Playful Heritage

Kutaisi is the second largest city in Georgia. When passing through, a Westerner is inclined to assume that the suicide rate is high here. It rains a lot. If you know Emir Kusturica's films, you know how rain visually reinforces obvious poverty. The water does not drain because the sewage system does not work well. Even in the city, we are glad to have a tall car, as the potholes in the streets are so deep. Single-family houses are decaying one after another by the roadside, and Soviet prefabricated buildings look desolate. Very old women, who should already be enjoying their retirement, work as street sweepers (this is also true in the rest of the country).

But Kutaisi also has a UNESCO World Heritage Site (and therefore tourism), albeit a questionable one. It has been on the 'Red List' for a long time, meaning that it was at risk of losing its status - we Viennese are well acquainted with the Red List ;-). More precisely, the cultural heritage consisted of the Gelati Monastery, which is located outside the city, and the Bagrati Cathedral in the city. The latter was the reason for the UNESCO's displeasure. Personally, I don't even understand how the cathedral could ever become a cultural heritage site.

Admittedly, it must have been a great thing when it was built in the 11th century, but by the early 20th century, it was completely ruined. Actually, everything you see today was built afterwards, with a few preserved original parts in between. This did not bother anyone at UNESCO in 1994. However, when President Mikheil Saakashvili, who delighted the whole country with - by the way, always very good - contemporary architecture, decided to completely rebuild the cathedral, UNESCO was not pleased, and only the idyllic Gelati Monastery saved the cultural heritage status for now. Since 2017, the cathedral has been definitively removed and the Gelati Monastery alone is a cultural heritage site, where, incidentally, a king is buried who is said to have been a role model for Saakashvili: David IV, also known as 'the Builder', ruler of Georgia from 1089 onwards.

By the way: The people here in Kutaisi do not seem at all depressed. Perception from a Western perspective is a tricky thing. Today, however, we got the best food we have had so far in Georgia from a happy young couple - and the bar is set high. Cheers to Toma's mom, a truly gifted cook (#Toma's Wine Cellar). I'm glad I brought wrap skirts that can grow with me.