Author: Tamta Turmanidze

 

 

In every urban space, there exists a second, third, and sometimes even tenth city. These are the old cities that once breathed and bustled in these places.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, these cities come alive through preserved houses in old neighborhoods, surviving stone walls, stories told by grandmothers, or even through names and places.

A journey to old Kutaisi begins somewhere at the intersection of the French and Jewish Quarters or, at the very least, when you step onto the cobblestones of Gelati Street. However, this journey can also start with the “Passages”—as the local residents of Kutaisi still refer to the commercial rows stretching from the central square to the Greenmarket. Most people may not even know that the name is tied to entrepreneur Jakob Begishvili, who lived in the city during the latter half of the 19th century.

Jakob Begishvili launched silk weaving and cotton factories in Kutaisi. It is noteworthy that until then, industry in Kutaisi had been represented only by small-scale manufactories. He began the construction of the so-called grand two-story commercial house—the Passage—on Mikhail Street (now Paliashvili Street). The building’s upper part housed residential apartments, while the lower section was occupied by various shops. This solution later became a characteristic feature of Kutaisi, where the first floors of nearly all the city’s buildings were occupied by shops and workshops. By the way, Jakob Begishvili’s sons brought equipment from Germany in 1893, thanks to which Kutaisi’s power plant was launched, supplying the city with its first electricity.

If you turn right at the end of the Passage near the market onto Lermontov Street, you can still recognize the facade of the first pharmacy in Kutaisi (now Pharmacy No. 8), despite its numerous renovations and arches. This pharmacy was opened by Petre-Pavle Kokochashvili. Alongside this pharmacy is the story of Catholic Kutaisi, which lives on in the family histories of names like Tumanishvili, Kokochashvili, Otskheli, and in the name of the French district itself.

Catholic missionaries began settling in Imereti in the 17th century. The knowledge and books they brought were a bridge between Georgian and European cultures. Many of these missionaries were not only theologians but also skilled doctors, often serving kings and nobles, and treating the poor for free. They passed on the arts of healing and medicine-making to the people of Kutaisi. Ivane Kokochashvili studied pharmacy and medicine from Catholic fathers and later passed this knowledge on to his son.

The birth of another legend of Kutaisi—the Lagidze Waters— is also tied to the pharmacy opened by Petre-Pavle Kokochashvili.

Mitrofan Lagidze was 14 years old when he started working as an apprentice at the Kokochashvili and Ivanovsky Pharmacy. Caesar Ivanovsky was a master of pharmacy and held many secrets of his craft. Besides the pharmacy, he also owned a lemonade factory in Kutaisi, where Mitrofan also worked. It was under Ivanovsky that Lagidze learned the method of producing fruit juices—non-alcoholic drinks—and after his teacher’s death, he took over the production and introduced many innovations. He was the first to introduce the method of “enhancing” drinks, which involved adding a corresponding essence together with the fruit juice.

Soon, Lagidze Waters became famous throughout Georgia, cherished for their unique taste. The poet Akaki Tsereteli even dedicated an impromptu poem to them:

“I am a rival to wine, beer, water, and milk—
The fruit essence is the realm of Mitrofan Lagidze.”

No one knows what secret Caesar Ivanovsky shared with Mitrofan Lagidze, but one thing is certain: the unique taste of Lagidze Waters has never been replicated. Drinks of various colors, bottled in glass cones, with the remarkable flavors of tarragon, barberry, chocolate, and cream, remain one of the sweetest childhood memories for many.

Interestingly, the development of sparkling wine production in Georgia is also linked to Kutaisi through a rather intriguing story. No one knows for sure how true the witty epigram “Agrafina the Laugher, Dadiani gave her to the Prince” is, but there is no doubt that the love for the Kutaisi woman Agrafina Japaridze made Prince Oldenburg, a close relative of the Russian Emperor, do many interesting things in Georgia. Among them was the purchase of a winery on Balahvani Street in Kutaisi, where he brought the French champagne maker Victor Thibault. It was in Oldenburg’s production that Filippe Chelidze, who later acquired the knowledge and experience, worked as an apprentice for several years. Chelidze then bought land on Mikhailov Street, where in 1895, he built a factory for producing liqueur and table wines.

