First Republic Square and Rustaveli Metro Station

Why is it significant?

Emerge onto the expansive terrace of First Republic Square, formerly known as Republic Square and Rose Revolution Square.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Emerge onto the expansive terrace of First Republic Square, formerly known as Republic Square and Rose Revolution Square. Laid out in the 1970s as a monumental modernist urban belvedere, the square opens a dramatic panoramic vista northward over the Mtkvari River valley and the forested hills of Saburtalo. At the square's eastern corner stands the deep-level Rustaveli Metro Station, inaugurated in 1966 as one of the fastest and deepest transit hubs on the historic Tbilisi subway network.

Look closely at the sculpted red stone bas-reliefs decorating the exterior wall of the Rustaveli Metro pavilion, created by acclaimed sculptor Elguja Amashukeli. The expressive relief depicts the legendary battle between the knight and the tiger from Shota Rustaveli's epic poem, rendered with bold modernist dynamism. Dominating the northern edge of the square rises the iconic high-rise silhouette of the Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel, originally designed in 1967 by architect Otar Kalandarishvili. Broad stone terraces step down toward the river gorge, offering unhindered vistas across the bridges and industrial landmarks of the left bank.

Following the armed conflicts in Abkhazia in the early 1990s, the former Hotel Iveria provided emergency shelter for more than eight hundred internally displaced refugee families. For over a decade, the facade was covered in satellite dishes and plywood extensions, standing as a poignant symbol of the human cost of post-Soviet strife. In 2008, the building was comprehensively rebuilt into a luxury hotel by German architects Graft, symbolizing Georgia's remarkable resilience and rapid economic modernization.

Standing on the open promenade, you can feel the brisk mountain breezes sweeping through the river defile below. The expansive scale of this public forum provides a refreshing contrast to the dense nineteenth-century streetscapes of lower Rustaveli Avenue. Here, modern transportation, contemporary architecture, and historical memory converge into a dynamic civic crossroads.

Follow the green promenade north along Kostava Street into the lush sanctuary of Vera Park.