Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the

capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses t ...

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 ...

. Situated west of Tbilisi, on the Rioni River, it is the capital of the western region of Imereti. Historically one of the major cities of Georgia, it served as political center of Colchis in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

as capital of the

Kingdom of Abkhazia The Kingdom of Abkhazia ( ka, აფხაზთა სამეფო, tr; lit. "Kingdom of the Abkhazians"), also known as Abasgia or Egrisi-Abkhazia, was a medieval feudal state in the Caucasus which was established in the 780s. Through d ...

and

Kingdom of Georgia The Kingdom of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამეფო, tr), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in circa 1008 AD. It reached its Golden Age of political and economic ...

and later as the capital of the Kingdom of Imereti. From October 2012 to December 2018, Kutaisi was the seat of the Parliament of Georgia as an effort to decentralise the Georgian government.

History

Archaeological evidence indicates that the city functioned as the capital of the Colchis in the sixth to fifth centuries BC. It is believed that, in ''

Argonautica The ''Argonautica'' ( el, Ἀργοναυτικά , translit=Argonautika) is a Greek epic poem written by Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BC. The only surviving Hellenistic epic, the ''Argonautica'' tells the myth of the voyage of Jas ...

'', a Greek epic poem about Jason and the

Argonauts The Argonauts (; Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, ''Argo ...

and their journey to Colchis, author

Apollonius Rhodius Apollonius of Rhodes ( grc, Ἀπολλώνιος Ῥόδιος ''Apollṓnios Rhódios''; la, Apollonius Rhodius; fl. first half of 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek author, best known for the ''Argonautica'', an epic poem about Jason and ...

considered Kutaisi their final destination as well as the residence of King Aeëtes. Kutaisi, 1870s

Later, it was the capital of the kingdom of Lazica until being occupied briefly by the

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

. An Arab incursion into western Georgia was repelled by Abkhazians jointly with Lazic and Iberian allies in 736, towards c.786, Leon II won his full independence from

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and transferred his capital to Kutaisi, thus unifying Lazica and Abasgia via a dynastic union. The latter led the unification of the Georgian monarchy in the 11th century. From 1008 to 1122, Kutaisi served as the capital of the United Kingdom of Georgia, and, from the 15th century until 1810, it was the capital of the Imeretian Kingdom. In 1508, the city was conquered by

Selim I Selim I ( ota, سليم الأول; tr, I. Selim; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute ( tr, links=no, Yavuz Sultan Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite las ...

, who was the son of Bayezid II, the sultan of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

. During the 17th century, Imeretian kings made many appeals to

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 ...

to help them in their struggle for independence from the Ottomans. All these appeals were ignored as Russia did not want to spoil relations with Turkey. Only in the reign of

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

, in 1768, were troops of general Gottlieb Heinrich Totleben sent to join the forces of King Heraclius II of Georgia, who hoped to reconquer the Ottoman-held southern Georgian lands, with Russian help. Totleben helped King Solomon I of Imereti to recover his capital, Kutaisi, on August 6, 1770. View of Kutaisi (1885)

Finally, the Russian-Turkish wars ended in 1810 with the annexation of the Imeretian Kingdom by the Russian Empire. The city was the administrative capital of the Kutais Uyezd and the larger Kutaisi Governorate, which included much of west Georgia. In March 1879, the city was the site of a

blood libel Blood libel or ritual murder libel (also blood accusation) is an antisemitic canardTurvey, Brent E. ''Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis'', Academic Press, 2008, p. 3. "Blood libel: An accusation of ritual mur ...

trial that attracted attention all over Russia; the ten accused Jews were acquitted. Kutaisi was a major industrial center before Georgia's independence on 9 April 1991. Independence was followed by the economic collapse of the country, and, as a result, many inhabitants of Kutaisi have had to work abroad. Small-scale trade prevails among the rest of the population. In 2011, Mikheil Saakashvili, the president of Georgia, signed a constitutional amendment relocating the parliament to Kutaisi. On 26 May 2012, Saakashvili inaugurated the new Parliament building in Kutaisi. This was done in an effort to decentralise power and shift some political control closer to Abkhazia, although it has been criticised as marginalising the legislature, and also for the demolition of a Soviet War Memorial formerly at the new building's location. The subsequent government of the

Georgian Dream Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia ( ka, ქართული ოცნება – დემოკრატიული საქართველო, ''Kartuli ocneba – Demok’rat’iuli Sakartvelo'') is a social democratic political ...

passed a new constitution that moved the parliament back to Tbilisi, effective from January 2019.

