That's How the Tbilisi Crumbles

Tbilisi is an unusual city. I like it. Like every city of the former Soviet Union and its satellites that I have visited, there are dreary concrete public buildings, ugly housing blocks, and absurd, defunct fountains/cement trashcans/rusting fences, etc. However, Tbilisi is not defined by these mid-20th century relics of questionable taste. Tbilisi is an old city, a city with as many ties to the East as to the West, and it shows.

Our neighborhood, Saburtalo, is a 20th century creation, and not particularly scenic, despite its reputation as a “good” neighborhood. We take hour-long walks in the ‘hood every morning, so we have seen just about every street in these parts. Although there are some leafy streets and a park or two, it’s mostly a commercial area with generally uninspiring architecture. There are, however, some fabulous areas in the older parts of the city where the true style of Tbilisi is on display.

Tbilisi runs mainly north and south along the both sides of the Mtkvari River. The main part of the city centers on Rustaveli Ave, which has a lot of 19th century architecture – grand buildings like the opera house – as well as the Parliament building currently “under siege” by opposition protesters. Further downriver, the Old Town is the most atmospheric part of the city, and wandering around here is quite enjoyable. Tbilisi has very little new construction and what it does have seems to have been abandoned in the middle of the job. There are dozens of building projects scattered around town with no visible work being done. I have speculated that maybe financing dried up due to last year’s war. Who knows.

Tbilisi is an old city, and most of it can best be described as “crumbly”. A good part of the city has seen better days and seems on the verge of collapse. It actually adds to the charm in certain neighborhoods. We visited some friends in an old neighborhood where many of the streets had been closed to vehicular traffic for fear that the buildings would just topple into the street. Despite looking like it’s falling apart in many sections, the city is attractive, with wonderful views of the river, the surrounding hills, the fortress high above Old Town, and many beautiful churches.