TBILISI: The facades and faces of the old town. A tour of mascarons and Art Nouveau in the Sololaki district
Let's talk about modernism, take a look at the impressive interiors of the front halls, and examine the faces on the facades.

Part of the tour takes place on the street. Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.

Get ready for an exciting introduction to the most beautiful, sometimes little-known, and not widely accessible areas of Sololaki. You will also see unique architecture—the true face of this once luxurious and wealthy district of Tbilisi. There will also be literal faces—mascarons with expressive features on the facades of buildings and other decorative elements. You will learn when and for how long it was not the display of wealth that became the main thing, but ideology, uniqueness, and even... modesty. When luxury became not abundance and splendor of decorations, but harmony and comfort.

You will feel the birthplace of the modern world and culture, which also seems to be giving way to something new.

On the tour, you will see:

• spectacular interiors, hidden from the eyes of passersby and fading under the weight of time;
• a reinforced concrete Gothic castle and an atlas sliding off the wall;
• the most elegant grand staircase in the city;
• the many faces of Tiflis—both beautiful and ugly.

You will also learn:

• why we should think about the Roman Empire again;
• who organized the first cognac production in the Russian Empire;
• Who was the “sacred monster”;
• how to correctly say “front entrance” or “entrance”.

Duration: 2.5 hours

Where to start: Freedom Square, Galaktion Tabidze Street, house 2, near the city hall building (near the griffins).

Where we end: Lado Gudiasvili Square

Organizational details:

• Radio guides will be used during the tour (for groups of 6 or more people), to which headphones provided by the guide will be connected. For convenience, you can use your own wired headphones (3.5 mm mini jack connector);
• You will recognize our guide by the sign that says "Engineer's View Tbilisi";
• Advance registration for the event is required! If you have any difficulties registering on the website, please email us at tbilisi@engineer-history.ru, and we will find a solution.