Culture

Landmarks

The landmark of the city is the ruined Bagrati Cathedral, built by Bagrat III, king of Georgia, in the early 11th century. The

Gelati Monastery Gelati ( ka, გელათის მონასტერი) is a medieval monastic complex near Kutaisi in the Imereti region of western Georgia. One of the first monasteries in Georgia, it was founded in 1106 by King David IV of Georgia ...

a few km east of the city, is a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. One of the famous churches in Georgia is Motsameta monastery. It is named after two saints, brothers David and Constantine. They were the Dukes of Margveti, and were martyred by Arab invaders in the 8th century. Besides the churches, there are other places of note such as: Sataplia Cave, where one can observe footprints of

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

s; ruins of

Geguti Palace The Royal Palace of Geguti ( ka, გეგუთის სასახლე) was a Georgian royal palace active during the Middle Ages. Currently only ruins remain at the eponymous village, 7 km south of the city of Kutaisi. History The ...

, which was one of the residences of Georgian monarchs; "Okros Chardakhi" – Georgian Kings’ Palace; the

Pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone St ...

, where many notable citizens are buried; The Kutaisi Synagogue which was built in 1885. File:Kutaisi. A renovated downtown street (Photo A. Muhranoff, 2010).jpg, A street in central Kutaisi File:Khareba church.jpg, Church of Annunciation File:Wikiwyprawa 2015 sad apelacyjny kutaisi 6.jpg, Court of Appeals File:Kutaisi Public School -1.jpg, Kutaisi Public School File:2014 Kutaisi, Wielka Synagoga (01).jpg, Local

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of wor ...

built in 1886 File:Kutaisi State Opera.jpg, Kutaisi State Opera File:აკაკი წერეთლის სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტი.jpg,

Akaki Tsereteli State University Akaki Tsereteli State University ( ka, აკაკი წერეთლის სახელობის სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტი, tr), also known as Kutaisi University ( ka, ქუთაისის ...

Museums and other cultural institutions

Kutaisi State Historical Museum Kutaisi State Historical Museum, formally known as the Niko Berdzenishvili Kutaisi State History Museum, is a museum in Kutaisi, Georgia. A major museum, it is also considered to be one of the most important scientific-research institutions in G ...

* Kutaisi Museum of Sport * Kutaisi Museum of Martial Art * Museum of Zakaria Paliashvili *

Kutaisi State Historical Archive The National Archives of Georgia is the Legal personality, legal entity of public law under the Ministry of Justice (Georgia), Ministry of Justice of the nation of Georgia (country), Georgia. The National Archives holds written documents, film doc ...

Kutaisi State Scientific-Universal Library Kutaisi State Scientific Universal Library is a library in Kutaisi, Georgia (country), Georgia.David MchedlidzCollection of Georgian Periodicals Exhibited at Kutaisi Scientific Libraryportal MEDIA.GE See also * Ilia Chavchavadze References

Theatres and cinema

2014 Kutaisi, Państwowy Teatr Dramatyczny (01)

*Kutaisi Lado Meskhishvili State Academic Theatre *Kutaisi Meliton Balanchivadze State Opera House *Kutaisi Iakob Gogebashvili State Puppet Theatre *Cinema and Entertaining Center “Suliko” *Hermann-Wedekind-Jugendtheater

Education

Higher educational institutions in Kutaisi: *

* Kutaisi International University * Georgian State University of Subtropical Agriculture * Kutaisi University (Unik) *

Cadets Military Lyceum of Georgia The Giorgi Kvinitadze Cadet Military Lyceum ( ka, კადეტთა სამხედრო ლიცეუმი, tr, k’adet’ta samkhedro litseumi) is a specialized state school, responsible for the training of young students in milita ...

