White Bridge

A pedestrian suspension bridge over the Rioni, built in 1872 and named after the pale colour of its structures. It links the two banks in the centre of the city and is still in use: people walk across it, although the deck sways noticeably. The bridge became a city landmark not so much in its own right as thanks to the sculpture of a boy in a hat sitting on the railing — it was put up in memory of a character from Kutaisi folklore and of the local boys who used to jump from here into the river. Under the bridge the Rioni runs over a stony bed with rapids; the water is loud, and in the dry season shallow enough to see the bottom. From the middle of the span there is a view of the hill with Bagrati Cathedral on one side and of the old town quarters on the other. In the evening the bridge is floodlit, and it ends up in the frame from almost every point along the embankment.

On the map