Georgian Parliament Building (Kutaisi): Difference between revisions

 

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{{Short description|Public building in Kutaisi, Georgia}}

{{Short description|Public building in Kutaisi, Georgia}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Use dmy dates|date= 2025}}

{{Infobox building

{{Infobox building

| name = Georgian Parliament Building

| name = Georgian Parliament Building

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The exterior of the building is dominated by a {{convert|100|m|ft|adj=on}} by {{convert|150|m|ft|adj=on}} oval-shaped great glass and steel dome ploughed by a roof-like concrete element that rests on the vault.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18367472 “Georgia sees glass parliament as symbol of future” June 10, 2012, ”BBC News”]</ref> It was constructed on the initiative of then-[[President of Georgia]] [[Mikheil Saakashvili]] on the site of [[Glory Memorial|the Glory Memorial]] to Soviet soldiers of [[World War II]]; the monument was demolished with explosives to free space for the construction in December 2009, accidentally killing two people, a mother and a daughter. The government, during the building’s construction, promoted it as a symbol of Georgia’s bright, democratic future. Its location in Kutaisi was touted as a boost for the regional economy there as well as a way to knit the country closer together. Critics state that the building is a waste of money, and that having Parliament in Kutaisi, while the rest of the government remains in Tbilisi, is inefficient.<ref>[https://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2012/06/georgias-new-parliament “An expensive folly or an investment in the future?”, ”Economist”, June 14, 2012]</ref> Saakashvili argued that the relocation would attract development to Kutaisi and provide security for the parliament in case of an invasion, as Tbilisi is closer to Russian-controlled areas.<ref name=”:0″>{{Cite news |last=Chapple |first=Amos |date=14 May 2021 |title=Georgia’s Hypermodern Parliament Building Faces Uncertain Future |language=en |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-kutaisi-parliament-building-abandoned-saakashvili/31248176.html |access-date=4 January 2024}}</ref>

The exterior of the building is dominated by a {{convert|100|m|ft|adj=on}} by {{convert|150|m|ft|adj=on}} oval-shaped great glass and steel dome ploughed by a roof-like concrete element that rests on the vault.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18367472 “Georgia sees glass parliament as symbol of future” June 10, 2012, ”BBC News”]</ref> It was constructed on the initiative of then-[[President of Georgia]] [[Mikheil Saakashvili]] on the site of [[Glory Memorial|the Glory Memorial]] to Soviet soldiers of [[World War II]]; the monument was demolished with explosives to free space for the construction in December 2009, accidentally killing two people, a mother and a daughter. The government, during the building’s construction, promoted it as a symbol of Georgia’s bright, democratic future. Its location in Kutaisi was touted as a boost for the regional economy there as well as a way to knit the country closer together. Critics state that the building is a waste of money, and that having Parliament in Kutaisi, while the rest of the government remains in Tbilisi, is inefficient.<ref>[https://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2012/06/georgias-new-parliament “An expensive folly or an investment in the future?”, ”Economist”, June 14, 2012]</ref> Saakashvili argued that the relocation would attract development to Kutaisi and provide security for the parliament in case of an invasion, as Tbilisi is closer to Russian-controlled areas.<ref name=”:0″>{{Cite news |last=Chapple |first=Amos |date=14 May 2021 |title=Georgia’s Hypermodern Parliament Building Faces Uncertain Future |language=en |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-kutaisi-parliament-building-abandoned-saakashvili/31248176.html |access-date=4 January 2024}}</ref>

After Saakashvili’s term in office expired, the new government of the [[Georgian Dream]] coalition decided to move all parliamentary activities back to Tbilisi.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kucera |first1=Joshua |title=With loss of parliament, Georgia’s second city prepares for a downgrade {{!}} Eurasianet |url=https://eurasianet.org/with-loss-of-parliament-georgias-second-city-prepares-for-a-downgrade |accessdate=7 January 2019 |work=eurasianet |date=21 June 2018}}</ref> The constitutional amendment passed in 2017 entered into force in December 2018, containing no reference to Kutaisi as the seat of the Parliament, meaning that the Parliament fully returned to the capital in January 2019.<ref name=”civ17″>{{cite news |title=Key Points of Newly Adopted Constitution |url=https://civil.ge/archives/218332 |accessdate=7 January 2019 |work=Civil Georgia |date=27 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New Constitution of Georgia comes into play as the presidential inauguration is over |url=http://agenda.ge/en/news/2018/2674 |accessdate=7 January 2019 |work=Agenda.ge |date=17 December 2018}}</ref> The building in Kutaisi is set to pass into possession of the [[Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Kutaisi parliament building to be handed over to Interior Ministry |url=http://agenda.ge/en/news/2018/1979 |accessdate=7 January 2019 |work=Agenda.ge |date=21 September 2018}}</ref> In 2021, [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] reported that the building was under the control of the Ministry of Economics and still abandoned, although the preserved horseman statue from the former Soviet war memorial had been erected on a new base near the building.<ref name=”:0″ /> Prime Minister [[Irakli Garibashvili]] announced in a government meeting in December 2022 that an information technology hub is planned to be established in the building.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 December 2022 |title=Former Parliament building in Kutaisi to be turned into IT hub |url=https://agenda.ge/en/news/2022/4833 |access-date=4 January 2024 |website=Agenda.ge}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=New hub in Kutaisi to turn western city into “high-tech, innovation centre” – Economy Ministry {{!}} AGENDA.GE |url=https://agenda.ge/en/news/2024/40086#gsc.tab=0 |access-date=23 November 2024 |website=agenda.ge |language=en}}</ref>

