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The Ceremonial Palace of Georgia (Georgian: სახელმწიფო ცერემონიების სასახლე), formerly known as the Presidential Administration of Georgia (Georgian: საქართველოს პრეზიდენტის ადმინისტრაცია, sakartvelos prezidentis administratsia) or formerly the Avlabari Presidential Residence, is a palace for state ceremonies in Tbilisi that used to house the administration of President of Georgia. Located in a refurbished building of the former Imperial gendarmerie, it is located on the left bank of the Kura River, in the Avlabari district of Tbilisi, Georgia.[1]
| Ceremonial Palace of Georgia | |
|---|---|
სახელმწიფო ცერემონიების სასახლე | |
 Presidential Palace | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Active |
| Location | 1 M. Abdushelishvili Street, Tbilisi, Georgia 0103 |
| Coordinates | 41°41′45″N 44°48′41″E / 41.69583°N 44.81139°E |
| Current tenants | None |
History
edit
The construction of the administration building commenced in 2004 on the basis of a 19th-century neoclassical edifice, which formerly housed the Imperial gendarmerie; the work was finalized in 2009. The palace was built on the initiative of President Mikheil Saakashvili. The residence officially opened on July 12, 2009, with a special ceremony being held in which up to 1,600 guests were invited, including the Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia, ambassadors parliamentarians, members of the government and cultural figures.[2][3] Prior to its construction, the Georgian president resided at a Soviet-era complex in nearby Krtsanisi.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
2019 changes
editIn 2019, the Avlabari residence was renamed and it became the Ceremonial Palace of Georgia. Members of the ruling Georgian Dream party discussed the potential function of the palace to house the Georgian National Museum.[11] At the start of the Presidency of Salome Zourabichvili, the residence of the president was moved to the Orbeliani Palace. On 9 April 2019, the Head of the Presidential Administration Lasha Zhvania declared that "The palace will be renamed as the palace for state ceremonies."[12]
Design
editThe final version was designed by an Italian architect Michele De Lucchi who had also designed the headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, The Bridge of Peace in Tbilisi and Medea hotel in Batumi. Façade of the Presidential Office appears in mosaic authored by Georgian designer Natalia Amirejibi de Pita with an aphorism from the medieval Georgian poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin: "Good hath overcome ill; the essence of is lasting". The largest element of the palace are two shimmering "water mirrors"-28 long and 1,6 m high (89.6 m2) mosaics in front of the complex main building called "Our background and our identity", encapsulating the entirety of Georgia's complicated and colourful history accomplished by Natalia Amirejibi de Pita.
There is a museum on the first floor of the palace, where items gifted to the President of Georgia by the leaders of different countries are exhibited. Ekvtime Takaishvili Hall is located on the second floor, which is intended for official and other important meetings. The dome of the building, constructed out of three-dimensional bent glass in Germany, was designed by a Georgian architect Vakhtang Zesashvili and Italian Architect Franc Zagari. In front of the administration building, facing the main entrance stands a rotating monument in three colors, designed by Ambassador of Georgia to Germany and granddaughter of last Emperor of Austria Charles I of Austria, Gabriela von Habsburg, representing three branches of government - legislative, executive and judicial.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Office of the President of Georgia. Contact". Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
- ^ "IIS Windows Server" პრეზიდენტის სასახლე ოფიციალურად გაიხსნა. პრეზიდენტის ოფიციალური საიტი. Tbilisi. 12 July 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2009.[dead link]
- ^ ავლაბრის რეზიდენცია ოფიციალურად გაიხსნა. 1 TV. Tbilisi. 13 July 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
- ^ "Secretary Cohen meets with Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze at Krtsanisi".
- ^ "Projects".
- ^ https://georgianadventure.blogspot.com/2006/06/krtsanisi-governmental-residence.html https://pbproperty.ge/krtsanisi-residence/
- ^ "Irakli Garibashvili: 200 million USD in investments, up to 100 subcontractors, and thousands of our citizens employed; Krtsanisi Resort Residence is a seminal project to be implemented in our capital".
- ^ "Buildings an plot on territory of Krtsanisi former government residence repeatedly brought on an auction | News | Enterprise Georgia".
- ^ "U.S. Firm Pays USD 15 MLN for Krtsanisi Governmental Residence". 24 December 2004.
- ^ "The Bobokvati Residence, which the Government of Georgia transferred to the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church in exchange for property in Krtsanisi, is less valuable".
- ^ "National Museum of Georgian Culture may be placed in the Avlabari presidential palace". Agenda.ge. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
- ^ "Avlabari presidential palace in Tbilisi to be used for high-level ceremonies, receptions". Agenda.ge. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
- ^ "The Presidential Office of Georgia". Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-05-03.