Tbilisi Historic District

The Tbilisi Historic District is part of the Tentative list of Georgia. It’s a small neighbourhood in Georgia’s capital that can be explored on foot. The rest of the city is of course much bigger: over a million people live there and one moves around the easiest with the subway that still dates from Soviet times. I went several times to Didube metro station for example, to take buses to Mtskheta and Gori from the eponymous bus station. A ticket costs a mere 0.5 lari (0,17 EUR).

I first explored the Historic District by the 3-hour 'free' walking tour of Tiblisi Hack Free Tours. This was under the guidance of Russian(!) Anya and together with about 15 other tourists from all corners of the world: Lithuania, Ukraine, Germany, Canada, United States, Jordan. Her key question was "Do you think Tbilisi is more Asian or more European?" This befits one of the two key elements in Tbilisi’s claim to OUV: the location of Georgia (and especially Tbilisi) on the cross-roads of Europe and Asia with all consequent historical conditions. I think the Historic District is more oriental, to a certain extent it resembles Istanbul or Sarajevo. The traditional sulphur bath houses and their domes also contribute to that image.

The Historic District also has many dilapidated and vacant houses. These were abandoned by their owners in the 80’s and 90’s, when the economic situation in Georgia was very bad. There are no clear plans what to do with them. …

Absolutely one of the most charming cities in the world, I would recommend Tibili's Old Town to any traveler looking for inspiration that might reignite the travel spark. The Republic of Georgia itself is fascinating and my favorite places in the lower Caucasus region — the food, wine, architecture, history, and culture are completely unique in the world. 

For the Historic District itself, the best way to explore is on foot and with a camera in hand. The aesthetic is just gorgeous, with lattice-worked balconies sighing from colorful buildings. It's a fading glory though, and you can feel some of the Soviet-era destruction and just lack of ability to maintain. In that way, Tbilisi reminded me a lot of Havana, Cuba — it's so pretty, but some of that comas as a decaying beauty that is the priced the city (and residents) paid for living through history. 

The impressive Narikala fortress and Mother Georgia statue rise above the Historic District, which are also completely explorable and enjoyable. I've visited quite a few other UNESCO cities, including Antigua, Guatemala; Luang Prabang, Laos; and Hoi An, Vietnam — this one ranks high on this impressive list of cities. 

Perhaps even more enjoyable, however, are some of the more intangible aspects of traveling in the Republic of Georgia. The hospitality, the beautiful polyphonic signing (also UNESCO), the long history of wine (and the drinking of it that is quite present in current culture). Then, the city also …

I loved it even though it is not very well maintained. In its time of glory it had to be splendid.