9:30
Las orejas de Andropov
Tbilisi (თბილისი, Tiflis), Georgia
«... Over 70 years, many of the Soviet republics were "given" works of architecture by Moscow - often as a mark of favour or distinction. Sometimes these could be quite useful, and still are. Any Soviet city of more than a million people, for example, was entitled to its own metro - which is why capital cities such as Tbilisi, Yerevan and Baku have splendid underground transport systems modelled on the Moscow original, even if these days they can barely afford to run them. But Tbilisi also got a rather less welcome gift. This was a huge "tribune" - a dais on which the Georgian presidium could line up and take the salute at passing parades. To heighten the theatrical effect, it was backed by a multi-arched structure of sculpted shells soaring more than 30 metres into the air. With characteristic irreverence, the locals dubbed it "Andropov's Ears". Today, only the arches remain. Intended as a mere backdrop, they lead nowhere - a total mystery to any visitor ignorant of their original purpose…»
Michael Delahaye
The Independent, june 1999
Las orejas de Andropov
Tbilisi (თბილისი, Tiflis), Georgia
«... Over 70 years, many of the Soviet republics were "given" works of architecture by Moscow - often as a mark of favour or distinction. Sometimes these could be quite useful, and still are. Any Soviet city of more than a million people, for example, was entitled to its own metro - which is why capital cities such as Tbilisi, Yerevan and Baku have splendid underground transport systems modelled on the Moscow original, even if these days they can barely afford to run them. But Tbilisi also got a rather less welcome gift. This was a huge "tribune" - a dais on which the Georgian presidium could line up and take the salute at passing parades. To heighten the theatrical effect, it was backed by a multi-arched structure of sculpted shells soaring more than 30 metres into the air. With characteristic irreverence, the locals dubbed it "Andropov's Ears". Today, only the arches remain. Intended as a mere backdrop, they lead nowhere - a total mystery to any visitor ignorant of their original purpose…»
Michael Delahaye
The Independent, june 1999