Batonis Castle

Batonis Castle, locally also known as Batonistsikhe Castle or simply Telavi Castle, lies in the center of the city of Telavi, in the Telavi municipality in the Kakheti region in Georgia.

Its name Batonistsikhe translates back to 'fortress' (tsikhe) 'of the master' (Batonis). It was built by Archil of Imereti between 1667 and 1675. It was the residence of the Kakhetian kings during the 17th and 18th century.

In the 2nd half of the 18th century Batonis Castle was expanded by Erekle II of Georgia. He had a Persian style palace built within its walls.

In 1812 Batonis Castle was garrisoned by Russian troops when the Kakhetians revolted. The Kakhetians besieged the castle for 15 to 20 days until the Russians were relieved by the Russian Army. In the meantime the Kakhetians had been able to defeat 3 Russian relief parties. The siege heavily damaged Erekle's palace but it was rebuilt in 1865.

Batonis Castle has a square ground plan. Its western half now houses a public park and a school. Its eastern half now houses the Telavi Historical Museum.

At the southeast corner of the castle, outside its walls, is a bastion, with a diameter of 14 meters. It is unique in Georgia. It was used as an emplacement for artillery and in the beginning of the 19th century was equipped with several 7.5 meters long cannons. Next to it is a statue of Erekle II.

At present the western part of Batonis Castle can freely be visited during opening hours. The eastern part, which houses Erekle's palace, can be visited for a small fee during opening hours. A very nice castle, too bad the museum was closed when I visited.

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