:Batumi

{{Quote box |width=25em |align=right |title_bg=#B0C4DE

|title=Timeline of Batumi
Historical affiliations

|fontsize=80% |quote={{Noflag|Lazica}} (to 780)

{{flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Egris-Abkhazia v2.svg}} Kingdom of Abkhazia, 780–1010

{{flagicon image|Flag of Kingdom of Georgia.svg}} Kingdom of Georgia, 1010–1455

File:Coat of arms of Kingdom of Imereti.svg Kingdom of Imereti 1455–1703

{{flagicon image|Flag of the_Ottoman_Empire.svg}} Ottoman Empire, 1703–1878

{{flagicon image|Flag of Russia.svg}} Russian Empire, 1878–1918

{{flagicon image|Flag of the Republic of Batumi.png}} British Empire, 1918–1920

{{flagicon image|Flag of Georgia (1918-1921).svg}} Dem. Rep. of Georgia, 1920–1921

{{flagicon image|Flag of USSR.svg}} USSR (Adj. ASSR in G.SSR) 1921–1991

{{flag|Adjara|2000}} (de facto independent, de jure part of Georgia) 1991–2004

{{flag|Georgia|1991}} (AR of Adjara), 1991 (2004)–present

}}

{{Main|History of Batumi|Timeline of Batumi}}

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Batumi is located on the site of the ancient Greek colony in Colchis called "Bathus" or "Bathys", derived from ({{langx|grc|βαθύς λιμεν}}, {{lang|grc-Latn|bathus limen}}; or {{lang|grc|βαθύς λιμήν}}, {{lang|grc-Latn|bathys limēn}}; lit. the 'deep harbor'). Under Hadrian ({{circa|117–138 AD}}), it was converted into a fortified Roman port and later deserted for the fortress of Petra founded in the time of Justinian I ({{circa|527–565}}). Garrisoned by the Roman-Byzantine forces, it was formally a possession of the kingdom of Lazica until being occupied briefly by the Arabs, who did not hold it; In 780 Lazica fell to kingdom of Abkhazia via a dynastic union; the latter led the unification of the Georgian monarchy in the 11th century.

From 1010, it was governed by the {{lang|ka-Latn|eristavi}} ({{lang|ka|ერისთავი}}, viceroy) of the king of Georgia. In the late 15th century, after the disintegration of the Georgian kingdom, Batumi passed to the princes ({{lang|ka-Latn|mtavari}}, {{lang|ka|მთავარი}}) of Guria, a western Georgian principality under the sovereignty of the kings of Imereti.

A curious incident occurred in 1444 when a Burgundian flotilla, after a failed crusade against the Ottoman Empire, penetrated the Black Sea and engaged in piracy along its eastern coastline until the Burgundians under the knight Geoffroy de Thoisy were ambushed while landing to raid Vaty, as Europeans then knew Batumi. De Thoisy was taken captive and released through the mediation of the emperor John IV of Trebizond.

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In the 15th century in the reign of the prince Kakhaber Gurieli, the Ottomans conquered the town and its district but did not hold them. They returned to it in force a century later and inflicted a decisive defeat on the Georgian armies at Sokhoista. Batumi was recaptured by the Georgians several times, first in 1546 by prince Rostom Gurieli, who lost it soon afterwards, and again in 1609 by Mamia II Gurieli. In 1703, Batumi again became part of the Ottoman Empire. In the one-and-a-half century of Ottoman rule it grew into a provincial port serving the Empire's hinterlands on the eastern fringes of the Black Sea. After the Ottoman conquest, Islamization of the hitherto Christian region began but this was terminated and to a great degree reversed, after the area was annexed to Russian Imperial Georgia after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78.

