International Day of Museums at the Uplistsikhe Cave Complex
The Messenger Staff
Wednesday, May 19
On May 18, USAID/Georgia Mission Director Peter Wiebler joined USAID/Zrda Chief of Party Ketevan Tchumburidze, First Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth of Georgia Kakha Sikharulidze and Governor of Shida Kartli Mamuka Saghareishvili to celebrate International Day of Museums and discuss the successful conclusion of the partnership between the USAID Zrda Activity in Georgia and the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation to implement joint development projects in Shida Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti.
Since early 2019, USAID Zrda and the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation have been partners to implement a number of significant projects in Shida Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti regions of Georgia.
“We are here to celebrate this great day, and also to celebrate the partnership between the USAID, the American people and the people of Georgia. We are here to promote the cultural tourism, which is an important, obviously to highlight tremendous richness that Georgia has in the area of culture, but also supporting cultural tourism for economic reasons,” USAID/Georgia Mission Director Peter Wiebler told The Messenger on May 18.
USAID/Zrda assisted the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation in designing of a Road Map for Management Plan for Vardzia – Khertvisi Cultural Heritage landscape, with the engagement of the ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) expert, to support the process of inscription into UNESCO World Heritage Sites list, as well supported the preparation and printing of the project-related information materials. Equipped the Uplistsikhe and Vardzia museums with the high standard First Aid Facility, as well as bar code readers and required software for a ticket management system, provided First Aid and Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) trainings to the museum staff and donated uniforms to them to enhance the traveler experience through improved customer service and security support.
Besides this through the project support Vardzia, Uplistsikhe Museum Reserves, David&Giorgi Eristavi Museum in Odzisi and Borjomi Local Museum staff were offered functional, job-related trainings in strengthening and improving project management skills. Besides this, the project assisted the abovementioned museums in development of the evacuation plan as well as equipped with the items under the evacuation plan.
“Celebrating International Museums Day here in Georgia serves as a tool for the cultural tourism development locally that is crucially important both emotionally and pragmatically. And I’m sure that as soon as COVID pandemic ends, all the cultural sites including Uplistsikhe Cave Reserve will host many tourists again,” First Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth of Georgia Kakha Sikharulidze said on Tuesday.
In Vardzia Cave Town the unique virtual museum equipped with modern projection and holographic technology was installed, allowing visitors with disabilities (and those without!) to experience the cave complex using the technology platform supported through USAID/Zrda. In Tusheti, the appropriate infrastructure for so called pictographs (an ancient, prehistoric drawing on a rock wall) route was completed including installation of information and road signs, as well as pictographs cultural tourist route guidebooks and brochures were printed. David&Giorgi Eristavi Museum in Odzisi was fully equipped with appropriate museum equipment in support of the modernization of the facility. Finally, Zrda assisted in creating video and photo production to support the process of the Georgian Wheat’s inscription into the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
“Overall, in 2019-2021 in the framework of the USAID/Zrda and National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation partnership GEL 450, 000 was allocated for the project related activities, as well as Zrda’s additional financial support for 15 museums in its target municipalities of Shida Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, and Tusheti ranged over GEL 500, 000,” USAID/Zrda Chief of Party Ketevan Tchumburidze told the paper.
