Mayakovsky Museum, Baghdati
House museum in Baghdati where the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky was born in 1893, on the road from Kutaisi to Sairme.
Vladimir Mayakovsky, the best-known poet of the Russian avant-garde and the early Soviet years, was born in 1893 in Baghdati, a small town about 20 km south of Kutaisi in the valley of the Khanistskali river. His father worked as a forester here, and the family stayed until Vladimir was about nine, when they moved to Kutaisi. The wooden house where he was born is now a museum, with family rooms furnished in period style, photographs, manuscripts and posters from his later career in Moscow.
Even if you know little of his poetry, the museum is a revealing window on how a childhood in provincial Georgia shaped a writer who spoke Georgian and later wrote warmly about the country. The town itself was renamed Mayakovsky in 1940 and returned to its old name, Baghdati, around 1990. It makes an easy stop on the road from Kutaisi to the forest resort of Sairme, or alongside a visit to Geguti Palace.
History
Mayakovsky was born on 19 July 1893. After his father's sudden death in 1906, the family left for Moscow, where the teenager joined revolutionary circles and later became a leading figure of Russian Futurism. He died in 1930. The museum opened in his birth house in 1940, in the same year the town took his name, and it has since been restored.
What to see and do
- The house where Mayakovsky was born
- Family rooms and childhood objects
- Manuscripts, photographs and posters
- A stop on the road to Sairme
How to visit
Getting there
Baghdati is about 20 km south of Kutaisi, roughly 30 minutes by car or marshrutka. Sairme is about 30 km further up the valley.
When to go
Year-round. Plan 45 minutes–1 hour here.
- Check opening days in advance, as small museums often close one day a week
- Some labels may be only in Georgian and Russian, so a guide helps
- Combine with Geguti Palace and Sairme
Mayakovsky Museum, Baghdati: FAQ
Was Mayakovsky Georgian?
He was born in Baghdati to a Russian-speaking family and spent his childhood in Baghdati and Kutaisi, where he learned Georgian. He wrote in Russian and became one of its most famous poets.
Where is the Mayakovsky Museum?
In the centre of Baghdati, about 20 km south of Kutaisi, in the house where the poet was born.
Nearby places
Straight-line distance from Mayakovsky Museum, Baghdati.
