Niko Nikoladze Clock Tower in Poti
The construction represents an ensemble monument, which was part of former 16th c fort and was renewed in the 19-th century. In 1896, Mayor of Poti Niko Nikoladze adapted the oldest three-story structure in the town, the foundations of the Ottoman fortress that lay on the side of the square, opposite the lighthouse across the river, removed the wooden construction, and built a Georgian-style balcony around it. As a final touch, he put a mechanical clock on the top floor, which he had brought from the Parisian horologer. Nikoladze made this tower his home for some time.
The building consists of a five-story tower and a two-story residential part that logically moves from floor to floor and is perceived as a whole. The entrance to the tower is made by means of a stone staircase located in the connecting part of the wing and the tower. On the first floor of the main building there are auxiliary storerooms. You will find exhibition materials of Niko Nikoladze Memorial Museum on the second and third floors; On the fourth floor, there is a living room for Nikoladze’s guests with a fireplace. On the fifth floor, there is a three-digit mechanical clock mechanism. The tower ends with an observation terrace, where the ascent takes place with a metal staircase hanging on the east façade. The floors of the tower are connected to each other by a wooden, spiral, rickety-internal staircase. The stairwell of each floor is closed according to the floors with a wooden hatch cut into the floor. The interior and exterior of Niko Nikoladze Tower are distinguished by their simplicity.
Today the tower is a monument of historical-architectural cultural heritage and clock still keeps time.
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