Liberty Square

Until 1801, the territory of Liberty Square was a suburb of the city and was called Garetubani. Firewood was brought to this place from villages near Tbilisi, so locals called it the firewood square. In the following period, the Russian administration built the headquarter of the Caucasian Army at the corner of the square, and this place was renamed headquarters square. The first official name of the square was "Paskevich-Yerevan". In 1917, it was renamed Liberty Square. During Soviet period, it changed its name several times, but eventually restored the name of Liberty Square. The main square of Tbilisi has a history of about two centuries. It used to be an uninhabited place outside the city walls. According to Platon Ioseliani, a famous Georgian historian of the XIX century, on the north side of the present square, about where the Art Museum is now located, was the king's caravansary at the end of the XVII century, which was destroyed by the Turks during the invasion of 1724. Intensive development of the square began in the first quarter of the XIX century. During the “Tbilisi War” in 1991-1992, several buildings in the square were destroyed. Also in 1992, an architectural competition for the reconstruction of the destroyed quarter was announced, which was even implemented. In 1999, a new competition was announced for a multifunctional building directly adjacent to the square. As a result, in 2002 a new hotel "Courtyard Marriott" was opened on the square. On 23 November 2006, a 40 metre high statue of St. George erected on a pillar was unveiled on the square, the author of which is Zurab Tsereteli. The 27 tone and 9 meters tall statue, on which 2 KG gold was spent, is the author's gift to the city.