Freedom Square or Liberty Square is located in the center of
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, at the eastern end of
Rustaveli Avenue. (In
Georgian, it is თავისუფლების მოედანი ''Tavisuplebis moedani'', pronounced ).
Under
Imperial Russia
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. The ...
it was known as Erivansky or Paskevich-Erivansky Square (
Georgian: ერევანსკის მოედანი, ''Erevansk'is moedani'',
Russian: Эриванская площадь, ''Erivanskaya ploshchad''.) While part of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, it was Beria Square (
Georgian: ბერიას მოედანი, ''Berias moedani'') and Lenin Square (
Georgian: ლენინის მოედანი, ''Leninis moedani'').
History
The square was originally named after
Ivan Paskevich
Count Ivan Fyodorovich Paskevich-Erevansky, Serene Prince of Warsaw (russian: Ива́н Фёдорович Паске́вич-Эриванский, светлейший князь Варшавский, tr. ; – ) was an Imperial Russian mi ...
, Count of Erivan, a general in the Russian Imperial Army of
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
descent, who earned his title in honor of his
conquest of Erivan (present-day
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...
) for the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
. During the Soviet era, the square was renamed twice: first to "
Beria Square", and then "Lenin Square". The location was first named Freedom Square in 1918, during the foundation of the First Georgian Republic following the collapse of the Russian Empire.
The Freedom Square was the site of the
1907 Tiflis bank robbery. The Freedom Square has also been the site of various mass demonstrations including those for
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
's independence (from the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
), the
Rose Revolution
The Rose Revolution or Revolution of Roses ( ka, ვარდების რევოლუცია, tr) was a nonviolent change of power that occurred in Georgia in November 2003. The event was brought about by widespread protests over the ...
, and others. In 2005 the Freedom Square was the location where
U.S. President George W. Bush and Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili addressed a crowd of around 100,000 people in celebration of the 60th anniversary marking the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. During this event, Georgian-Armenian
Vladimir Arutyunian
Vladimir Arutyunian ( ka, ვლადიმერ არუთინიანი; hy, Վլադիմիր Հարությունյան; born 12 March 1978) is a Georgian national who attempted to assassinate United States President George W. Bush a ...
threw a live grenade at President Bush while he was speaking in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate him.
Monuments
Abutting the north side of Freedom Square is a small open space with a fountain and a bust of
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
. Nearby the famous communist
Kamo The name Kamo may refer to the following:
Places
Japan
(Note: ''kamo'' ( 鴨), is the common word for ''duck'' in Japanese, but the following names do not necessarily mean ''duck'' and are not necessarily written with that character.)
*Kamo, Ni ...
(
Simon Ter-Petrossian
Simon Arshaki Ter-Petrosian (russian: Симон "Камо" Аршакович Тер-Петросян; hy, Սիմոն «Կամօ» Տէր Պետրոսեան; 27 May 1882 – 14 July 1922), better known by his ''nom de guerre'' of Kamo, was an O ...
) was once buried, but during Stalin's rule his remains were moved to an undisclosed location.
[Sebag-Montefiore, Simon (2008). "Prologue: The Bank Robbery". ''Young Stalin''. Random House, Inc. p. 370]
Tbilisi City Assembly
The Tbilisi Sakrebulo ( ka, თბილისის საკრებულო, tr) is a representative body in the city government of Tbilisi, Georgia. It is also known in English as the Tbilisi City Council or Tbilisi Assembly.
Sakrebul ...
is situated on the square. Other buildings include the former
Bank of Georgia
, logo = Bank of Georgia logo.png
, image =
, image_size =
, image_caption = Bank of Georgia
, type = PLC
, traded_as =
, area_served = Georgia
, key_people = Mel Carvill(Non-Executive Chairman) Archil Gachechiladze (CEO)
, industry = ...
head office and the
Courtyard by Marriott
Courtyard by Marriott is a brand of hotels owned by Marriott International. One of Marriott's mid-priced brands, the hotels are primarily targeted to business travelers, but also accommodate traveling families. Rooms have desks, couches, and fre ...
Tbilisi. The square will also accommodate the
Old Tbilisi local government office, the building works of which are already started.
During the Soviet period, the square featured a large statue of
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...
, which was built in 1956
[
] and symbolically torn down in August 1991. On November 23, 2006, the
Liberty Monument depicting
St George
Saint George ( Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
slaying the dragon, created by
Zurab Tsereteli was unveiled in the same place.
Branching out from this square are six streets: Rustaveli Avenue, Pushkin Street, Kote Apkhazi Street, Shalva Dadiani Street, Galaktion Tabidze Street and Giorgi Leonidze Street.
Gallery
File:31 - Tbilisi - 1976.jpg, Lenin Square in 1976
File:Freedom Square, Tbilisi.jpg, Freedom Square in 2000s
File:Roses at Liberty Square.jpg, Roses at Liberty Square, Tbilisi
File:St. Georg monument Tbilisi.jpg, St. George monument
File:2OP 30.JPG, Demonstration for Rose Revolution in Freedom Square
References
Citation
Biography
*
{{Authority control
Squares in Tbilisi
National squares
19th-century establishments in Georgia (country)
Caucasus Viceroyalty (1801–1917)