Professional unions and public organizations

* Georgian Writers’ Union * Georgian Painters’ Union * Folk Palace

Media

Local newspapers include: ''Kutaisi'', '' Imeretis Moabe''
''PS''
'' Akhali Gazeti'', and '' Kutaisuri Versia''. Other publications include '' Chveneburebi'', a journal published by the Ministry of Diaspora Issues, and ''

Gantiadi Gantiadi ( ka, განთიადი ; russian: Гантиади) or Tsandryphsh ( ab, Цандрыҧшь; russian: Цандрыпш), is an urban-type settlement on the Black Sea coast in Georgia, in the Gagra District of Abkhazia, 5 km f ...

'', a scientific journal. TV: "Rioni"
Radio: "Dzveli Kalaki" (old City)
Also nearly all of Georgia's national-level newspapers, journals and television stations have their representatives in Kutaisi.

Geography

Kutaisi is located along both banks of the Rioni River. The city lies at an elevation of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

. To the east and northeast, Kutaisi is bounded by the Northern Imereti Foothills, to the north by the Samgurali Range, and to the west and the south by the Colchis Plain.

Landscape

Kutaisi is surrounded by

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

forests to the northeast and the northwest. The low-lying outskirts of the city have a largely agricultural landscape. The city center has many gardens and its streets are lined with high, leafy trees. In the springtime, when the snow starts to melt in the nearby mountains, the storming Rioni River in the middle of the city is heard far beyond its banks.

Climate

Kutaisi has a humid subtropical climate (''Cfa'') with a well-defined on-shore/monsoonal flow (characteristic of the Colchis Plain) during the autumn and winter months. The summers are generally hot and relatively dry while the winters are wet and cool. The average annual temperature in the city is . January is the coldest month with an average temperature of while August is the hottest month with an average temperature of . The absolute minimum recorded temperature is and the absolute maximum is . Average annual precipitation is around . Rain may fall in every season of the year. The city often experiences heavy, wet snowfall ( snowfall of or more per single snowstorm is not uncommon) in the winter, but the snow cover usually does not last for more than a week. Kutaisi experiences powerful easterly winds in the summer which descend from the nearby mountains.

Population

Administrative division

There are 12 administrative units in Kutaisi: #Avtokarkhana #Gamarjveba #Gumati #Vakisubani #Kakhianouri #Mukhnari #Nikea #Sapichkhia #Sulkhan-Saba #Ukimerioni #City-museum #Dzelkviani

Government

Mayor

The most recent mayoral election was held on 2 October 2021, with a runoff held on 30 October, and the results were as follows: List of elected mayors of Kutaisi * Ioseb Khakhaleishvili ( GD) (2020–) * Giorgi Chighvaria ( GD) (2017–2020) * Shota Murghulia ( GD) (2014–2017)

City council

The Kutaisi city council (Sakrebulo) governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on October 2, 2021, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Lead candidate ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=#0D00B3, , align=left,

, align=left, Dimitri Mkheidze , 25,957 , 39.21 , 9.94 , 18 , 1 , - , bgcolor=#e4012e, , align=left, United National Movement , align=left, Giga Shushania , 24,893 , 37.60 , 14.23 , 14 , 10 , - , bgcolor=#702F92, , align=left,

For Georgia For Georgia ( ka, საქართველოსთვის}, ''Sakartvelostvis'') is a political party in Georgia founded by former Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia. The presentation of the party was held on May 29, 2021. History Gi ...

, align=left,

Eleonora Archaia Eleonora (Eliso) Archaia ( ka, ელეონორა (ელისო) არჩაია; born July 31, 1967), is a Georgia (country), Georgian politician and businesswoman, who is currently serving in Kutaisi City Assembly. She was first ele ...

