THIS IS BATUMI! A Short Cultural Travel Guide to Georgia's Vibrant "Pearl of the Black Sea" скачать в хорошем качестве

THIS IS BATUMI! A Short Cultural Travel Guide to Georgia's Vibrant "Pearl of the Black Sea"

Batumi’s name is derived from the ancient Greek phrase for "deep harbour”. Now every powerful empire likes to get its hands on deep harbours - and over period of more than 2000 years Batumi has been seen many empires pass through - Greek, Roman, Ottoman, Russian, British and Soviet. Quite the list. Indeed the Ottoman Empire clung onto the port well into the 20th century and Batumi could so easily have become Turkish. But history drew the new boundary between the Russian and Ottoman empires to the south and the independent nation of Georgia now stakes claim to the deep harbour and crucially the end of the oil pipeline from Azerbaijan. From 1921 to the collapse of the Soviet Union, Batumi became the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjaristan, part of the Georgian SSR. With its warm climate and many beaches It grew into a popular resort town in the south of the Soviet Union, After Georgia gained independence in 1991, Adjara retained its status as an autonomous region and became a semi-independent republic within the country. Since the early 21st century, international investors, principally from Turkey have poured into Batumi, transforming it into a modern resort with. In the press it is often called the Dubai of Georgia. But unlike Dubai Batumi has casinos. The internet is full of adverts promoting Batumi’s real estate investment potential. The skyline has already changed dramatically in the last ten years, but investors will be keeping a close eye on Georgia’s political situation. And I hope that planners are also keeping an eye on the new development as Batumi has a rich architectural history that needs to be preserved. Does the pearl of the Black Sea really want to become a Georgian Las Vegas. Given Georgia’s famous gastronomy it would be foolish to eat at Mcdonalds. But in Batumi you need to make an exception. You see this particular branch of Mcdonalds is special. Designed by architect Giorgi Khmaladze, the glass structure resembles a spaceship ready for take-off. Technically it’s a polyhedronal structure, encased in a cantilevered glass shell, and was awarded the Best Commercial Building of 2014 by the architecture website ArchDaily. Remarkable for a fast food outlet - but then again Batumi has become a bit of a playground for architects. Have you ever seen a ferris wheel incorporated into a tower? WHEN THE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY TOWER in Batumi, Georgia was completed in 2012, it was the first building ever to include such a crazy feature built into the facade. In a windy location in an earthquake zone it presented a massive challenge to the builders and engineers. Too much of a challenge as it happened. It has never taken paying passengers. The tower itself was supposed to be part of a technological university but that didn’t happen either. Another unique building is the Alphabetic Tower. l`Let em explain the symbology - the Georgian language and script is seen as the DNA of the nation - hence the alphabet on a DNA helix. Clever isn’t it? In 2010, the most famous monument, "Ali and Nino", was unveiled and has since become Batumi's iconic landmark. The Ali and Nino story is similar to Romeo and Juliet - but the doomed romance is between a Georgian and an Azeri. Filmed November 2024 Jonathan Wheeler www.jonanthanwheelerfilms.co.uk @tavelobscurer #batumi