The Gateway to the Black Sea – Batumi’s 2 000-Year History
Built on the shores of a deep natural harbor, 3 meters above sea level, the European city of Batumi, the second largest city in Georgia in terms of population, has a rich history. The name Batumi is associated with its location (translated from Greek as ”deep”). The city is growing and developing every day, especially in the last 2 decades. Against the background of the fact that most Georgian cities are increasingly decreasing in population, Batumi, along with Tbilisi, is growing every year (currently 185,000 inhabitants).
The first information about the settlement appears as early as the 4th century BC. The settlement was one of the centers of Greco-Roman influence. Later it became part of the Abkhazian (Egress) kingdom, and then belonged to the principalities of Odishi and Guria. For almost two centuries, Batumi was controlled by the Ottomans. The city’s popularity increased in the 1870s after the construction of the Batumi-Tbilisi railway. One of the most important cities of the First Republic of Georgia, it was occupied by the Bolsheviks in the 1920s after much resistance.
Batumi was planned during the Soviet period. Development plans were drawn up in 1927, 1933 and 1956. During the same period, the city was industrialized (a number of factories and combines were built), which contributed to the rapid growth of the population. New buildings in the style of socialist classicism and Soviet modernism were built: the Drama Theater, the Tbilisi Cinema, the Maritime Academy, the Pedagogical Institute, and others.
Over the past 20 years, Batumi has grown significantly and become more beautiful. Batumi International Airport was put into operation, and the construction of modern hotels, residential buildings, and shopping and entertainment facilities intensified. Despite the construction of high-rise buildings, Batumi does not complain about the lack of green zones. Batumi Boulevard, whose total length reaches 7 kilometers, has been further improved.
Divided into 14 administrative units, Batumi, with an area of 65 sq. km, is connected to the Western world with its port on the Black Sea and acts as a kind of “gateway to the Black Sea”. In 2022, it became the winner of the World Travel Awards in the nomination: “Fastest Growing Tourist Destination in Europe”.
