Freedom Square (
GeorgianGeorgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 3.9 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
: "თავისუფლების მოედანი",
Tavisuplebis moedani, ), formerly known as
ErivanIvan Fyodorovich Paskevich was a Ukrainian-born military leader in the Russian service. For his victories, he was made Count of Erivan in 1828 and Namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland in 1831.-Biography:...
Square (
GeorgianGeorgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 3.9 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
: "ერევანსკი მოედანი",
Erevansk'i moedani,
RussianRussian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe...
: Эриванская площадь,
Erivanskaya ploshchad) under Imperial Russia and
Lenin Square during the
SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
times, - is located in the center of
TbilisiTbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form Tp'ilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
at the eastern end of
Rustaveli AvenueRustaveli Avenue - is an avenue in central Tbilisi named after the medieval Georgian poet, Shota Rustaveli. The Avenue starts at Freedom Square and extends for about 1.5km in length, before it turns into an extension of Kostavas Kucha...
.
Once formally known as Paskevich Yerevanski Square, then Lenin Square, it was commonly called Yerevan Square.
Freedom Square (
GeorgianGeorgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 3.9 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
: "თავისუფლების მოედანი",
Tavisuplebis moedani, ), formerly known as
ErivanIvan Fyodorovich Paskevich was a Ukrainian-born military leader in the Russian service. For his victories, he was made Count of Erivan in 1828 and Namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland in 1831.-Biography:...
Square (
GeorgianGeorgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 3.9 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
: "ერევანსკი მოედანი",
Erevansk'i moedani,
RussianRussian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe...
: Эриванская площадь,
Erivanskaya ploshchad) under Imperial Russia and
Lenin Square during the
SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
times, - is located in the center of
TbilisiTbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form Tp'ilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
at the eastern end of
Rustaveli AvenueRustaveli Avenue - is an avenue in central Tbilisi named after the medieval Georgian poet, Shota Rustaveli. The Avenue starts at Freedom Square and extends for about 1.5km in length, before it turns into an extension of Kostavas Kucha...
.
Once formally known as Paskevich Yerevanski Square, then Lenin Square, it was commonly called Yerevan Square.
Paskevich ErevanskiIvan Fyodorovich Paskevich was a Ukrainian-born military leader in the Russian service. For his victories, he was made Count of Erivan in 1828 and Namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland in 1831.-Biography:...
(pronounced Yerevanski) was a Russian general and was called Paskevich of Yerevan in honor of his taking of Yerevan for the
Russian EmpireThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. Abutting the north side of Freedom Square is a small open space with a fountain. Buried between the bust of Pushkin and the fountain is
KamoKamo, real name Simon Ter-Petrossian was a Georgian Bolshevik of Armenian descent, an early companion to Stalin...
(Simon Ter-Petrossian). Kamo was once a celebrated communist, but now his grave has been paved over and is unmarked.
Tbilisi City HallTbilisi City Hall is a clock-towered edifice situated in the southern side of Freedom Square , Tbilisi, capital of Georgia...
is situated on the Square. Other important venues include
Bank of GeorgiaJSC Bank of Georgia is a leading universal Georgian bank with operations in Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus. Bank of Georgia is the largest bank by assets, loans and equity in Georgia. The major component of the Galt & Taggart Index, the bank has 102 branches and over 400,000 retail and approximately...
central branch, and
Marriott InternationalMarriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
branch. The square will also accommodate
Old TbilisiOld Tbilisi is an administrative district in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. Although the term "Old Tbilisi" has long been used to denote a historical part of the city, it was only in 2007 that it became a distinct administrative entity to incorporate several historical neighborhoods formerly...
local governmentLocal governments are administrative office that are smaller than a state. The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government....
office, the building works of which are already started. Freedom Square has been the site of various mass demonstrations including those for
GeorgiaGeorgia Georgia Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Situated at the juncture of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the east by Azerbaijan...
's independence (from the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
), the
Rose RevolutionThe "Revolution of Roses" was a bloodless revolution in the country of Georgia in 2003 that displaced President Eduard Shevardnadze.- Elections and protests :...
, and others. In 2005 Freedom Square was the location where U.S. President
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
and Georgian President
Mikheil SaakashviliMikheil Saakashvili is a Georgian politician, the President of Georgia and leader of the United National Movement Party...
addressed a crowd of around 100,000 people in celebration of the 60th anniversary marking the end of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Freedom Square is also the location of the British Embassy to Georgia.
During the Soviet period, the square accommodated a large statue to Lenin, which was symbolically torn down in August 1991. On November 23, 2006, the
Liberty MonumentThe Freedom Monument , commonly known as the St. George Statue, is a memorial located in Tbilisi, Georgia, dedicated to the freedom and independence of the Georgian nation. Unveiled in 2006 in Tbilisi's central square, the monument of granite and gold is high and is easily spotted from any point...
depicting St George slaying the dragon, created by
Zurab TsereteliZurab Konstantines dze Tsereteli is a controversial Georgian painter, sculptor and architect who holds the office of President of the Russian Academy of Arts.- Life :...
, was unveiled in the same place.
Branching out from this square are six streets: Rustaveli Avenue, Pushkin Street, Leselidze Street, Shalva Dadiani Street, Galaktion Street, and Leonidze Street.