Today, the Dadiani Palace functions as a museum and is part of the Samegrelo Palace Complex, which includes the Queen’s Palace, Nikoloz’s Palace, the Prince’s Church, and a decorative garden adjacent to the palace. The Queen’s Palace was remodelled in the 1860s by the German architect Rais, before that, it had been the residence of Princess Pupi, sister of David, Prince of Samegrelo. Nikoloz’s Palace was built in the 1880s by the Russian architect Leonid Vasiliev. The museum itself was established in 1921, based on the treasury of David Dadiani, son of Levan and Prince of Samegrelo, along with a collection of Georgian antiquities transferred from churches and monasteries in the region.

Did you know that...

1.The Dadiani Palace houses Georgia’s largest ballroom, once used for grand receptions and royal gatherings.

2. Among the museum’s most prized objects are religious relics and artifacts of global importance.

3. One of the rarest exhibits is a bronze death mask of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821), cast in Paris in 1833 at the request of Professor Francesco Antommarchi, Napoleon’s personal physician.

4. The museum preserves an exceptional military and diplomatic archive, including materials from the Russian Imperial Court, the Military Chancellery, and 19th-century documents on Russo-Georgian relations - invaluable for studying Georgia’s social, economic, and political history.

5. Surrounding the museum is a 67-hectare forest park planted by the Dadiani rulers, featuring ancient and exotic trees brought from various parts of the world.