BATUMI BOULEVARD HISTORY SINCE 1881 & BOULEVARD TODAY

In the new millennium, the boulevard continued to grow at a more rapid pace, antique stile marble sculptures and colonnades project were brought from Italiy, the Summer theater were built, three colored fountains worked out.

History since 1881

In 1881, the governor of Batumi district, A. Smekalov had appeared an idea of creating a seaside park. This is where begins the history of Batumi Boulevard. The first project of the boulevard was developed by well-known Prussian gardeners Ressler and Reier. In 1884, Reseller died, and the successful initiative was handed over to a French nobleman, a famous garden designer Michel D’Alfonse. His contribution to the boulevard planning is so great that in historical sources, D’Alfonse is referred as “Kind genius of Batumi seaside”. The next stage of the boulevard development is associated with the gardener-decorator Iason Gordeziani, who using the knowledge gained in the Versailles Agricultural National Institute, encouraged herbal cover, expanded old and created new nurseries. In the new millennium, the boulevard continued to grow at a more rapid pace, antique stile marble sculptures and colonnades project were brought from Italiy, the Summer theater were built, three colored fountains worked out.

The history of the Batumi Boulevard includes this century-long, continuous cycle, in which all the stages of the seaside park were enriched and gained the sacred significance. Today it is the most visited and characteristic sight of our city.

Boulevard Today

Batumi Boulevard is the main and most visited sightseeing of the city.

Georgia, distinguished by its growing tourist statistics, hosts about 8 million international visitors annually and about 2 million tourists visit Batumi, named as the Black Sea Pearl.

It is noteworthy that walking in Boulevard for an alien or Georgian citizen who is in Batumi is a ritual, without which no one leaves this beautiful seaside city. The recreation zone, which at the same time is a cultural heritage monument, for centuries, has unites the city’s guests or native inhabitants. It involves a seven-kilometer seaside promenade, 4 historic alleys, bike path, and more than 40 thousand tree-plants planted at different times on the area.

Batumi Boulevard, with its historical meaning and continuous development cycle, became a visiting card of our city where everyone finds their place.

Michael D’Alfons

The foundation of the Batumi Boulevard is associated with the French Gardener Michael D’Alfons. In 1885 he has assigned on the post of the main gardener of Batumi and he is the one who started to develop the boulevard in the French style.

To celebrate his contribution to the development not only of the boulevard but also Batumi botanical gardens, he was often referred to as the kind genius of the Batumi seaside area.

In 2012 the bronze sculpture of Michael D’alfons was installed in the boulevard. Facing the eucalyptus planed by himself, Michael’s sculpture features a satisfied expression on his face.

Iason Gordezian

The gardener, decorator, Iason Gordezian has played a key role in development of Batumi Boulevard. Under his management, new species of plants were introduced and planted. After his success, he went abroad to continue his education. In 1911 he graduated from the Versailles national institute of agriculture. He gained experience of working in gardens in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Holland. He also held a position of the gardener-decorator in the royal botanical garden in London. After returning to Georgia he brought extensive knowledge and expertise back to the country that he used in implementing number of large-scale projects. In 2012 the sculpture of Iason Gordezian was set up in Batumi Boulevard.

Batumi Colonnades

For over decades as the Batumi Boulevard has been growing, new sculptures and landmarks have been added.

However, the importance and the value of the colonnades have remained timeless making them one of the iconic symbols of Batumi. The local doctor Ivane Mtchedlidze is believed to bring the project from Italy in 1930 with the help of Maksim Gorki.

The construction works were supervised by the chief architect of the town Pavle Nadareishvili while the works were executed by the honorable architect in Georgia Bogdan Kirakosyan.

As the mosaic inscription on the colonnades says the construction processes were completed in 1934.

Ali and Nino

Created by the USA-based Georgian sculptor, Tamar Kvesitadze, a kinetic sculpture of Ali and Nino is undoubtedly one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Boulevard.

7-meter constructions of a man and a woman perform a circular motions for 8-10 minutes eventually merging into each other.

The sculpture was inspired by the Azerbaijani novelist Kurban Said’s eponymous novel.

The sculpture symbolizes eternal motion, love and convergence of cultures. However, each visitor can have his/her unique emotions and associations after attending this performance.

Esteco