It was the last Black Sea port annexed by Russia during the Russian conquest of that area of the Caucasus. In 1878, Batumi was annexed by the Russian Empire in accordance with the Treaty of San Stefano between Russia and the Ottoman Empire (ratified on 23 March). Occupied by the Russians on 28 August 1878, the town was declared a free port until 1886. It functioned as the center of a special military district until being incorporated in the Kutaisi Governorate on 12 June 1883.{{cn|date=January 2025}} Finally, on 1 June 1903, with the Artvin Okrug, the Batum Okrug was established as the Batum Oblast and placed under the direct administration of the Viceroy of the Caucasus.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

The expansion of Batumi began with the construction of the Batumi–Tiflis–Baku Transcaucasus Railway (completed in 1883{{cite web |url=http://kipsinfo.ru/stati-kips-info/iz-istorii-yuzhno-kavkazskoi-zheleznoi-dorogi |title="Из истории Южно-Кавказской железной дороги" ("From the History of the South Caucasus Railway") |author=А.Э. Котов (A.E. Kotov) |language=Russian |date=17 July 2009 |access-date=31 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090906172133/http://kipsinfo.ru/stati-kips-info/iz-istorii-yuzhno-kavkazskoi-zheleznoi-dorogi |archive-date=6 September 2009 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://ourbaku.com/index.php/%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE-%D0%A7%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B5_%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%84%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D1%8B%D1%88%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B5_%D0%B8_%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B5_%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%89%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE_(%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%83)_-_%D0%A0%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%88%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B4%D1%8B_%D0%B8_%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%83 |title=Каспийско-Черноморское нефтепромышленное и торговое общество (Баку) - Ротшильды и Баку |trans-title=Caspian-Black Sea Oil Industry and Trade Society – Rothschilds and Baku|publisher=Our Baku|language=Russian|access-date=31 December 2021}}), and the Baku–Batumi pipeline which opened in 1907.{{cite web | url=http://www.visions.az/en/news/618/3b2f9122/ | title=Baku-Batumi – The world's longest pipeline |publisher=Visions of Azerbaijan |language=English | date=February 2015 |author=Mir-Yusif Mir-Babayev | access-date=31 December 2021 }} Henceforth, Batumi became the chief Russian oil port in the Black Sea. The population increased rapidly doubling within 20 years: from 8,671 inhabitants in 1882 to 12,000 in 1889. By 1902 the population had reached 16,000, with 1,000 working in the refinery for Baron Rothschild's Caspian and Black Sea Oil Company.Simon Sebag Montefiore, Young Stalin, page 77.{{cite book |last1=Yergin |first1=Daniel |title=The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power |date=1991 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=9780671799328 |pages=60–61}}

In the late 1880s and after, more than 7,400 Doukhobor emigrants sailed for Canada from Batumi, after the government agreed to let them emigrate.{{cn|date=January 2025}} Quakers and Tolstoyans aided in collecting funds for the relocation of the religious minority, which had come into conflict with the Imperial government over its refusal to serve in the military and other positions. Canada settled them in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

During 1901, sixteen years prior to the October Revolution, Joseph Stalin, the future leader of the Soviet Union, lived in the city organizing strikes. On 3 March 1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk gave the city back to the Ottoman Empire, confirmed in the Treaty of Batum of June 1918 between the Ottoman Empire and the new Democratic Republic of Georgia. As result of the end of World War I the British took control over Batumi from December 1918,{{cite book |last1=Andersen |first1=Andrew |title=Abkhazia and Sochi – The roots of the conflict 1918-1921 |date=2014 |publisher=Asteroid Publishing |isbn=978-1495381454 |pages=71}} who stayed until July 1920 when the city and province was transferred to the Democratic Republic of Georgia, which gave Adjara autonomy. In 1921 Kemal Atatürk ceded the northern part of Adjara, including Batumi, to the Bolsheviks who reconquered the Transcaucasian republics, on the condition that it be granted autonomy for the sake of the Muslims among Batumi's mixed population.{{Cite journal |last=Nazaroff |first=Alexander |date=1922 |title=Russia's Treaty with Turkey |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45330678 |journal=Current History |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=276–279 |jstor=45330678 |issn=2641-080X}}

When Georgia regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Aslan Abashidze was appointed head of Adjara's governing council and subsequently held onto power throughout the unrest of the 1990s. While Abkhazia and South Ossetia areas attempted to break away from the Georgian state, Adjara remained an integral part of the republic. Instead, Abashidze turned Adjara into his personal fiefdom.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3683629.stm|title=Aslan Abashidze|publisher=BBC|language=English|date=4 May 2004|access-date=11 November 2021}} In May 2004, he fled to Russia{{cite news|url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=6880|title=Abashidze Flees Georgia|publisher=Civil.ge|language=English|date=6 May 2004|access-date=31 December 2021}} after mass protests in Batumi,{{cite news|url=https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=6861|title=15,000 Protesters Demand Abashidze's Resignation|publisher=Civil.ge|language=English|date=5 May 2004|access-date=31 December 2021}} which concluded the 2004 Adjara crisis.