The Chelidze firm became highly successful, producing up to 15,000 liters of champagne annually, along with up to 10,000 barrels of table wine and 1,500 barrels of spirits. His clientele extended across the Caucasus, with products reaching Siberia, the Far East, Manchuria, and beyond. The beautiful woman featured in the advertisement for Filippe Chelidze’s sparkling wine “Tamari” stirred the hearts of many men.

To take a journey into old Kutaisi and imagine the surroundings, atmosphere, people, and mood, there’s another magical place in the city—the Central Boulevard, a 200-year-old garden whose function has remained almost unchanged over time.

Established in 1848, the “Boulevard” was a beloved spot for strolls, where the residents of Kutaisi gathered to discuss the latest news, debate political issues, share local “important” news, and keep up with fashion trends. The publicist and social figure Samson Pirtskhalava wrote: “If you wanted to meet someone, you could find them here. Deals were made here, debts were settled, people were hired, loans were given, engagements took place, and debates were held. Here was the exchange and display of people, beauty, wealth, and fine garments.” The garden was always full of people, day and night. Interestingly, the boulevard still fulfills almost all these functions today.

The fencing and landscaping of Central Boulevard is associated with the name Luka Asatiani, who served as the head of the city for 13 years.

In the early 19th century, Kutaisi was a small, cozy town with wooden houses and balconies hidden in green courtyards scattered along winding streets. Even in the 1850s, only 15 out of the 481 houses in the city were made of stone. During the tenure of the second mayor, Luka Asatiani, this small town, whose population in the 1860s did not exceed 6,000, gradually began to grow and develop. As Dmitry Nazarishvili noted, Luka Asatiani took over a city resembling a village but, through his work, managed to give it the form he envisioned. Kutaisi was becoming more “European.” The city council decreed a ban on building wooden houses in the center, and soon another feature of Kutaisi appeared—houses built from eklara stone.

Luka Asatiani’s term was particularly fruitful for Kutaisi, and his list of accomplishments is extensive: the development of trade and crafts, the paving and lighting of streets with kerosene lamps, the restoration of the long-destroyed chain bridge, the opening of a preparatory school (later a full-fledged gymnasium), the establishment of an agricultural school, and the foundation of an elementary school, among others.

It was during this period that the story of Kutaisi romances began, performed with bowed guitars, and people playing lotto in family salons. This was a city where “haberdashery dresses were all the rage” and where, as Zakaria Eristavi wrote, “fashion orders from Paris were fulfilled” with the help of European merchant shops.

The lifestyle, rhythm, and charm of Kutaisi were fascinatingly described by the French traveler Frédéric Dubois de Montpéreux: “Life in Kutaisi resembles the life of the ancient Greeks… The market here is like that in Athens, the central place of life and movement. Here, artisans demonstrate their goods and work before everyone’s eyes; everything is visible: how gomi (a type of Georgian cornmeal dish) is mixed, bread is baked, dishes are cooked at the samikitno ( a place that trades in wine, drinks, and well-known dishes), horseshoes are forged, knives are sharpened, heads are shaved, shoes are sewn, and workshops and shops are open. Everything is visible, and nothing is hidden from the public eye.”

You can “wander” the streets of 19th-century Kutaisi endlessly. You’ll encounter figures like the tobacco factory owners Firalovs and Gokieli, and sample the sweets from Chilingarishvili’s confectionery, paired with drinks from the liqueur and cognac factory of Giorgi Bolkvadze. There’s also the Silk Factory of Stefan Tumanishvili and more. It’s interesting that most of Kutaisi’s entrepreneurs were also active patrons of the arts, and their lives and activities were closely tied to the development of the city and the country. For example, the publication of the first collection of Galaktion’s poetry and the filming of the first Georgian feature film was financed by the forestry magnate of Western Georgia, Karaman Dateshidze from Kutaisi.

The intertwined lines of individual lives and families ultimately become the history of a city—an ancient story that always feels new.

P.S. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the people who provided me with the materials used in this article and helped make this journey into Old Kutaisi a reality:

Nanuli Tsckvediani
Merab Kezevadze
Levan Begishvili
Nino Abuladze