Under the direction of Valery Badalyan, the director of the Youth department of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia and accompanied by the choirmaster Maria Abulyan, an excursion to Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi was organized on December 3^rd, 2014, with a view to acquainting the young generation with the history of the city.

Children were first acquainted with the exhibits in the hall, where exhibition dedicated to the history of Tbilisi’s autonomy (1875-1917) has recently been opened on the initiative of the city hall and city assembly (Sakrebulo). Documents, photos, objects, models and other materials, showing the activity of capital’s city hall and self-government bodies during that years, where demonstrated in two exhibition halls.

The children also have been made aware that as other European cities, Tbilisi also started forming its own self-government, already in 11^th century and exercised functions related to the city’s fire service, public utility services and the development of the trade and handicraft shops. Getting acquainted with the explanations of the displayed materials, teenagers learned that the regulations on civic management were adopted already in the year 1840, according to which the people of the city became able to elect the mayor and the assembly, consisting of 6 members. The self-government in old Tbilisi largely developed the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Following the conquest of Georgia by Russia, the municipal police, led by the police chief, was established in Tbilisi.

The fact that the previous mayors used to swear both in Armenian and in Georgian drew the attention of the teenagers. They familiarized with a scheme of an old city, saw the pen, by which Vorontsov-Dashkov was signing the orders regarding the city, they also learned about the prominent Armenians, who made a significant contribution to the development of the city. The establishment of the heat and power plant, the launch of the first tramway, the construction of the polytechnic university and the city hall building, were part of an efforts of Alexander Khatisov, Alexander Matinov, Pavle Izmailov, Konstantin Beybutov, and Arghutyan-Dolgorukov for promoting the city. The contributions of benefactors Alexander Mantashev, Mikael Aramyants, Christophor Vermishev, and Giorgi Evangulov to the improvement of the city and the construction of hospital, shelter and psychiatric clinic, in order to take care of city’s people, were also significant.

Moreover, the young members of the ensemble studied the materials evidencing the conquest of Georgia by Russia, saw the characteristics of national costumes and visited the exhibition halls, dedicated to the development of jeweler’s art.