Batumi today is one of the main port cities of Georgia. It has the capacity for 80,000-ton tankers{{cn|date=January 2025}} to take materials such as oil that are shipped through Georgia from Central Asia. Additionally, the city exports regional agricultural products. Since 1995 the freight conversion of the port has constantly risen, with an approximate 8 million tons in 2001. The annual revenue from the port is estimated at between $200 million and $300 million.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

File:20241123 Batumi 6.jpg

File:Changing skyline of Batumi, Georgia.jpg cityscapes.]]

Since the change of power in Adjara, Batumi has attracted international investors, and the prices of real estate in the city have trebled since 2001. In July 2007, the seat of the Constitutional Court of Georgia was moved from Tbilisi to Batumi to stimulate regional development.{{Cite web|url=https://www.constcourt.ge/constc/public/index.php/ka|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721030206/http://www.constcourt.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=13|url-status=dead|title=საქართველოს საკონსტიტუციო სასამართლო|archive-date=21 July 2011|website=constcourt.ge}} Several new hotels opened after 2009, first the Sheraton in 2010 and the Radisson Blu in 2011.{{cn|date=January 2025}} The city features several casinos that attract tourists from Turkey, where gambling is illegal.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

Batumi was host to the Russian 12th Military Base. Following the Rose Revolution, the central government pushed for the removal of these forces and reached an agreement in 2005 with Moscow. According to the agreement, the process of withdrawal was planned to be completed in 2008, but the Russians completed the transfer of the Batumi base to Georgia on 13 November 2007, ahead of schedule.{{cite web|url= http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=16321|title= Russia Hands Over Batumi Military Base to Georgia|publisher= Civil Georgia, Tbilisi|date= 13 November 2007|access-date= 13 November 2007|archive-date= 14 May 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110514043306/http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=16321|url-status= live}}

File:Batumi at night (2013).jpg

Batumi has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) according to Köppen's classification. The city's climate is heavily influenced by the onshore flow from the Black Sea and is subject to the orographic effect of the nearby hills and mountains, resulting in significant rainfall throughout most of the year, making Batumi the wettest city in both Georgia and the entire Caucasus Region.

The average annual temperature in Batumi is approximately {{convert|14|°C|0|abbr=on}}. January is the coldest month with an average temperature of {{convert|5|°C|0|abbr=on}}. August is the hottest month, with an average temperature of {{convert|22|°C|0|abbr=on}}. The absolute minimum recorded temperature is {{convert|-6|°C|0|abbr=on}}, and the absolute maximum is {{convert|40|°C|0|abbr=on}}. The number of days with daily temperatures above {{convert|10|°C|0|abbr=on}} is 239. The city receives 1958 hours of sunshine per year.

Batumi's average annual precipitation is {{convert|2435|mm|1|abbr=on}}. November is the wettest month with an average of {{convert|312|mm|1|abbr=on}} of precipitation, while May is the driest, averaging {{convert|84|mm|1|abbr=on}}. Batumi receives snow most years, but it is often limited in amount (accumulating snowfall of more than {{convert|30|cm|1|abbr=on}} is rare), and the number of days with snow cover for the year is 12. The average level of relative humidity ranges from 70 to 80%.

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|location = Batumi Airport (normals for 1981-2010)

