The White Bridge is a pedestrian bridge over the Rioni River in the old town of Kutaisi and one of the city main symbols. Military engineer Vite began construction in 1850 and finished in 1852. After the flood of 1860 the bridge was rebuilt: the metalwork and railings were painted white, which gave it its name and matched the pale stones in the riverbed.
A 2019 renovation added glass panels that reveal the water below and engraved lines of Georgian poetry on the metal plates. On the railing sits the bronze "Picasso Boy" (2004), a character from Eldar Shengelaia film The Extraordinary Exhibition; visitors pose by slipping their head under his hat.
Read the blog: A pedestrian symbol over the turbulent Rioni
📜 History and facts
- Built by military engineer Vite in 1850, finished in 1852
- Rebuilt after the 1860 flood; the metal was brought from France
- Named for the white metal, railings and pale stones in the Rioni
- 2019 renovation: glass panels and lines of Georgian poetry
🕊️ Legends and traditions
- Young men jumped from the bridge to prove their love
- "Baptism as a Kutaisian": a leap into the Rioni as a local rite
- The bronze "Picasso Boy" (2004) from the film The Extraordinary Exhibition
📸 What to see and photograph
- The fast Rioni current and white stones in the riverbed
- Old wooden houses along the bank
- The cable car to the hilltop park and the bridge lit up in the evening
