Orbeliani Palace, Presidential residence in central Tbilisi, Georgia
The Orbeliani Palace is a late 19th-century building in central Tbilisi that now serves as Georgia's official presidential residence. The estate contains multiple reception halls with distinct architectural features, each used for different formal purposes.
The building dates from the late 1800s and was originally home to prominent members of the Orbeliani family. In the 1990s it served as the United States Embassy before being transformed into the presidential residence.
The palace is also called the Atoneli Residence, after Atoneli Street, named for the medieval Georgian monk George of Athos. Reception rooms carry Georgian names: Amra, Galaktion, Golden Fleece, Prometheus and Rustaveli halls, plus the Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani Presidential Cabinet. A room dedicated to poet Elizabeth Orbeliani, Georgia's first woman professor, is still used to receive foreign dignitaries.
The palace underwent a major renovation in the 2010s and is now arranged for official visits and events. Visitors should check in advance about access, as the building is not open for everyday tours due to its active use as a working government residence.
A room in the palace is dedicated to Elizabeth Orbeliani, a poet and Georgia's first woman professor, and it is still used to receive foreign dignitaries. The building also housed the U.S. Embassy in the 1990s and early 2000s, and about 25 million Georgian lari went into its 2013 renovation.
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