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high C = 25.3

|Feb record high C = 27.4

|Mar record high C = 33.0

|Apr record high C = 38.3

|May record high C = 37.2

|Jun record high C = 39.9

|Jul record high C = 40.8

|Aug record high C = 39.5

|Sep record high C = 38.1

|Oct record high C = 35.4

|Nov record high C = 30.1

|Dec record high C = 28.3

|year record high C = 40.8

|Jan high C = 6.6

|Feb high C = 7.6

|Mar high C = 12.3

|Apr high C = 18.6

|May high C = 22.8

|Jun high C = 27.7

|Jul high C = 31.1

|Aug high C = 30.9

|Sep high C = 26.1

|Oct high C = 19.4

|Nov high C = 12.4

|Dec high C = 7.6

|Jan mean C = 5.4

|Feb mean C = 6.8

|Mar mean C = 8.7

|Apr mean C = 12.4

|May mean C = 16.0

|Jun mean C = 20.2

|Jul mean C = 22.6

|Aug mean C = 23.2

|Sep mean C = 20.1

|Oct mean C = 16.5

|Nov mean C = 12.0

|Dec mean C = 6.8

|Jan low C = 4.3

|Feb low C = 4.0

|Mar low C = 5.5

|Apr low C = 9.1

|May low C = 12.9

|Jun low C = 17.0

|Jul low C = 19.9

|Aug low C = 20.3

|Sep low C = 17.1

|Oct low C = 13.5

|Nov low C = 9.2

|Dec low C = 6.1

|Jan record low C = -7.7

|Feb record low C = -8.2

|Mar record low C = -6.7

|Apr record low C = -2.5

|May record low C = 3.4

|Jun record low C = 8.1

|Jul record low C = 12.9

|Aug record low C = 12.6

|Sep record low C = 7.5

|Oct record low C = 2.0

|Nov record low C = -3.9

|Dec record low C = -4.2

|year record low C = -8.2

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 234.7

|Feb precipitation mm = 183.4

|Mar precipitation mm = 156.6

|Apr precipitation mm = 90.1

|May precipitation mm = 92.5

|Jun precipitation mm = 141.0

|Jul precipitation mm = 164.9

|Aug precipitation mm = 220.7

|Sep precipitation mm = 330.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 321.5

|Nov precipitation mm = 305.5

|Dec precipitation mm = 277.7

|year precipitation mm = 2519.0

| unit precipitation days = 1 mm

| Jan precipitation days =14

| Feb precipitation days =12.7

| Mar precipitation days =12.6

| Apr precipitation days =9.6

| May precipitation days =9.6

| Jun precipitation days =9.9

| Jul precipitation days =10.1

| Aug precipitation days =11.5

| Sep precipitation days =11.1

| Oct precipitation days =12.4

| Nov precipitation days =12.2

| Dec precipitation days =13.1

| year precipitation days =

|Jan sun = 99

|Feb sun = 105

|Mar sun = 126

|Apr sun = 148

|May sun = 199

|Jun sun = 235

|Jul sun = 214

|Aug sun = 223

|Sep sun = 201

|Oct sun = 176

|Nov sun = 125

|Dec sun = 107

|year sun = 1958

|source 1 = NCEI{{cite web |url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-VI/Georgia/WMO_Normals_Georgia.xls |publisher= National Centers for Environmental Information |title = WMO Climate Normals for 1981-2010: Batumi Airport-37496 |access-date = 17 March 2024 |format=XLS}}

|source 2 ={{cite web

| url= http://meteoweb.ru/cl006.php

| title= The duration of sunshine in some cities of the former USSR

| language= ru

| publisher= Meteoweb.ru

| access-date= 27 September 2012

| archive-date= 19 May 2019

| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190519215650/http://meteoweb.ru/cl006.php

| url-status= live

}}{{cite web |url=http://ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?ind=37496&ano=2021&mes=1&day=14&hora=0&min=0&ndays=30 |title=37496: Batumi (Georgia) |publisher=OGIMET |access-date=14 January 2021 |date=14 January 2021 }}

}}

According to the 31 March 2008, decision of the Batumi City Council, Batumi is divided into seven boroughs, those of:

{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Old Batumi (ძველი ბათუმის უბანი)
• Rustaveli (რუსთაველის უბანი)
• Khimshiashvili (ხიმშიაშვილის უბანი)
• Bagrationi (ბაგრატიონის უბანი)
• Aghmashenebeli (აღმაშენებლის უბანი)
• Javakhishvili (ჯავახიშვილის უბანი)
• Tamar (თამარის უბანი)
• Boni-Gorodok (ბონი-გოროდოკის უბანი)
• Airport (აეროპორტის უბანი)
• Gonio-Kvariati (გონიო-კვარიათის უბანი)
• Kakhaberi (კახაბრის უბანი)
• Batumi Industrial (ბათუმის სამრეწველო უბანი)
• Green Cape (მწვანე კონცხის უბანი){{in lang|ka}} [http://www.batumicc.ge/dir/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=683%3A-----------37-------&catid=18%3A2010-02-21-13-07-06&Itemid=16&lang=ka დადგენილება N 3-1 ბათუმის უბნები]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} (Decision #3.1. Boroughs of Batumi). Batumi City Council. Accessed 15 November 2009

