Theme Week Georgia – Kutaisi

Friday, 27 November 2020 - 12:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General, UNESCO World Heritage
Reading Time:  5 minutes

Downtown Kutaisi and White Bridge as seen from Mount Gora © Kober/cc-by-sa-3.0

Downtown Kutaisi and White Bridge as seen from Mount Gora © Kober/cc-by-sa-3.0

Kutaisi is one of the most ancient cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated 221 kilometres (137 miles) west of Tbilisi, on the Rioni River, it is the capital of the western region of Imereti.

Historically one of the major cities of Georgia, it served as political center of Colchis in the Middle Ages as capital of the Kingdom of Abkhazia and Kingdom of Georgia and later as the capital of the Kingdom of Imereti. From October 2012 to December 2018, Kutaisi briefly was the seat of the Parliament of Georgia as an effort to decentralise the Georgian government.

© flickr.com - Herbert Frank/cc-by-2.0 © flickr.com - Herbert Frank/cc-by-2.0 © flickr.com - Herbert Frank/cc-by-2.0 Bagrati Cathedral © Marcin Konsek/cc-by-sa-4.0 Downtown Kutaisi and White Bridge as seen from Mount Gora © Kober/cc-by-sa-3.0 Gelati Monastery © Dudva/cc-by-sa-4.0
<
>
Downtown Kutaisi and White Bridge as seen from Mount Gora © Kober/cc-by-sa-3.0
The landmark of the city is the ruined Bagrati Cathedral, built by Bagrat III, king of Georgia, in the early 11th century. The Gelati Monastery a few km east of the city, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the famous churches in Georgia is Motsameta monastery. It is named after two saints, brothers David and Constantine. They were the Dukes of Margveti, and were martyred by Arab invaders in the 8th century. Besides the churches, there are many interesting places in Kutaisi, such as: Sataplia Cave, where one can observe footprints of dinosaurs; Geguti Palace, which was one of the residences of Georgian monarchs; “Okros Chardakhi” – Georgian Kings’ Palace; and the Pantheon, where many notable citizens are buried. The Kutaisi Synagogue which was built in 1885 is also an interesting sight.

Kutaisi has traditionally been an important industrial center in Georgia, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union most of the old manufacturing lines either stopped working or had to greatly reduce their operations. Nevertheless, the city continues to be an important regional center for the greater Imereti area, acting as a commercial hub for the surrounding countryside. In recent years, the city has started attracting more investment from various multinational corporations. The Auto Mechanical Plant, originally established in 1945, is located in Kutaisi. There are two free indurstrial zones in Kutaisi: The Kutaisi free industrial zone (Kutaisi FIZ) and the Hualing free industrial zone (Hualing FIZ). The Kutaisi FIZ was created in 2009 and was established on the initiative of Fresh Electric, an Egypt-based home appliances producer. The Hualing FIZ operates since 2015, and specializes in wood and stone processing, furniture and mattress production and metal construction. Both of the free industrial zones offer multiple incentives to investors such as tax exemptions and reduced barriers for trade. In 2019, German solar panel manufacturer AE Solar opened a new, fully automated manufacturing line in Kutaisi. With a total output of 500 MW per year it is the largest solar panel factory under one roof in Europe. During the same year Changan Automobile announced plans to construct an electric car factory in Kutaisi, with an annual production capacity of up to 40,000 vehicles. The company plans to export annually about 20,000 cars to the EU. The factory plans to employ about 3,000 people.

Here you can find the complete Overview of all Theme Weeks.

Read more on Kutaisi, Wikivoyage Kutaisi and Wikipedia Kutaisi. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.




Recommended posts:

Share this post: (Please note data protection regulations before using buttons)

Yorba Linda in California

Yorba Linda in California

[caption id="attachment_223155" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Richard Nixon Library and Gardens © Sorcha/cc-by-sa-2.5[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, United State...

[ read more ]

The medieval town of Goslar

The medieval town of Goslar

[caption id="attachment_159769" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Mediaeval Imperial Palace © Tobias Helfrich[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Goslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the distric...

[ read more ]

Lipstick Building in New York City

Lipstick Building in New York City

[caption id="attachment_228859" align="aligncenter" width="442"] © flickr.com - Filip Maljković/cc-by-sa-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Lipstick Building, also known as 885 Third Avenue and 53rd at Third, is a 453-foot (138 meter...

[ read more ]

Macaronesia in the Atlantic Ocean

Macaronesia in the Atlantic Ocean

[caption id="attachment_224740" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Cámara de Lobos, Madeira © Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Macaronesia is a collection of four volcanic archipelagos in the North A...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Veneto - Rovigo

Theme Week Veneto - Rovigo

[caption id="attachment_153591" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II © Atigra/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Rovigo is a town and comune in the Veneto region of North-Eastern Italy with 53,000 inhabita...

[ read more ]

Kontorhaus District in Hamburg

Kontorhaus District in Hamburg

[caption id="attachment_209920" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Sprinkenhof © Dietmar Rabich/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Kontorhaus District is the southeastern part of Altstadt, Hamburg, between Steinstraße, Meßber...

[ read more ]

Svolvær on the Lofoten

Svolvær on the Lofoten

[caption id="attachment_161170" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Svolvær Harbour © Ernmuhl[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Svolvær is the administrative centre of Vågan Municipality (9,200 inhabitants) in the Nordland County in Lofoten....

[ read more ]

Andros in Greece

Andros in Greece

[caption id="attachment_227336" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Batsi © flickr.com - linmtheu/cc-by-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Andros is the northernmost island of the Greek Cyclades archipelago, about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of E...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Abruzzo - L’Aquila

Theme Week Abruzzo - L’Aquila

[caption id="attachment_153293" align="aligncenter" width="590"] City center © flickr.com - elparainbow/cc-by-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]L'Aquila (meaning "The Eagle") is a city and comune in central Italy, both the capital city o...

[ read more ]

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

[caption id="attachment_27811" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Hong Kong Jockey Club HQ © Chong Fat/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) is one of the oldest institutions in Hong Kong. Founded in 1...

[ read more ]

Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm

Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm

[caption id="attachment_200713" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Julian Herzog/cc-by-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Gamla stan (The Old Town), until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna (The Town between the Bridges), is the old to...

[ read more ]

Mladá Boleslav northeast of Prague

Mladá Boleslav northeast of Prague

[caption id="attachment_151514" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Old Town Square with Old Town Hall and Marian column © Sokoljan/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Mladá Boleslav is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the C...

[ read more ]

Return to TopReturn to Top