Tbilisi celebrates 111th anniversary of iconic funicular

An exhibition of photographs illustrating the history of Tbilisi's funicular cableway celebrated the 111th anniversary of its construction on Sunday.

The display featured about 30 photographs and video reels from the past century to narrate the story of the city’s iconic funicular, since it opened on March 27, 1905.

Hand-picked from a collection at the National Archives of Georgia, the photographs were taken on the day the cableway was unveiled while the video footage presented at the exhibition was filmed in the 1950s.

The exhibition featured about 30 photographs illustrating the 111-year story of the funicular. Photo from the National Archives of Georgia.

The images included original plans for the funicular’s construction and stations that serviced the cable cars and passengers travelling to the top of Mtatsminda Hill. At 770m above sea level Mtatsminda Hill is the highest point of Georgia's capital.

The exhibition was hosted by the Underwheel Club in Mtatsminda Park, a popular recreational and entertainment area.

An early 20th Century photograph exhibited in the display to illustrate the history of Tbilisi funicular. Photo from the National Archives of Georgia.

The Tbilisi funicular was built at the beginning of the 20th Century to connect the city's lower parts with its newly populated districts on Mtatsminda Hill.

A project to create the cable way was presented and carried out by engineers from Belgium. A Belgian company owned Tbilisi's tram network at the time.

A Soviet-era photograph shows cable cars of Tbilisi funicular. Photo from the National Archives of Georgia.

Since opening in 1905 the funicular remained unchanged for many years until its upper and lower stations were replaced with new buildings in 1938 and 1968 respectively. A major reconstruction was carried on its facilities in 2007.

The exhibition on the funicular’s history was organised by Mtatsminda Park and the National Archives of Georgia.