A museum complex of Dadiani palace, a residence of Megrelian government, is one of the Zugdidi's main points of pride. It consists of the palaces of the queen of Samegrelo, Ekaterine Chavchavadze-Dadiani and the prince Niko Dadiani, a court church, and a botanical garden. A German architect, Reiss reconstructed the queen's palace in the 60s of the 19th century and Niko Dadiani palace was built by a Russian architect, Vasiliev.
Multiple major exponents are preserved at the Dadiani palace: rare goldsmith artifacts, archaeological materials representing the cultures of Ancient Greece and Colchis, Christian sacred objects, including the Chitin of Holy Mother of God. It was transferred here in 1453, after the collapse of the Byzantine Empire. Dadiani family relics are also preserved here: unique furniture, memorial items, crockery, one of the only three Napoleon Bonaparte's bronze masks, which was cast in Paris in 1833 by Francesco Antommarchi. Unique paintings by the European painters are also displayed here. The palace architecture, interior, environment and expositions are bringing to life the thousands of years of history, the stories, which are hidden within these objects and at some point, you may even think that you are visiting Dadiani himself and the host might greet you with a smile on his face at any moment.