After Saakashvili’s term in office expired, the new government of the [[Georgian Dream]] coalition decided to move all parliamentary activities back to Tbilisi.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kucera |first1=Joshua |title=With loss of parliament, Georgia’s second city prepares for a downgrade {{!}} Eurasianet |url=https://eurasianet.org/with-loss-of-parliament-georgias-second-city-prepares-for-a-downgrade |accessdate=7 January 2019 |work=eurasianet |date=21 June 2018}}</ref> The constitutional amendment passed in 2017 entered into force in December 2018, containing no reference to Kutaisi as the seat of the Parliament, meaning that the Parliament fully returned to the capital in January 2019.<ref name=”civ17″>{{cite news |title=Key Points of Newly Adopted Constitution |url=https://civil.ge/archives/218332 |accessdate=7 January 2019 |work=Civil Georgia |date=27 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New Constitution of Georgia comes into play as the presidential inauguration is over |url=http://agenda.ge/en/news/2018/2674 |accessdate=7 January 2019 |work=Agenda.ge |date=17 December 2018}}</ref> The building in Kutaisi is set to pass into possession of the [[Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Kutaisi parliament building to be handed over to Interior Ministry |url=http://agenda.ge/en/news/2018/1979 |accessdate=7 January 2019 |work=Agenda.ge |date=21 September 2018}}</ref> In 2021, [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] reported that the building was under the control of the Ministry of Economics and still abandoned, although the preserved horseman statue from the former Soviet war memorial had been erected on a new base near the building.<ref name=”:0″ /> Prime Minister [[Irakli Garibashvili]] announced in a government meeting in December 2022 that an information technology hub is planned to be established in the building.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 December 2022 |title=Former Parliament building in Kutaisi to be turned into IT hub |url=https://agenda.ge/en/news/2022/4833 |access-date=4 January 2024 |website=Agenda.ge}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=New hub in Kutaisi to turn western city into “high-tech, innovation centre” Economy Ministry {{!}} AGENDA.GE |url=https://agenda.ge/en/news/2024/40086#gsc.tab=0 |access-date=23 November 2024 |website=agenda.ge |language=en}}</ref>

==References==

==References==

Public building in Kutaisi, Georgia

The Georgian Parliament Building in Kutaisi (Georgian: საქართველოს პარლამენტის შენობა ქუთაისში, romanized: sakartvelos p’arlament’is shenoba kutaisshi) was constructed from 2011 to 2012 in Kutaisi, traditionally the second most important city of Georgia, 231 kilometres (144 mi) west of Tbilisi, the nation’s capital, to house the Parliament of Georgia. Built by the Spanish architecture firm CMD Ingenieros, the building was inaugurated on 26 May 2012 and, according to the respective constitutional clause, became the main seat of the newly elected Parliament in October 2012 until the legislature moved back to Tbilisi in January 2019.^[3]

The exterior of the building is dominated by a 100-metre (330 ft) by 150-metre (490 ft) oval-shaped great glass and steel dome ploughed by a roof-like concrete element that rests on the vault.^[4] It was constructed on the initiative of then-President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili on the site of the Glory Memorial to Soviet soldiers of World War II; the monument was demolished with explosives to free space for the construction in December 2009, accidentally killing two people, a mother and a daughter. The government, during the building’s construction, promoted it as a symbol of Georgia’s bright, democratic future. Its location in Kutaisi was touted as a boost for the regional economy there as well as a way to knit the country closer together. Critics state that the building is a waste of money, and that having Parliament in Kutaisi, while the rest of the government remains in Tbilisi, is inefficient.^[5] Saakashvili argued that the relocation would attract development to Kutaisi and provide security for the parliament in case of an invasion, as Tbilisi is closer to Russian-controlled areas.^[6]

After Saakashvili’s term in office expired, the new government of the Georgian Dream coalition decided to move all parliamentary activities back to Tbilisi.^[7] The constitutional amendment passed in 2017 entered into force in December 2018, containing no reference to Kutaisi as the seat of the Parliament, meaning that the Parliament fully returned to the capital in January 2019.^[8][9] The building in Kutaisi is set to pass into possession of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.^[10] In 2021, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that the building was under the control of the Ministry of Economics and still abandoned, although the preserved horseman statue from the former Soviet war memorial had been erected on a new base near the building.^[6] Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced in a government meeting in December 2022 that an information technology hub is planned to be established in the building.^[11][12]