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On November 3, 2014 at the G. Chubinashvili Centre a meeting was held with the representatives of various foreign tourist companies that visited Georgia upon invitation of the Georgian tourist company “Explore Georgia”.
Dr. Mariam Didebulidze, the director of the Centre, presented to the guests the activities of the Centre, its goals and objectives. Contribution of the Centre in the development of the Cultural tourism was highlighted as well.
The guests viewed   the exhibition “Vernacular Architecture in Tousheti and Racha”   and purchased the books on Georgian cultural heritage published by the Centre.

Since August 2014, the George Chubinashvili Centre has started working on  elaboration of the Gelati Monastery Management Plan. The project is commissioned by the Municipal Development Fund of Georgia (MDF).

On October 24, the members of the working team of the project (M. Didebulidze, D. Khoshtaria, K. Mikeladze, N. Chitishvili, N. Natsvlishvili, M. Gabunia, I. Van der Weide) held an informational meeting on ongoing project at the Kutaisi Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve. All stakeholders attended the meeting including the representatives of the diocese, the monastery and the local government. The goals and objectives of the project as well as the results of the performed activities were presented to the audience. The participants of the meeting expressed their interest, their concern with particular problems in regard with Gelati architectural Ensemble.

On October 22, under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia and with the support of the UNESCO Georgian Affairs National Commission an interdisciplinary science conference by name “Traditional Hall Architecture in Georgia” was held at the Chubinashvili Centre. Art historians, ethnologists, archaeologists, architects, specialists of ethno-design and experts of cultural heritage protection took part in the conference.

The papers concerned a complex conception of the hall phenomenon in Georgia, its adaptation in modern life and the question of its nomination in the UNESCO list of the monuments. The conference was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of V. Beridze. An appropriate attention was paid to the hall genesis, its spatial composition, its connection to church architecture, building principles, semantic meaning, adaptation, social functions and other issues. A new material, unknown before, discovered during expeditions by archaeologists, as well as by art historians was presented. It showed the significance of hall architecture from the new point of view. Together with the conference there opened an exhibition “Rachian and Tushian Dwelling”, which clearly demonstrated the variety and high artistic quality of traditional folk architecture. The photographs belong to Mariam Kiladze and Nestan Tatarashvili, while still library of hall architecture belongs to Shalva Lezhava.  Zurab Lezhava’s ethnographic sketches and sketches of Colchian dwellings (“odas”) executed by an architect Katsia Giorgobiani were presented at the exhibition. 

Training in Batumi
On October 16-18 the training course: “The Black Sea Cultural Port: Challenges and Prospects” was held in Batumi, at the Center for Civic Engagement The training was organized in the frames of the International project: LIMEN. Cultural Ports from the Aegean to the Black Sea, co-funded by the European Union, by the Black Sea Basin Joint Operational Programme “The Black Sea 2007-2013” and by national resources and coordinated by the E.K.B.M.M. (Thessaloniki, Greece).

Organizer: the Partner of the LIMEN project the G. Chubinashvili National Research Centre for Georgian Art History and Heritage Preservation

The training was performed for the representatives of the Georgian Local Network member Institutions. The objective of the course was mobilization of the local partners and assistance for the development of the effectiveness of the Local Network. The aims included insight with the LIMEN and OLKAS projects (objectives, performance, plans); insight with experience in the field; performance of the mapping of problems and sites important for the implementation of the project; performance of the brainstorming in order to develop ideas for the future developments of Batumi cultural port; discussion of the existing problems in regard with cultural tourism development possibilities, and the milestones to be achieved.

The members of the local network:

Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of Ajara
Department of Tourism and Resorts of Ajara
Batumi Sea Port
Batumi Art Teaching University
Batumi Archaeological Museum
Khariton Akhvlediani State Museum of Ajara
Batumi Municipality
Cultural Heritage Preservation Agency of Ajara
Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University Berdzenishvili Institute

Trainers: Dr. Mariam Didebulidze, G. Chubinashvili Centre, project LIMEN;
Dr. David Khoshtaria, , G. Chubinashvili Centre, project OLKAS
Giorgi Tugushi, Cultural tourism marketing expert, National Agency for Heritage Preservation

Main topics of the training:
The agenda included presentations on: The project “LIMEN: aims and objectives; The European Capitals of Culture; the Black Sea Cultural Port institution; Dividends of cultural heritage conservation and cultural tourism; Results of the project OLKAS ; Presentation of the documentary film OLKAS; Batumi as a Black Sea Cultural Port – challenges and prospects: European and Georgian policies on cultural tourism ; Sustainable tourism and prospects of cultural tourism; Networking and cultural tourism; Case studies – good practices of cultural tourism in Georgia – Uplistikhe and Vardzia cases; mapping of the problems and brainstorming on the main issues; discussing the case studies in Ajara: ports of Batumi, Gonio-Apsaros and Tsikhisdziri-Petra
The courses were widely attended by the representatives of the institutions members of the Local Network established in the frames of the LIMEN project, as well as representatives of key NGO-s working in the field of culture and university students. There were 30 people in all.
The event was widely publicized by the means of main local media.