. It's was a brief period In Georgian Church Architecture.
This place is probably the most beautiful. Russian poet Lermontov described it in his poem Mtsyri (The Novice): Where, merging, making noise, embracing, as if two sisters, the flows of Aragva and Kura, there was a monastery.
Jwari existed for about three hundred years until in 960 during the Arab subduing of Georgia the monastery was burned, and the holy cross of Nino disappeared.
From the northern edge of a hill, there is a beautiful view of Kazbegi and a road heading north to the Cross Pass. This road is the famous Georgian Military Road. The waters of Aragvi, coming down from the mountains, are darker, and the waters of Kura are lighter, it flows in the valley.
In this remote place on a small balcony - a ledge where there are almost no people, and the noise of tourism subsides, I wanted to reread Mtsyri. I didn't find time for this, but I refreshed the plot. We are talking about a boy, Mtsyri, who, after being taken out by a Russian general from his native village, fell ill and was left in a monastery. He became an orphan, lost his home, his family roots. He all aspired to discover his origin, and having escaped from the monastery for only three days, lived a full life during this time. Got drunk from freedom and exhausted from futile attempts to discover his roots, he was found by monks and, once again returned to the monastery, where he started to talk like this: Old Man! I've heard many times that you saved me from death? I'm sullen and lonely, and I'm a torn leaf, I grew up in the dark walls of the monk fate with the soul of a child. I could not say the holy words "father" and "mother. And further: I lived as a stranger in the Motherland of slavery and orphanage.
In the temple, which was revived not long ago, in the post-Soviet era, a tall cross standing on a stone hill located in the center is striking. There are some significant icons of saints: Icon of Saint Nino with a cross, an image of George the Victorious, striking with a spear the Roman emperor instead of a dragon, like a real symbol of the enemy of Christianity. By the way, in my opinion, a very rare interpretation. Cross of vines is the image of the Georgian cross. It is usually the cross with the crossbars down.
In 1934, here in Tbilisi, the world's first children's railway appeared. It all starts with the theatre of the young spectator. There was a production in the theatre. In the center of the stage stood a globe and it was entangled with a grid of railways. On the Globe were inscriptions: countries and capitals. The beginning of the road was in Tbilisi, then Moscow, London, Paris, etc. The father of one of the children-actors worked in the depot. And the question arose, what if you build a real children's railway and not just a prop on the stage?
This locomotive was the first. It was decommissioned of the road on the Iran-Azerbaijan border and became the first locomotive here on the children's railway. The line-up included one compartment car, one freight car, and one open carriage.
Konstantin Wasserman was the head of the Tbilisi Railway and asked his employee and his son if there would be any more enthusiasts to build the road. There were a lot of them. Wasserman took the boys to the head of the Caucasian railway. They set a condition: if children study the railway business and can manage this road - it is possible. The children and Wasserman were sent to find out the area for the project. Soon the place was allocated. The location was near the park outside the city. That's how the railroad started.
The opening of the children's railway was reported to Stalin. Stalin summoned Kaganovich, the minister of transport in a modern manner. He showed telegram and asked whether Kaganovich was aware of the case. He didn't know a thing. They called Beria in Tbilisi and asked what kind of new railway you had there, Lavrentiy Pavlovic? Beria confirmed the existence of the children's railway. Kaganovich was sent to check. He arrived with a check-up early in the morning and was not allowed to enter the platform because there were still a few hours left until the opening at 9 a.m. But for the ruble - a simple souvenir (the joke), you could come out of time. Stalin was informed that there is a children's railway in Tbilisi. He suggested Beria encourage children and send them to Moscow for a reception at the Bolshoi Theatre. This story was described in the newspaper «It's true." in the 1935 year.
