The funicular in Tbilsi: on top of the world

High on the mountain ridge at the western side of Tbilisi is Mtatsminda Park on Mtatsminda Plateau. To reach it, a road meanders upwards. Or you can take the funicular.

The funicular has an interesting history. Belgian engineer, Alphons Robie, had the idea in 1896 to build a funicular. Tbilisi officials approved the design in July 1990, construction commenced in September 1903, completed at the end of 1904, and officially opened on March 27, 1905.

French engineer, A. Blansche, constructed the funicular (it means ‘rope-way’) in conjunction with Tbilisi architect – Polish-born Alexander Shimkevich (he designed the Rustaveli Theatre). The funicular was 501 metres and a gradient (incline or slope) of 28-33 degrees. The rope is actually a cable – with two counterbalanced cabins operated by a cable to transport passengers. At the time it was one of the steepest and longest ropeway railways in the world.

The blue funicular was electric powered. There were three stops – (1) the beginning at Chonkadze Street, (2) the middle at St. David’s Church (Mamadaviti) on the slope of Mount Mtatsminda, with the Mtatsminda Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures nearby, and (3) the end at Mtatsminda Park with a rotunda, cafe, and restaurant. The restaurant had a third storey constructed in 1936-38 during renovations. In 1971 the lower station at Chonkadze Street was re-constructed by architects G. Batiashvili and T. Kutateladze.

The Tiflis Funiculaire was designed to hold 50 people and would travel the distance in six minutes. It was particularly popular from the 1930s when Mtatsminda Park – an amusement park – was constructed at the top of the mountain. The funicular ceased from June 2000 after a serious crash.

Idle and derelict for 12 years, it was restored and opened in October 2012. With the restoration came modern technology. Everything is new except the track and infrastructure. The track is still one track with a siding and three stops. The station building was refurbished in the fin-de-siecle architectural style. The two new cabins (still with drivers) are now red, fitted with 18 seats and provide room for 60 people. The cabins are still propelled by a haul rope.

Designed and constructed by Austrian company, Doppelmayr Garaventa Group – a ropeway manufacturer – with the cabins bought in Switzerland, auxiliary rails were laid in the large entrance hall. The cabins were then deposited in front of the building and pulled through the wide doors, using rope winches, to their ultimate destination on the track. Two paralled tracks are used for short distances, but the Tbilisi funicular has a single track with a siding where the two cabins stop and pass each other.

The vertical rise is 235 metres and the length of the track is 491 metres (losing a bit of track at the restored stations). The funicular travels at three metres per second (maximum speed is 14 metres per second).

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

The Knight in the Panther Skin by Shota Rustaveli (2015 translation): book review

The Knight in the Panther Skin (12th century, this edition 2015) is a recent translation by American poet and author, Lyn Coffin. The author, Shota Rustaveli, is Georgia’s most loved poet. This poem is mammoth, a magnum opus – it is 1,656 verses long, separated by chapters. But readers, don’t give up, because every verse is worth reading. It is akin to 1001 Arabian Knights, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, or Shakespearean poetry. King Rostevan of Arabia has a daughter, Tinatin. She loves the knight Avtandil and he loves her. Verse 368 from Avtandil: ‘The doctor’s could do nothing. A dark twilight on my heart now pressed, I was on fire because of love, but nobody knew or guessed. They blamed my blood. The king decided bleeding my arm would be best; I let it be done to hide the suffering I had not confessed.’ But a knight in panther skin is seen weeping, and subsequently kills the king’s soldiers, sparing the king. Before Tinatin weds Avtandil she r...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog