Alphabetic Tower

The Alphabetic Tower – when an alphabet stretches into the clouds

In Batumi, there is something that at first glance seems just a strange, shiny tower on the seaside. Then you get closer… and suddenly you start reading the Georgian alphabet. Upward. On the side of a massive tower shaped like a DNA spiral. Now that is the Alphabetic Tower – one of the city’s most spectacular (and most symbolic) buildings.

Isn’t it exciting when a city not only wants to show something beautiful but also wishes to tell something?

Not just design – it’s identity

The 130-meter tall tower’s shape is not accidental: the DNA spiral is not only a futuristic spectacle, but it symbolizes that the Georgian language is part of the country’s genetic code. The 33 letters of the Georgian alphabet are carried by the building’s external metal frame, as massive characters, which are illuminated at night like some kind of secret space code.

I admit, at first, I thought it was just a usual observatory. Then a local guy – whom I only met because I complimented his hat – excitedly told me that this tower is one of the most modern symbols of Georgian pride.

What’s inside?

At the top of the building, there is an observatory and a revolving restaurant – at least on paper. The usage of the tower in recent years has been somewhat hectic. Sometimes it’s closed, sometimes only partially accessible. But even if you can’t go up, the view from the outside is still worth it.

The best time for a walk around the tower is undoubtedly at sunset. As the last rays of the sun sparkle on the letters, the whole thing feels like the set of a sci-fi movie and a national symbol somehow intertwined.

Why is it worth stopping in front of it?

Because a city is not just made up of museums and beautiful beaches. Sometimes a building can tell much more about what the people living there think of themselves. The Alphabetic Tower is such: simultaneously modern and deeply traditional. And well… when will you see a 130-meter alphabet next?

Which building have you seen that connects the past with the future so well? Write in the comments!

Source: Wikipedia – Alphabetic Tower