Saarbrucken Square and Vorontsov Embankment

Why is it significant?

Step onto the wide circular pavement of Saarbrucken Square, historically celebrated as Vorontsov Square during the imperial Russian era.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Step onto the wide circular pavement of Saarbrucken Square, historically celebrated as Vorontsov Square during the imperial Russian era. Laid out in the mid-nineteenth century following the construction of the Grand Vorontsov Bridge, this bustling plaza functioned as the primary commercial and transport gateway connecting the historic right bank with the developing German quarter. The surrounding four-story buildings showcase handsome Parisian Beaux-Arts facades, ornate wrought-iron balconies, mansard roofs, and classical pediments that reflect the cosmopolitan ambition of nineteenth-century Tiflis.

Look toward the eastern corner of the square to observe the historic building that once housed the famous Wetzel Hotel and Brewery. Established by German entrepreneur Friedrich Wetzel, this pioneering establishment featured an open-air beer garden where Tiflis high society gathered to drink freshly brewed Bavarian lager and sample Swabian sausages. Notice the sculpted stone lion mascarons, decorative terracotta friezes, and grand arched carriage entrances that anchor the perimeter of the plaza. The neoclassical facades along the embankment reflect the proud European aspirations of nineteenth-century civic planners.

In the center of the square historically stood an imposing bronze statue of Count Mikhail Vorontsov, erected in 1867 to honor his progressive administration of the Caucasus Viceroyalty. Following the Bolshevik revolution in 1922, Soviet authorities removed the viceroy's monument and replaced it with a bust of Marxist revolutionary Karl Marx. In 1994, the plaza was renamed Saarbrucken Square to celebrate the enduring sister-city partnership between Tbilisi and the German city of Saarbrücken, forged during the Cold War in 1975.

The square buzzes with urban energy as trolleybuses, taxis, and pedestrians circulate around the central fountain under the rustling plane trees. Outdoor cafe terraces invite strollers to enjoy a glass of crisp Georgian white wine while admiring the elegant European architecture across the avenue. Saarbrucken Square provides a grand, dignified entrance into the historic German settlement of Neu-Tiflis.

Walk north along the pedestrian cobbles of David Aghmashenebeli Avenue.