Sea port

On the bustling Batumi embankment, at the very heart of the seaport, stands the Marine Station. The station building was built in 1959-1962 according to the design of architects Novakov and Kremlyakov in a style reminiscent of Stalin's Empire style, with a characteristic spire and arched mosaic at the entrance. The Marine Station was erected during the period of active development of the port, which since the end of the 19th century played a key role in the region's economy thanks to the export of Baku oil and the status of "free port". By the beginning of the 20th century, Batumi had become one of the leading ports of the Black Sea, and in 1923 it received the highest category in the USSR.

It was in this context of the port’s historical significance that the building of the Marine Station was erected, becoming the city’s main passenger gateway for decades. During the Soviet era, the station was the center of a bustling maritime life, the final destination of the popular Crimean-Caucasian Lines, and the starting point for tourist cruises along the Black Sea and beyond. For decades, a unique atmosphere reigned here in the evenings: music played, elegant passengers and those seeing them off crowded the piers, and the farewell horns of steamships echoed over the port. The building of the Marine Station has miraculously preserved this energy of a bygone era, and even today, when its main role as a passenger terminal has changed, it attracts with its history.

Currently, the historic building of the Marine Station houses a modern navigation center.