Remarkable architecture in Tbilisi, Georgia

I wish this building had a fancy name, because it really deserves one! Built in 2007, the futuristic semi-spherical, golden, reflective glass building sits about 70 meters from the airport arrivals hall, and connects the Tbilisi Airport with the Tbilisi Central Railway Station in town.

It looks like part of a space city, with trains passing through a golden glass-domed “tunnel” as they enter the station. In addition to the shiny glass exterior, the station terminal has bold black and white flooring and golden glass railings on the stairs. Check it out, even if you don’t ride the train into the city.

The Old Tbilisi district is well-known for its historic wooden Oda houses, a style that originated in western Georgia’s Samegrelo region. The pastel-painted buildings, admired for their wide verandas, have intricately carved pillars and lacy scroll-work trim.

You might come across one of these 50-125 year-old homes anywhere in Old Town, or in Samegrelo, but perfect examples to seek out in Tbilisi are:

• The Blue House on Rustaveli Ave, amid its lush gardens

• Kaleidoscope House on Betlemi Street, with vintage balconies and stained-glass windows

• The Writers House on Machabeli Street

• The traditional blue house on Letim Gurji St No: 4/9

Also known as Kartlis Deda, the Mother of Georgia monument oversees Tbilisi from the top of Sololaki Hill. Symbolically, Mother Georgia, with a bowl of wine in one hand, shows the world that Georgia welcomes friendly visitors. She also holds a sword in her other hand, to remind enemies that Georgia will fight for her sovereignty.

A 20-30 minute hike will take you to the graceful, yet imposing, 20-meter aluminium statue, or you can ride the Aerial Tram car from Rike Park. The statue lights up at night and from below, her iconic silhouette is an inspiring portrayal of Georgia’s strength and culture.

This unique city bridge is a modernistic structure, built over the Mtkvari river in 2010. The undulating canopy, that looks rather like an alien sea creature floating in air, connects Tbilisi’s Old Town with Rike Park. An interactive light display, powered by thousands of LED lights, illuminates the canopy and pedestrian walkway underneath from sunset ‘til daylight.

The construction of an ultra-modern bridge in Tbilisi’s old section caused local controversy, but the views when walking across the bridge are spectacular, and the illuminated bridge at night from afar is also out of this world.

Cross the Bridge of Peace, and you’ll set foot in lovely Rike Park, home to this oddly-shaped building that was started in 2011 and has still not opened for business (another controversy! The talk about town is that the locals objected to the bizarre contemporary design).

The super-modern building consists of two enormous tubular steel and glass sections, set on angle from each other and connected at the back, designed to be like a “periscope” overlooking the rest of the city.

Strange as it is, it’s an amazing piece of architecture and a great backdrop for photos (for sale at auction, if anyone’s interested?).

Although its Italian architects refer to the group of white curved roof sculptures of this famous building as “leaves” or “petals,” everyone else refers to it as the “Mushroom Building.”

The Service Hall sees a lot of traffic for business paperwork, and has oddly become a great tourist attraction for its curious design. 

It’s best viewed from afar via one of the high spots in the city.

Tbilisi (meaning “warm area”) was founded in the 5th century, when Iberia’s then King Vakhtang Gorgasali came upon sulphuric bubbling healing waters, and founded a city nearby.

Visits to Tbilisi’s Abanotubani (bath house) district continue to be an important part of Georgian culture. The Orbeliani Baths, with a distinctly Islamic colourful mosaic facade, plus detailed interior mosaics, are the most luxurious among the baths in the domed brick spa complex.

Even if you don’t fancy a bath or a scrubbing in the healing waters, it’s worth a visit just to see the fabulous artwork adorning the entranceway

I absolutely adored this whimsical, wacky building when I saw it on my first visit to Tbilisi. Connected to puppeteer Rezo Gabriadze’s puppet theatre in Old Tbilisi, the tilting building, propped up by a single steel beam, perpetually appears ready to keel over at any moment.

The huge clock sounds on the hour, with an angel striking a bell. After a brief musical interlude, below, a “boy-meets-girl life-cycle” themed vignette plays. A truly charming piece of modern (yet not glass and steel) artistry!

Tbilisi has numerous examples of architecture from the 1960s through the 80s that are either Soviet-designed or influenced. The last three landmarks on this list of all examples of this style.

First up is the Nutsubidze Skybridge, a perfect specimen of 1970s Brutalist architecture. It was built on a hillside in Tbilisi’s Saburtalo District, as a Soviet “planned housing” concept. The enormous complex comprises three high-rise concrete apartment towers, connected by two 14th-floor (70 metres above-ground) outdoor steel “skybridges.”

Although the buildings have housed residents since opening, today, the public can also access the bridges (there’s a 20 tetri elevator fee) for a great view across Tbilisi. Many occupants have added individual detailing to their apartment facades over the decades, making the buildings even more interesting.

The former Ministry of Highway Construction building is a prime example of Stalinist architecture. Created in 1975 on the Kura River near the edge of Tbilisi, the building is made up of massive interlocking concrete cubes, and looks like a chunk from a giant Lego toy building.

The uneven forested terrain was inspiration for the design that spans three levels of the hillside, and features open-air spaces in between the large blocks that appear to hover in the air.

Originally designed for government use, the building became the Bank of Georgia headquarters in 2010, and was designated as a National Heritage site.

Completed in 1988, this building housed archaeological findings from the Tbilisi area, including bronze objects and other fascinating relics. The museum, unfortunately, is no longer open, but it's worth a trip to Tbilisi’s Digdomi district, on the Mtvari River, to explore the imposing Soviet Modernist-styled building.

It has a cave-like entrance at the top of a stairway, and an impressive carved relief sculpture headpiece, not to mention a great view of the city below.