Well-known, ‘sea-hovering’ Amra restaurant closed in Abkhazia
An iconic Amra restaurant, which is commonly referred to in blogs as ‘hovering over the sea’, has been closed following the sudden collapse of a section of the pier heading to the restaurant.
It’s not the first time that sections of the pier has disintegrated. The last time it happened was in early April. As Zurab Jergenia, the restaurant lessee, told us, he got by with stopgap measures back then – he fenced off the gap with boards so as to protect people from falling down.
Now, however, there is a real risk of collapse and he has decided to close the restaurant completely.
When the restaurant will be reopened again is unknown as yet. The pier is in extremely poor condition and its overhaul is estimated at several million US dollars. The lessee doesn’t have such funds.
Alongside the two-tier restaurant, there is also a yacht club with the same name located on the pier. It is also closed now. The children’s sailing section, accommodated there, also suspended its operation due to the critical condition of the pier.
The Amra restaurant was built in the 1960s, an initiative of Mikhail Bgazhba, the then-First Secretary of the Abkhazian Regional Committee of the Communist Party. It has become a symbol of Abkhazia’s capital over time.
The top tier of Amra restaurant accommodated a café, which was a hangout place for the Sukhum upper crust. The café brought together prominent actors, artists, authors, including a renowned writer, Fazil Iskander, who frequently mentioned the Arma restaurant in his works.