, 4,440 , 6.71 , New , 2 , New , - , bgcolor=#ff0000, , align=left,

Strategy Aghmashenebeli Strategy Aghmashenebeli ( ka, სტრატეგია აღმაშენებელი ''st’rat’egia aghmashenebeli''), sometimes translated as Strategy Builder, is a political party in Georgia founded by Giorgi Vashadze, who alon ...

, align=left, Koba Guruli , 2,168 , 3.28 , 0.64 , 1 , 1 , - , colspan=9 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , bgcolor=#fad406, , align=left,

Lelo LELO is a Swedish company that designs and sells upmarket sex toys. Products are massed produced in Suzhou Industrial Park, China. Lelo may also refer to: * ''Lelo'' (newspaper), a Georgian language sports newspaper * Lelo, a style of Georgian ...

, align=left, Gia Gurgenidze , 1,339 , 2.02 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=#16166b, , align=left, Labour Party , align=left, Samson Gugava , 1,130 , 1.71 , 2.05 , 0 , , - , bgcolor=#327F37, , align=left,

Girchi - More Freedom Girchi — More Freedom ( ka, გირჩი — მეტი თავისუფლება, ) is a libertarian political party in Georgia. It was founded by Zurab Japaridze, former chairman of the New Political Center — Girchi. The part ...

, align=left, Dachi Dididze , 1,073 , 1.62 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=#F2721D, , align=left, For the People , align=left, Shota Chikovani , 820 , 1.24 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=#e7b031, , align=left, Alliance of Patriots , align=left, Nona Asatiani , 804 , 1.21 , 2.68 , 0 , , - , bgcolor=#003C7B, , align=left, European Georgia , align=left, David Gogisvanidze , 733 , 1.11 , 10.82 , 0 , 2 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 68,486 ! 100.0 ! ! 35 ! ±10 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 153,861 ! 44.53 ! 0.81 ! ! , - , colspan=8, Source
არჩევნების შედეგები

Economy

Kutaisi has traditionally been an important industrial center in Georgia, but after the collapse 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 ...

most of the old manufacturing lines either stopped working or had to greatly reduce their operations. Nevertheless, the city continues to be an important regional center for the greater Imereti area, acting as a commercial hub for the surrounding countryside. In recent years, the city has started attracting more investment from various multinational corporations. The Auto Mechanical Plant, originally established in 1945, is located in Kutaisi. There are two free industrial zones in Kutaisi: The Kutaisi free industrial zone (Kutaisi FIZ) and the Hualing free industrial zone (Hualing FIZ).Free Zones in Georgia
. ''Iven De Hoon''. October 18, 2020 The Kutaisi FIZ was created in 2009 and was established on the initiative of Fresh Electric, an

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

-based home appliances producer. The Hualing FIZ operates since 2015, and specializes in wood and stone processing, furniture and mattress production and metal construction. Both of the free industrial zones offer multiple incentives to investors such as tax exemptions and reduced barriers for trade. In 2019, German

solar panel A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a (usually rectangular) frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a photo ...

manufacturer

AE Solar AE Solar is a Germany, German TIER1 Photovoltaics, solar panels manufacturer, which was founded by Alexander Maier and his brothers in Königsbrunn, Germany, in 2003. Headquartered in Königsbrunn, the company has a presence in more than 95 coun ...

opened a new, fully automated manufacturing line in Kutaisi. With a total output of 500 MW per year it is the largest solar panel factory under one roof in Europe. During the same year Changan Automobile announced plans to construct an

electric car An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quiet ...

factory in Kutaisi, with an annual production capacity of up to 40,000 vehicles. The company plans to export annually about 20,000 cars to the EU. The factory plans to employ about 3,000 people.Kutaisi electric cars factory to produce first cars in August
. January 24, 2020

