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 ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, at the eastern end of Rustaveli Avenue (in Georgian, it is თავისუფლების მოედანი ''Tavisuplebis moedani'', pronounced ). Under

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

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 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, 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 of Erivan, a general in the Russian Imperial Army of Ukrainian descent, who earned his title in honor of his conquest of Erivan (present-day

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

) for the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. 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

's independence (from the

), the Rose Revolution, and others. In 2005 the Freedom Square was the location where U.S. President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. During this event, Georgian-Armenian Vladimir Arutyunian threw a live grenade at the two presidents in an unsuccessful assassination attempt.

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 () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...

. Nearby the famous communist Kamo ( Simon Ter-Petrossian) 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 is situated on the square. Other buildings include the former Bank of Georgia head office and the Courtyard by Marriott Tbilisi. The square will also accommodate the

Old Tbilisi Old Tbilisi ( ka, ძველი თბილისი, ''dzveli t'bilisi'') refers to the historical parts of Tbilisi. Although the term "Old Tbilisi" has long been used to denote the oldest part of the city, it was only in 2007 that it became a ...

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 ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

, which was built in 1956 and symbolically torn down in August 1991. On November 23, 2006, the Liberty Monument depicting

St George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...

slaying the dragon, created by Zurab Tsereteli was unveiled in the same place. Independence Day celebrations

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: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)