{{div col end}}

File:Batum.jpg in 1881]]

File:Square in Batumi.jpg

File:Seaside of Batumi (02).jpg

File:20241123 Batumi 7a.jpg

File:Батуми - panoramio (5).jpg

Batumi's skyline has been transformed since 2007 with remarkable buildings and monuments of contemporary architecture, including:{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fziJWfYo_LQC|title=Lonely Planet Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan|first1=Lonely|last1=Planet|first2=John|last2=Noble|first3=Michael|last3=Kohn|first4=Danielle|last4=Systermans|date=1 April 2012|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=9781743213032|access-date=8 October 2016|via=Google Books|archive-date=7 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507175506/https://books.google.com/books?id=fziJWfYo_LQC|url-status=live}}

• Marriott Hotel
• Radisson Blu hotel
• Public Service Hall
• Hilton Batumi
• Leogrand

A large Kempinski hotel and casino is to open in 2013, a Hilton Hotel as well as a 47-storey Trump Tower is also planned.[http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/nov/11/tp-tourism-is-flourishing-in-black-sea-resort/ "TOURISM IS FLOURISHING IN BLACK SEA RESORT", AP, November 11, 2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140817160156/http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/nov/11/tp-tourism-is-flourishing-in-black-sea-resort/ |date=17 August 2014 }}

Alliance Privilege, a building compromising Marriott Hotel, Casino and serviced apartments is one of the contemporary buildings with unique architecture by the beach.

Novelty architecture in Batumi includes:

• Sheraton Hotel, designed in the style of the Great Lighthouse at Alexandria, Egypt{{Cite web|url=http://development.starwoodhotels.com/news/7/114-sheraton_hotels_resorts_debuts_in_the_black_sea_resort_destination_of_batumi|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104195703/http://development.starwoodhotels.com/news/7/114-sheraton_hotels_resorts_debuts_in_the_black_sea_resort_destination_of_batumi|url-status=dead|title=News & Events|archive-date=4 January 2013 }}
• Alphabetic Tower ({{convert|145|m|ft|disp=comma|abbr=on}} high), celebrating Georgian script and writing
• Batumi Piazza, a mixed-used development in the form of an Italian piazza
• Buildings designed in the style of a lighthouse, the Acropolis, and an upside-down White House

Attractions include

• Adjara State Museum
• Batumi Botanical Garden
• Circus
• Former resort area along the Black Sea coast.

File:1071 - Kaukasus 2014 - Georgien - Batumi (16728246174).jpg

{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Batumi Boulevard
• The statue of "Man and Woman" AKA "Ali and Nino" by Georgian artist, Tamara Kvesitadze
• Batumi Botanical Gardens
• Cafe Fantasy
• Dancing Fountains, Batumi
• Dolphinarium
• Piazza Square
• Panoramic Wheel
• Astronomical clock
• Argo Cable Car
• 6 May Park
• Europe Square
• Alphabetic Tower
• Batumi Sea Port
• Miracle Park
• Chacha Clock Tower (defunct)
• Fountain of Neptun
• Batumi Archeological Museum
• Monument of Ilia Chavchavadze{{cite web|url=http://www.rooztab.com/?page=prodview&id=482|title=باتومی – گرجستان|access-date=8 October 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819194229/http://www.rooztab.com/?page=prodview&id=482|archive-date=19 August 2014}}

{{div col end}}

File:Church in Batumi.jpg]]

Of the 4,970 inhabitants in 1872, about 4,500 were Muslim (Adjarians, Turks, Circassians, and Abkhazians). In the 1897 census, the Orthodox Christian population was 15,495 (mostly Slavs) while Muslims numbered 3,156, including some of whom were citizens of Turkey.{{cite book|last= Sichinava|first=V| year=1958| title=Batumis ist'oriidan |script-title=ka:ბათუმის ისტორიიდან |trans-title=From the History of Batumi |page=110|language=ka |location=Batumi}}

As of 2014, out of 152,839 inhabitants of Batumi, 68,7% is Eastern Orthodox Christian, and they primarily adhere to the national Georgian Orthodox Church.[http://pop-stat.mashke.org/georgia-religion2014b.htm georgia-religion 2014]National Statistics Office of Georgia. [http://www.geostat.ge/cms/site_images/_files/english/census/2014/22_Population%20by%20regions%20and%20religion.xls Population Census 2014: Population by Regions and Religion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914035909/http://www.geostat.ge/cms/site_images/_files/english/census/2014/22_Population%20by%20regions%20and%20religion.xls |date=14 September 2016 }}, Retrieved: 6 May 2016 Muslims make up 25,3% of population, while there are also Catholic, Armenian Apostolic, Jehovah's Witness, Seventh-day Adventist, and Jewish communities.