Sport

Kutaisi has a great tradition in sports, with many famous sports clubs. FC Torpedo Kutaisi has participated on the highest level of the

football league. After Georgia achieved independence, it won many domestic and international titles. RC AIA Kutaisi won the Soviet Championship several times in

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

, and after independence, national championships and cups. The women's football club FC Martve takes part at the

2017–18 UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying round The 2017–18 UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying round was played between 22 and 28 August 2017. A total of 40 teams competed in the qualifying round to decide 11 of the 32 places in the knockout phase of the 2017–18 UEFA Women's Champions ...

after becoming champion in the Georgia women's football championship in 2016. Kutaisi also has an influential basketball club

BC Kutaisi 2010 BC Kutaisi 2010 is a Georgian professional basketball club, which competes in the Georgian Superliga.KUTAISI.TRADE
Retrieved 21 Jan 201 ...

, 2016 Champion of the

Georgian Superliga The Georgian Basketball Super League ( ka, საკალათბურთო სუპერლიგა, Sakalatburto Superliga), also known as the Georgian Top League, is the highest professional basketball league in Georgia. The first season ...

, which plays its home games at the ''Kutaisi Sport Palas''.

Transport

Airport

David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport Kutaisi International Airport also known as David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport is an airport located west of Kutaisi, the third largest city in Georgia and capital of the western region of Imereti. It is one of three internatio ...

(IATA: KUT, ICAO: UGKO) is an airport located west of Kutaisi. It is one of three international airports currently in operation in Georgia.

Railway

Kutaisi has two main railway stations, along with multiple smaller ones. Direct inter-city, as well as suburban railway services, are provided to Tbilisi (

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

) and other major cities across the country. The rail operator on all lines is

Georgian Railways Georgian Railway LLC ( ka, საქართველოს რკინიგზა, tr) is the national railway company of Georgia. A vital artery linking the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, it sits on the shortest route between Europe and Ce ...

Local celebrations

Kutaisoba is the most important holiday in Kutaisi. It is celebrated on 2 May. On this day the population of Kutaisi crowds into the central park, with their children and celebrate together. Some people make masks and there are many kinds of performances. Also, children sell chamomiles. It is an old tradition, in the past ladies collected money for poor people, so today children also collect money for them. On Kutaisoba one can see traditional Georgian dances and can hear folk music. Also, it is an old tradition to go to the forest, which is near Kutaisi. Families barbecue and play games. On this day, people wear traditional clothes, choxa. There is a tradition of writing lyrics that have been written by writers from Kutaisi, and then airplanes throw them from the sky. There is also a competition in different kinds of martial arts.

Notable natives

Parliament of Georgia in Kutaisi at Sunset

* Aeëtes – King of Kingdom of Colchis * Bagrat III – King of united

in 975–1014 * George I – King of united

in 1014–1027 * Bagrat IV – King of united

in 1027–1072 * George II – King of united

in 1072–1089 * David IV – King of united

in 1089–1125 * Veriko Anjaparidze – Georgian actress *

Revaz Gabriadze Revaz "Rezo" Gabriadze ( ka, რევაზ ��ეზოგაბრიაძე; 29 June 1936 – 6 June 2021) was a Georgian theatre and film director, playwright, writer, painter, and sculptor. His son, Levan Gabriadze, is also an actor an ...

– cinematographer, writer, director, production designer * Niko Nikoladze (1843–1928) – Georgian public figure * Meliton Balanchivadze (1862–1937) – Georgian composer * Zakaria Paliashvili (1871–1933) – Georgian composer *

Iakob Nikoladze Iakob Nikoladze ( ka, იაკობ ნიკოლაძე; , 1876 – March 10, 1951) was a Georgian sculptor and artist. He was from the a Georgian noble (aznauri) family, Nikoladze. The Georgian National Museum, Iakob Nikoladze Ho ...

(1876–1951) – Georgian sculptor, designer of the previous state flag of Georgia. *

Władysław Raczkiewicz Władysław Raczkiewicz (; 28 January 1885 – 6 June 1947) was a Polish politician, lawyer, diplomat and President of Poland- in-exile from 1939 until his death in 1947. Until 1945, he was the internationally recognized Polish head of st ...

