By Nikola Marinko · Water and wastewater projects in Georgia, 2017-2021 · Updated October 2026 · 15 min read

My first arrival in Batumi, on Georgia's Black Sea coast, was an escape. I was Project Manager on the water supply system in Bulancak, Türkiye, when a 3:00 AM call sent my colleague and me driving through the night to the Georgian border. Years later I came back from the other direction, as Contractor's Executive Director for Ludwig Pfeiffer GmbH from 2017 to 2021. Two of our sites, Ureki and Anaklia, sit on this same coast, and Batumi became where we spent free weekends, this time by choice.

The story walks the city from the harbour south. The Argo cable car, the Boulevard running almost 10 km to the airport, the statue of Ali and Nino that moves every evening at 7 PM, the 55 m Ferris wheel and the 130 m Alphabet Tower carrying all 33 letters of the Georgian alphabet. Then the Singing Fountain and the Bamboo Grove, the towers of Orby City and Alliance Centropolis, the Dolphinarium by Lake Nuri, and the Botanical Garden on the cliffs just north of town. Evenings end at Europe Square, Piazza Square and BK Restaurant, with live music and Georgian wine.

Walk the Boulevard all the way to the end. It runs right up to the runway, and there are not many beaches where you can wave at a landing plane.

Escape to Batumi · WWTP Ureki project · WWTP Anaklia project · Tbilisi · Field stories

Batumi, Georgia - The Black Sea Waterfront That Took Me In Twice

FIELD STORY