The main places of worship in the city are:

• Georgian Orthodox Cathedral of the Mother of God, and Saint Barbara Church
• Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit
• Saint Nicholas Church
• Batumi Mosque
• Batumi Synagogue{{cite web|url= http://batumi.ge/en/?page=show&sec=75|title= Batumi: sights|publisher= Official website of Batumi|access-date= 10 May 2009|archive-date= 17 March 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190317105823/http://batumi.ge/en/?page=show|url-status= live}}

File:20241123 Batumi 7.jpg

Batumi has 18 various museums, including State Art Museum of Adjara. Rugby Union club Batumi RC competes in the Georgian Didi 10 and previously competed in the Pan-European Rugby Europe Super Cup. Football club FC Dinamo Batumi play at the Batumi stadium.

A sculpture by Tamara Kvesitadze of two standing figures on the seashore shows the story first told in the 1937 Austrian novel, Ali and Nino, of lovers who are parted after World War I. Each day, the two figures move toward each other but never stay together. Ali, an Azerbaijani Muslim, falls in love with Georgian princess, Nino, but sadly, after they are finally able to get together, the war hits home and Ali is killed. It was installed in 2010.{{cite web |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ali-and-nino |title=Ali and Nino, Batumi, Georgia |date=October 23, 2015 |access-date=May 20, 2024 }}

Notable people who are from or have resided in Batumi:

{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Irakli Alasania (*1973), Georgian politician, Minister of Defense
• Herbert Backe (1896–1947), Reich Minister of Food in Nazi Germany
• Ioseb Bardanashvili (*1948), composer
• Khatia Buniatishvili (*1987), concert pianist
• Odysseas Dimitriadis (1908–2005), Greek-Soviet music conductor
• Roman Dolidze (*1988), mixed martial artist
• Mary, Princess Eristavi (1888–1986), Georgian princess and model
• Fadiko Gogitidze (1916-1940), Adjara's first woman pilot
• {{Interlanguage link|Victor Asrielevich Grossman|ru|3=Гроссман, Виктор Азриэлевич|WD=}}, (1887–1978), writer
• Devi Khajishvili (*1991), actor
• Sopho Khalvashi (*1986), first Georgian entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
• Mindia Khitarishvili (*1973), composer
• Konstantin Meladze (*1963), composer and producer
• Valery Meladze (*1965), singer
• Katie Melua, singer
• Aramashot Papayan, Armenian playwright, screenwriter, actor and director
• Lado Seidishvili (1931–2010), Georgian painter and poet
• Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (1925–1991 ; 1933–2012), science fiction authors
• William Horwood Stuart (1857–1906), British diplomat who was murdered there in 1906
• Sergei Yesenin (1895–1925), Russian lyrical poet
• Fyodor Yurchikhin (*1959), astronaut
• Lamara Chkonia (1930–2024), Georgian soprano

{{div col end}}

File:Batumi seaport, Adjaria, Georgia.jpg with the city in the background.]]

The city is served by Batumi Airport, one of three international airports in the country.{{Cite web |title=Batumi Airport |url=http://batumiairport.com/ |access-date=2023-12-22 |website=batumiairport.com |language=EN}}

The main types of public transport are buses, minibusses, and taxis. Batumi has modern electric buses. Using the service is possible by BATUMICARD, transit card, or debit/credit cards. Buses connect almost everywhere in the city. A bike-sharing system named BatumVelo allows you to rent a bicycle on the street with a smart card.{{Cite web |title=BatumVelo |url=https://www.batumvelo.ge/main |access-date=2023-12-22 |website=www.batumvelo.ge}}

