Ortachala

Overview

Ortachala (Georgian: ორთაჭალა) is one of the historic neighbourhoods of Old Tbilisi, in the south-eastern part of the city, in Krtsanisi District. It lies south-east of the Old Town (Kala) and is bounded on the north by the Mtkvari (Kura) River. Its main streets are Vakhtang Gorgasali Street and Ioseb Grishashvili Street.

In the 19th century Ortachala, with its gardens, became a place of rest and entertainment for the people of Tbilisi. Today it is an important transport hub. It has the Tbilisi Central Bus Station next to the Ortachala Bridge and the Ortachala hydropower plant, built on the Mtkvari in the 1950s.

Location and boundaries

According to OpenStreetMap, the approximate centre of the Ortachala neighbourhood is at 41.6774° N, 44.8332° E. It lies on the right bank of the Mtkvari, with the Old Town (Kala) to the north-west and the slopes of the Teleti Ridge to the south.

Under Tbilisi City Council Resolution No. 16-35 of 5 December 2014, Ubani 12 — "Kala, Ortachala" of Krtsanisi District combines the Old Town and Ortachala. In the south its boundary runs along the Teleti Ridge, including the state geodetic point at 971.1 m. In the east it descends towards Kvemo Teleti village to the Mtkvari at plot No. 115 on Gorgasali Street. It then follows the midline of the river bed to the Baratashvili Bridge and continues along streets of the city centre.

Name

According to Georgian Wikipedia, which draws on the Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, "Ortachala" combines two words: Turkish orta ("middle") and Georgian chala ("riverside floodplain"), i.e. "middle floodplain". In the 18th century Vakhushti Bagrationi called the place the "Chala garden". The name originally belonged to an island formed where the Mtkvari split into two branches.

History

According to Russian Wikipedia, the area lay outside the city walls in earlier times, and the road to Ganja passed through it. In the 19th century the name Ortachala was extended to the neighbourhood on the right bank of the Mtkvari. In the same century the area had several ethnic quarters (Tatar and Greek), industrial works (a soap factory and a felt factory), a customs post and a Jewish cemetery. Thanks to its gardens it became a popular place for townspeople to relax.

In the mid-20th century the Ortachala hydropower plant was built on the Mtkvari. Georgian Wikipedia dates it to 1954, while the English Wikipedia list of Georgian power stations gives 1953. Its installed capacity is 18 MW. In 1970 the building of the Tbilisi Central Bus Station was built next to the Ortachala Bridge; it was put into service in 1973.

Administrative status

Ortachala is part of Krtsanisi District of the Tbilisi municipality. Under Resolution No. 16-35 of 2014 (consolidated version of 18 March 2022) it forms Ubani 12 of the district together with Kala.

Population

We could not find a separate official population figure for Ortachala, such as census data at neighbourhood level, in open sources.

Transport

The Tbilisi Central Bus Station stands next to the Ortachala Bridge in the south-east of the city. According to the encyclopedia "Sakartvelo", the building was erected in 1970. It was designed by the architects R. Kiknadze, V. Kurtishvili and Sh. Kavlashvili, with engineer R. Shiolashvili. The complex covers 2.5 ha. It runs international services to Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Russia, Greece and Armenia as well as regional routes, and the encyclopedia gives a figure of about 2,000 passengers a day. It has been a joint-stock company since 1 January 1995.

Notable places

• St Nicholas Church, Ortachala — 1855.

• Ortachala HPP — hydropower plant on the Mtkvari (1953/1954, 18 MW).

• Ortachala Bridge and the Central Bus Station.

FAQ

1) Where is Ortachala?
In the south-eastern part of Tbilisi, in Krtsanisi District, south-east of the Old Town, on the right bank of the Mtkvari.

2) What does the name "Ortachala" mean?
It combines Turkish "orta" ("middle") and Georgian "chala" ("floodplain"), i.e. "middle floodplain".

3) What did Vakhushti Bagrationi call Ortachala?
The "Chala garden" (18th century).

4) Which district is Ortachala in?
Krtsanisi District. Under the 2014 resolution it forms Ubani 12 ("Kala, Ortachala") together with the Old Town.

5) What was Ortachala known for in the 19th century?
Its gardens — it was a place of rest and entertainment for the people of Tbilisi.

6) Where is Tbilisi Central Bus Station?
In Ortachala, next to the Ortachala Bridge. The building was built in 1970 and put into service in 1973.

7) When was the Ortachala HPP built?
In the early 1950s; sources give 1953 or 1954. Its capacity is 18 MW.

8) What are Ortachala's main streets?
Vakhtang Gorgasali Street and Ioseb Grishashvili Street.

9) When was St Nicholas Church in Ortachala built?
In 1855.

10) How many people live in Ortachala?
We could not find an official neighbourhood-level population figure in open sources.

Sources

• Ortachala — Georgian Wikipedia

• Ortachala — Russian Wikipedia

• "Tbilisi Central Bus Station" — Encyclopedia "Sakartvelo" (georgianencyclopedia.ge; in Georgian)

• List of power stations in Georgia (country) — English Wikipedia

• Czech firm adds 18-MW Ortachala to its Georgia hydro portfolio — Renewable Energy World

• Tbilisi City Council Resolution No. 16-35 of 5 December 2014 — Legislative Herald of Georgia (in Georgian)

• Ortachala — OpenStreetMap

• T. Beridze, "Ortachala" — Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, vol. 7, Tbilisi, 1984, p. 569 (as cited by Georgian Wikipedia; in Georgian).