Dynamo Tbilisi Stadium is one of the legendary stadiums of the former USSR. At this arena, Tbilisi beat victorious English club Liverpool 3-0 in 1979 and reached the quarter-finals of the European Champions Cup. The stadium was built during the reign of Laurentia Beria and accommodated about 30,000 spectators. Already at that time, it was an impressive structure. Over time, its capacity was increased to 80 thousand people. Boris Pychadze was the legendary soccer player of Tbilisi Dynamo Club. In front of the stadium stands the monument of the player. He was voted the best Georgian player of all time. Peichadze, with a height of only 170 centimeters, was the fastest mobile and technical player in the history of Georgian football. Interestingly enough, his father was repressed by the communist regime. Shortly after these events, Boris personally met with Beria but have not intended to search for his father's fate. In the next time in 1942, when Peichade decided to find out the fate of his father Solomon - it was too late. The fate of Boris's son is also tragic. He died in 1967 when he was hurt in a car accident. Boris died in 1990, having worked for the rest of his years as director and redesigner of his favorite stadium Dynamo. In 1991 the stadium was named after Boris Peichadze.
The second floor of the shopping center is the gold market and is an endless series of jewelry dealers. It sells both new products and used. Among the interesting local crafts should be noted minakari: handmade jewelry made in a technique of Limoges enamel. The price of such gizmos is not high, yet it looks gorgeous.
Carved wooden shutters, doors, windows combined with brick walls is a unique Tbilisi style, which can be found in other places, but here in the city, it looks especially authentic.
Everything was delicious
Once upon a time, there was an island in this place. Kura River wrapped around the island and the bridge's columns. Soon the right bank of the river became shallow, and the channel fell asleep, transforming into a path. It is the reason why they call it a "dry bridge." The opposite part of the bridge remained, and it still connects between two banks.
Today this park is Tbilisi's most famous flea market, but not only old items can be bought here. Part of the park is a vernissage with exquisite paintings by talented artists.
There is even a monument to the artist. It all began in the hard years of the Second World War. The Germans did not capture the Caucasus, but it was isolated, and famine came to these lands. People used this park to sell all the things for food. This is how the flea market began.
Here you can find everything from vinyl records to coasters which are more than a hundred years old.
Those who were born in the USSR quickly recognize many things from childhood.
The park rises on the slope of the former island. The rows of the antique dealers pass on to the bridge. Today it is not just a flea market, but an antique center, where connoisseurs of old things and resellers form prices and regulate the market.
The dry bridge leads to the park, named in memory of the tragic events of April 9, 1989, when people died in Tbilisi at a peaceful demonstration for leaving the USSR.
A typical Georgian courtyard. It has some living soul flourished with carved balconies, shaded with massive wood, noised with families that create a unique flavor, narrowed with cars, parking lots, and even a riverboat.
Tbilisi funicular began its work in 1905 and raised residents and visitors to the city on Mount David - Mtatsminda Mountain. Even then it was one of the tallest and longest cable cars in the world.
A Belgian engineer developed the project, and the Belgian construction company signed a contract for the forty-five-year operation of the facility with further transfer to the city administration. At that time, no one knew about Soviet power and socialist property.
The cable car has three stops. The middle - the place where two trains depart in different directions, is also a stop from where you can go to the Pantheon. Here, in the pantheon near the Church of St. David buried noble Georgian artists. The pantheon began its history from the grave of famous Russian writer Griboedov, who tragically died in Iran.
The top stop was rebuilt in the 1930s when a tall building in the style of socialist modernism and a monumental entrance to The Matsminda Park appeared. At the same time, a cable car was built from Shota Rustaveli Square. On the cable car, there was a cable break, which led to the death of people. There was also an accident on the cable car in 2000, but there were no casualties.
Mount Miatsminda is one of the symbols of the city. The famous song Tbilisio which tells the ballad of the city, mentions the park. As far back as the sixth century, the monk David settled on its slopes, giving the origin for the modern church and the pantheon next to it. David was one of the founders of Christianity in Georgia. He is a personage of the ancient legend of Tbilisi. Once a noblewoman accused David of being pregnant from him. He told this is a slander, and the slander would become a stone, and she would deliver this stone. So It happened. Near the church of David, there is a source, and it is believed that its waters have the miraculous power of fertility.
The most significant attraction of the park is the Ferris wheel. It was built in Soviet times along with the overall layout of the park. The mountain is 770 meters above sea level, and the height of the Ferris Wheel is 65 meters. The wheel commits a turnover for 10 minutes
From the northern tip of the park is a turtle lake. Next to the park on top of the mountain is a TV tower with a height of 225 meters.
Well, how not to shoot a dash of an air rifle?
At this spot in the park, you need to come at sunset, when the City dives into the lights. This sight is magnificent and pacifying.