(1885–1947) – the first president of the

Polish government-in-exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...

, 1939–1947 * Joseph Orbeli (1887–1961) – orientalist *

David Kakabadze Davit' Kakabadze ( ka, დავით კაკაბაძე) (August 20, 1889 – May 10, 1952) was a leading Georgian avant-garde painter, graphic artist and scenic designer. A multi-talent, he was also an art scholar and innovator in the fi ...

(1889–1952) – Georgian painter * Victor Dolidze (1890–1933) – Georgian composer * Petre Otskheli (1907–1937) Georgian modernist set and costume designer * Otar Korkia (1923–2005) – Georgian basketball player and coach (Olympic silver medalist) * Dodo Chichinadze (1924–2009) – Georgian actress *

Revaz Dzodzuashvili Revaz Mikheilis dze Dzodzuashvili ( ka, რევაზ მიხეილის ძე ძოძუაშვილი; born 15 April 1945) is a Georgian football manager and a former player. He coaches FC Dinamo Sukhumi. He earned 49 caps for ...

(b. 1945) – Georgian football player, World Cup 1966 bronze medalist * Zurab Sakandelidze (b. 1945) – Georgian basketball player, Olympic champion * Mikheil Korkia (b. 1948) – Georgian basketball player, Olympic champion * Meir Pichhadze (1955–2010) – Israeli painter, Kutaisi native * Tengiz Sulakvelidze (b. 1956) – Georgian football player, played in 1982 FIFA World Cup, Euro 1988 silver medalist * Ramaz Shengelia (1957–2012) – Georgian football player, played in 1982 FIFA World Cup * Maia Chiburdanidze (b. 1961) – the seventh Women's World Chess Champion * Besik Khamashuridze (b. 1977) – Georgian rugby player, won 53 caps, RC Aia Kutaisi player-coach *

David Khakhaleishvili David Rostomovich Khakhaleishvili ( ka, დავით როსტომის ძე ხახალეიშვილი, 28 February 1971 – 11 January 2021) was a heavyweight Georgian judoka, mixed martial artist and ...

(b. 1971) – Olympic champion in Wrestling * Katie Melua (b. 1984) – A Georgian-British singer and songwriter that was born and grew up here. * Nika Sichinava (b. 1994) – Georgian football player, played for Yunist Chernihiv and

FC Inhulets Petrove Football Club Inhulets Petrove ( uk, "Інгулець" Петрове) is a professional Ukrainian football club from the town of Petrove, Kirovohrad Oblast that competes in the Ukrainian Premier League following the promotion from 2019–20 Ukra ...

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Kutaisi is twinned with: * Ashkelon, Israel *

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

, United States *

Dnipro Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper Rive ...

, Ukraine *

Ganja Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: �aːɲd͡ ...

, Azerbaijan * Gomel, Belarus *

Karşıyaka Karşıyaka () is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey. The district extends for twelve kilometres along the northern and eastern coastline of the tip of the Gulf of İzmir. Its centre is at a distance of to the north from the traditional ...

, Turkey *

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.

, Ukraine * Laiwu (Jinan), China *

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...

, Ukraine * Mykolaiv, Ukraine * Nanchang, China *

Newport, Wales Newport ( cy, Casnewydd; ) is a city and county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. With a population of 145,700 at the 2011 census, Newport is the third-larges ...

, UK *

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

, Poland * Sumy, Ukraine * Szombathely, Hungary * Ungheni, Moldova * Valka, Latvia * Zhytomyr, Ukraine

Cooperation agreements

Kutaisi has cooperation agreements with: * Kaunas, Lithuania * Maribor, Slovenia * Tartu, Estonia

Explanatory notes

References

External links

Newport Kutaisi Twinning Association
* {{Authority control Archaeological sites in Georgia (country) Cities and towns in Imereti Kutaisi Governorate Self-governing cities in Georgia (country)