Chacha Tower, located in Batumi, Georgia, is a distinctive 25-meter (approximately 82 feet) high clock tower, completed in 2012. Its design is a deliberate replica of the Ottoman-style clock tower in İzmir, Turkey, which was originally designed in 1901 by French architect Raymond Pere. This tower stands out not only for its architectural features but also for its unique connection to Georgian culture, specifically through the country's traditional alcoholic beverage, chacha.
Chacha, a potent drink distilled from grape pomace left after winemaking, is closely tied to Georgia's ancient winemaking history, rumored to date back about eight thousand years. The Chacha Tower pays homage to this legacy by featuring four fountains, originally intended to flow with chacha, offering visitors a free taste of this iconic drink.
Referred to as the Fountain Tower, it's a modern tribute to a similar structure that graced Batumi's coastline more than a century ago. With an observation platform at its top, visitors could enjoy sweeping views of Batumi’s shoreline. However, the tower's function as a beacon for chacha enthusiasts was short-lived. Reports in 2015 indicated that the fountains were no longer operational.
Once the site of a bustling tourism information center, the Chacha Tower has since seen less favorable days. Standing in Miracle Park on Batumi's Black Sea waterfront, it has become somewhat neglected, with minimal maintenance evident and its clock no longer working. The tower, against Batumi's otherwise vibrant and meticulously planned waterfront, stands as a peculiar reminder of a grand yet unrealized vision.
Today, Chacha Tower is a symbol of both cultural pride and unfulfilled potential, embodying the ambition and fleeting nature of such grandiose projects. While it might not have fully lived up to its initial promise, it remains an integral and thought-provoking part of Batumi's urban narrative.
