New town

To the north and west of the historic core, roughly starting from the Freedom square lies an area of buildings erected during the Russian and Soviet periods, in the 19th and 20th centuries. These are mostly buildings in neoclassical architectural style. This area has a lot in common with other capitals or major cities of former Soviet republics, such as for instance Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) or Almaty (Kazachstan). The Tbilisi Opera building (Georgian National Opera and Ballet Theater of Tbilisi) lies in the Shota Rustaveli avenue. Initially built in 1851 in neo-Moorish style, it was damaged and rebuilt several times, most recently in 2016. The Kashveti church in Rustaveli avenue was built between 1904 and 1910.