New Mziuri: How to bring post-flood Tbilisi park back to life

Tbilisi residents are uniting around the idea of bringing the post-flood central city Mziuri Park back to life.

June 13 fatal flash flood virtually destroyed Mziuri Park, which used to be a common place where people could spend time away from the noise and bustle of the city.

Volunteers clean Mziuri Park following the June 13 flood. Photo by Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Recently a new public campaign launched in social media. People of different ages and professions recorded videos where they voiced what they wanted the new Mziuri Park to be like.

From this it was revealed Tbilisi locals wanted Mziuri Park to become a place where anyone could go and rest, read a book, play with their pet, breathe fresh air, spend time with friends and enjoy life.

Based on these ideas, a project named New Mziuri was developed and presented to Tbilisi City Hall for discussion. The project envisaged fully restoring the park and transforming it into a place the public can once again enjoy. 

Photographer Anna Goguadze was behind the idea of the New Mziuri project.

"I want Mziuri to be a favourite place for everyone. I want it to become a place where people can convene and hold different festivals,” Goguadze said, adding she was heartbroken the park had been empty and abandoned for years.

Years ago Mziuri Park was also known as the city of children. The idea of founding a children’s city came to Nodar Dumbadze, a Georgian writer, after his trip to the US. He went to Disneyland and was so impressed that he decided to fund a wonderland for Georgian children, where kids and their parents could spend time together. Soon, the idea turned into reality and the children's town was opened in 1982.

Mziuri lost its popularity as the park was not properly taken care of following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Additionally, the park became the epicenter of the devastating flash flood that hit Tbilisi this summer. After this people stopped visiting the park as it was in such a state of devastation, however this could change if Tbilisi City call approves the New Mziuri project.