The port of Batumi is on one of the routes of China's proposed Eurasian Land Bridge (part of the "New Silk Road"), which would see an eastern freight link to China via Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea, and a western link by ferry to Ukraine and on to Europe.{{cite news|last1=Dyussembekova|first1=Zhazira|title=Silk Road Renewed With Launch of New Commercial Transit Route|url=http://astanatimes.com/2016/01/silk-road-renewed-with-launch-of-new-commercial-transit-route/|work=The Astana Times|date=21 January 2016|access-date=11 July 2017|archive-date=22 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122154957/http://astanatimes.com/2016/01/silk-road-renewed-with-launch-of-new-commercial-transit-route/|url-status=live}}

==Postage stamps==

{{Main|Postage stamps of Batum under British occupation}}

{{See also| List of twin towns and sister cities in Georgia (country)}}

Batumi is twinned with:{{cite web|title=ჩვენი ქალაქი – დამეგობრებული ქალაქები|url=https://batumi.ge/ge/?page=show&sec=5|website=batumi.ge|publisher=Batumi|language=ka|access-date=2020-02-13|archive-date=31 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031040715/https://batumi.ge/ge/?page=show&sec=5|url-status=live}}

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• {{flagicon|ITA}} Bari, Italy (1987)
• {{flagicon|USA}} Savannah, United States (1992)
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Trabzon, Turkey (2000)
• {{flagicon|ARM}} Vanadzor, Armenia (2006)
• {{flagicon|GRE}} Volos, Greece (2007)
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Yalta, Ukraine (2008)
• {{flagicon|BUL}} Burgas, Bulgaria (2009)
• {{flagicon|ESP}} Marbella, Spain (2010)
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Kuşadası, Turkey (2010)
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Ordu, Turkey (2011)
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Ternopil, Ukraine (2011)
• {{flagicon|ISR}} Ashdod, Israel (2011)
• {{flagicon|USA}} New Orleans, United States (2012)
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Yalova, Turkey (2012)
• {{flagicon|AZE}} Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan (2012)
• {{flagicon|LVA}} Daugavpils, Latvia (2012)
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Donetsk, Ukraine (2013)
• {{flagicon|CZE}} Prague 1, Czech Republic (2013)
• {{flagicon|EGY}} Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt (2014)
• {{flagicon|CHN}} Ürümqi, China (2015)
• {{flagicon|BLR}} Brest, Belarus (2015)
• {{flagicon|CYP}} Paphos, Cyprus (2016)
• {{flagicon|POL}} Nysa, Poland (2017)
• {{flagicon|BLR}} Mogilev, Belarus (2017){{Cite web |url=https://tv25.ge/news.php?id=3359&lang=ge |title=Ბათუმი და ბალარუსის ქალაქი მოგილიოვი დამეგობრდნენ – TV25 |access-date=8 March 2021 |archive-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528125258/https://tv25.ge/news.php?id=3359&lang=ge |url-status=live }}
• {{flagicon|ISR}} Netanya, Israel (2018)
• {{flagicon|POL}} Wrocław, Poland (2019){{cite web|title=Batumi miastem partnerskim Wrocławia|url=https://www.wroclaw.pl/portal/batumi-miastem-partnerskim-wroclawia|website=wroclaw.pl|publisher=Wrocław|language=pl|date=2019-07-17|access-date=2020-02-13|archive-date=22 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422023832/https://www.wroclaw.pl/portal/batumi-miastem-partnerskim-wroclawia|url-status=live}}
• {{flagicon|ROM}} Constanța, Romania (2020){{Cite web |url=https://batumi.ge/ge/?page=shownews&id=5806 |title=Კონსტანცასა და ბათუმს შორის თანამშრომლობის მემორანდუმი გაფორმდა |access-date=8 March 2021 |archive-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528125333/https://batumi.ge/ge/?page=shownews&id=5806 |url-status=live }}

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{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{Reflist}}

• Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia. Georgian SSR (Supplementary Edition). 1981. pp. 16–18.

{{Commons category|Batumi}}

{{wikivoyage|Batumi}}

• [http://www.batumi.ge Official website]

{{Cities and towns in Georgia (country)}}

{{Districts of Georgia}}

{{List of European capitals by region}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Georgian Black Sea coast

Category:Cities and towns in Adjara

Category:Batum oblast

Category:Kutaisi Governorate

Category:Pontus (region)

Category:Port cities in Asia

Category:Port cities of the Black Sea

Category:Greek colonies in Colchis

Category:Port cities in Europe

Category:Self-governing cities in Georgia (country)