Western city Kutaisi celebrates new, modern archive venue

Kutaisi, the capital of western Georgia's Imereti region, now boasts a brand-new archive venue to house its nearly one million historical documents and material, in the latest renovation project of the National Archives of Georgia.

Wraps came off the Central Archive of Kutaisi on Wednesday, with officials and the invited public celebrating under fireworks before attending an open-air screening of short films preserved at the venue.

Located on Irakli Abashidze Street, the building marks the first purpose-built archival venue for Kutaisi and is set to host up to a million archival dossiers in its vaults.

The historical materials now find home in modern vaults with air conditioning and ventilation. Photo: National Archives of Georgia.

Equipped with ventilation, air conditioning and fire devices, the archive will preserve materials daring from the 18th century to the recent history.

The historical papers include news and proceedings on Kutaisi city management from the late 19th century to the first quarter of the 20th century as well as census on the local population.

Other materials feature historical sources on the city assembly that involved local noblemen from 1937-1917 as well as distinctions bestowed by Imereti kings Solomon I (1735-1784) and Solomon II (1772-1815).

The unveiling of the archive venue was followed by film screening in Kutaisi. Photo: National Archives of Georgia.

The original Kutaisi archive was founded in 1921.

The unveiling of the venue follows the opening of the new building for the Rustavi city branch of the National Archives of Georgia, as well as reconstruction of branches in Zugdidi and Telavi over the recent years.

A new exhibition pavilion for the National Archives was also unveiled in capital Tbilisi last year.