Top 10 Facts about the Boulevard

Fact #1. Batumi Boulevard has reached the third century of its existence. Its construction began in 1881 and initially was led by Prussian gardeners Resller and Rayer.

Fact #2. In 1885 Boulevard moved to a new stage of development. The city's chief gardener, French nobleman Michael D'Alfons, has continued to cultivate the boulevard according to European experience and French style. In historical references, D'Alfons is referred as "the good genius of the Batumi sea coast", to mark his special tribute,

Fact #3. Diverse species of flora and fauna are represented on the Batumi Boulevard. The zoo-corner in the heart of the boulevard has more than 140 inhabitants, and the number of plant-trees exceeds 40,000.

Fact #4. A prominent graduate of the Versailles National Agricultural Institute, gardener-decorator Jason Gordeziani , also made a great contribution to the development of Batumi Boulevard. Under his leadership, the vegetation on the boulevard was significantly modernized, old ones were expanded and new nurseries were created.

Fact #5. Until 1941, the boulevard alleys were decorated with up to 20 antique-style marble sculptures, imported from Italy; However, during the Soviet era, marble had a very "non-socialist", gemstone status, as a result, the statues were hidden from the public eye, delivered to the Оfficers' house warehouse, from where their trace disappears forever.

Fact #6. Batumi lighthouse, in addition to technical functions, also has the status of cultural heritage; Its first building was built in 1863 before the boulevard was founded. An example of the progressive architecture of that time also has a unique location, where 41 degrees of longitude and latitude parallels coincide with each other.

Fact #7. The idea of planting the famous alleys of the boulevard emerged from its founding in 1881. In 1884, the first alley was planted along Ninoshvili Street, now called the Alley of Magnolias, due to the abundance of evergreen plants.

Fact #8. There are many interesting examples of mosaic art in Batumi, but the most typical of them is a cafe "Fantasy" - an interesting, functional sculpture, built in 1981 according to the sketch of the artist Zurab Kapanadze and which has become Batumi's hallmark for many years. In 2019, restoration works were completed and the beloved, for Batumi residents and city guests, “octopus”returned to our boulevard in its original form.

Fact #9. By the end of 2009, the area of the boulevard had grown significantly and reached 7 kilometers. The 1200-meter-long plot, designed by Spanish architect Alberto Domingo Cabo, is an excellent example of modern landscape planning and architecture.

Fact #10. It is no secret that the symbol of our boulevard is, rising in its heart, beautiful colonnades in the antique style. The idea of their construction belongs to Ivan Mchedlidze, a doctor from Batumi who brought the project from Sorrento, Italy, in 1930 with the help of Maxim Gorky. If you look at the logo of the boulevard, you will see the top of the colonnades.