Interesting facts about the architecture of Georgia and Tbilisi

Archives and Old Newspapers Help Study Architecture

Many 19th-century Tbilisi buildings still keep their secrets. Not all drawings and house plans have been preserved in the archives. Therefore, determining who was the client or the architect of a building is sometimes quite difficult.

The pre-revolutionary press provides great help to researchers. For example, the publication "Caucasian Calendar," which was published annually from 1846 until the revolution, is considered an important source of information. It published data on city buildings, house owners, and the development of urban infrastructure. Without such sources, it would be practically impossible today to reconstruct the picture of 19th-century Tbilisi construction.

The First Photographers Who Captured Caucasian Architecture

Most of the old photographs of Tbilisi belong to several outstanding photographers.
One of the most famous was Dmitry Ermakov — a photographer and researcher of the Caucasus. His works today are considered the most important documents of the era. He captured the streets of Tiflis, the architecture, craftsmen, and residents of the city.

Another important figure was Alexander Roinashvili — the first professional photographer of Georgian origin, an ethnographer, and a collector. He left a vast photographic legacy in which one can see the architecture of the Caucasus, portraits of famous people, and scenes of everyday life. Today, these photographs help researchers understand what Tbilisi looked like more than a hundred years ago.

Two Stages of Tbilisi Architecture Development

The development of 19th-century Tbilisi architecture can be roughly divided into two main periods.

First Period — 1801–1860: This is the time of the end of the feudal era and the gradual transformation of the city.

Second Period — 1860–1917: Rapid economic development begins. Factories, plants, and the railway are built. The oil industry in Baku has a huge influence on the development of the region.

During this period, new quarters, tenement houses, and administrative buildings are actively built in Tbilisi. The architecture becomes more European, and elements of Eclecticism and Art Nouveau appear.

The further we go into the 19th century, the fewer buildings from that time remain. Houses from the 1870s–1880s are found quite often. Buildings from the 1850s–1860s are already much rarer. And 1820s–1830s buildings can be found today only in certain areas of the city.

What Types of Residential Houses Existed in the Early 19th Century

In the early 19th century, several types of residential houses could be found in Tbilisi.

Darbazi: This is an ancient type of Georgian dwelling with a central hall. In Tbilisi itself, such houses have not survived, but they can be seen in Georgian villages.

Tower-type House: A rare type of building where rooms were located one above the other. One example can be seen on Avlevi Street in Tbilisi.

Enfilade Houses: In such houses, rooms were arranged sequentially one after another. Initially, they were one-story, but already in the mid-19th century, two- and three-story houses began to be built.

Later, tenement houses intended for renting out apartments appeared in the city.

Why Tbilisi Architecture Became European

Until the middle of the 19th century, attempts were made in architecture to preserve the traditional Georgian style. This can be seen in the palaces of Georgian rulers. However, already in the second half of the 19th century, the architecture of Tbilisi began to develop along a common path with the architecture of Russian and European capitals.

Buildings in the Eclectic, Neoclassical, and Art Nouveau styles appeared in the city. Many of them can be seen in the Sololaki, Mtatsminda, and Chugureti districts. Today, these houses are considered an important part of the architectural heritage of Tbilisi.