GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Batumi is the city which easily makes visitors fall in love with it. This small, white city containing mostly 2-3-storeyed buildings possesses a certain unique charm. The part of the city called "Old Batumi" is nearly 150 years old. Coffee ritual generally takes an important place in Batumi lifestyle. There are a lot of open cafes here where city dwellers gather according to the ages and interest and have aromatic hot black coffee prepared on the heated sand. The buildings in "Old Batumi" are of exceptional beauty. A lot of buildings are decorated with chimeras, lions, nameless mythical creatures, and the pride of Batumians - a boy with the reed-pipe. The beautiful white building near the seaside park is shouldered by the Titans. They have been holding their "heavy" burden uncomplainingly for over a century already. Growth and development of modern Batumi began in Porto Franco period In the XIX century and continued more rapidly later on. Batumi with its first-rank port and well developed industry held a significant place in Georgia and in Caucasus as one of the most important transit and industrial centers. 29 factories functioned here in 1903. Industrial boom was followed by an increase in the population growth - from 3 000 up to 30000 in the time frame 1878-1903. A lot of European commercial and industrial companies were in business in that period. "O.F. Gillard", "Siemens and Halske", "Schuft and Zimmerman", "Varneke and Company", "Nobel Brothers" and others were among them. European profound interest in Batumi was rapidly growing. The flow of businessmen to and from Batumi noticeably increased. An intensive constructing activity started: 305 dwelling houses were built, 4 tobacco plants, 8 hotels, 4 confectionaries, 27 bakeries, 21 dining-halls, 49 groceries, 15 fancy-goods stores and 12 shoe and ready-made clothing stores were opened by 1884.