Georgian dwelling houses were mentioned as early as the first century BC by Vitruvius who commented on the characteristic lantern domes (darbazi). In Tbilisi pre-Russian elements survive in residential architecture only in the street pattern of the central areas. As the growth of the 19th century wore on, an increasing number of structures were put up in masonry, stylistically following a thoroughly European model and even adopting the form of multi-occupancy tenements by the end of the century. What remained of the Caucasian features was in particular the use of courtyards, balconies and external staircases which enabled a characteristically Georgian (and Armenian, given the large number of inhabitants of Tbilisi from that country at the time) way of life. This revolves around a greater degree of openness to the street and cross-communication between houses and families than would be possible or desirable in the harsh climates of European Russia.
Paradoxically, this “communality” was enhanced by Soviet housing policies, the infamous komunalki, which saw the breaking up of old dwelling units into a multitude of small-scale apartments with shared sanitary and cooking facilities. The challenge that this provided was met with a typically Caucasian sense of ingenuity and improvisation through the construction of additional staircases, bridges and balconies that ensured private access to the various parts of the old houses. Decades of neglect and overpopulation were followed by the turmoil of the post-Independence era in the 1990s which did not allow for a meaningful analysis of the situation, let alone a concerted restoration effort.
Nowadays Old Tbilisi is faced with a mixture of wilful demolition, pastiche-type restoration and, thankfully, still large swathes of mostly unspoilt urban fabric. In particular the balconies and external staircases display a wide range of architectural solutions, from the sophisticated delicate woodwork of the 19th and early 20th centuries to makeshift repairs and additions of the Soviet period. Together with its medieval church monuments and important representative structures of the last two centuries, Old Tbilisi presents itself as one of the most interesting cityscapes on the territory of the former USSR.
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| One of Tbilis’s most
celebrated views: houses on the cliffs of Metekhi quarter with their
overhanging balconies. |
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| Some of the lanes are
heavily planted with vines, achieving a somewhat rural pergola effect. |
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| The facades bear the imprint of Russian provincial architecture of the
19th century while the popularity of balconies is characteristic of
life in the Caucasus. |
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| The preferred method for overhanging enclosed balconies, often of
considerable size, is a lightly-built timber construction, as here at
Kh.Abovian St. |
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| This example of communicating balconies on Ilia & Nino Nakashidze
St illustrates the idea of street life being continued into the houses. |
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| This lane off Shota Kavlashvili St shows a rustic-looking belvedere at
the back and an attempt at European Gothic forms in the foreground. |
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| This balcony at the junction of Charkhuradze and Ietim-Gurji Streets
shows the simultaneous presence of a European classicising mode,
transmitted by Russia in the 19th century. |
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| A collection of motifs from Tbilisi balconies to demonstrate their richness and stylistic variety. |
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| This modern house on Shota Kavlashvili St shows the continuing appeal of features like balconies and overhangs. |
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| The courtyard is one of
the commonest elements of the Tbilisi house. This example on the South
side of Lado Asatiani St shows a popular arrangement of a three-sided
courtyard with superimposed galleries that opens onto the street. |
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| Off the West side of Ietim-Gurji St, a well-maintained, fully
functioning multi-storeyed set of galleries that give access to the
individual flats behind them. |
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| No.17,
G.Abesadze St: the glazed galleries, in fact the sides of a courtyard,
produce the effect of a light, translucent façade towards the street. |
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| This
house on Ilia & Nino Nakashidze St gives a good idea of the role
that the galleries play in providing access to individual dwelling
units. |
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| This restored house on the South side of Betlemi St displays a rather “Victorian” use of stained glass on the staircase. |
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| This
staircase at No.2, Mikhail Lermontov St, a later addition to an
originally rather grand courtyard, is remarkable for the sensitive use
of wood in a makeshift structure and decidedly Ottoman in its forms. |
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| The
metal staircases, predominantly a product of the Soviet period, tend to
disregard the compositional qualities of the original structures, yet
they often form daring, spectacular features in their own right. Their
purpose was to give direct access from the street to the small dwelling
units of the Soviet “komunalki” (B.Akhospireli St, Abo Tbileli St,
Ietim-Gurji St). |
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| The
street façade of No.23, Lado Asatiani St would not be out of place in
St.Petersburg, yet behind it stretches a courtyard with characteristic
multi-storeyed galleries and typical Caucasian life. |
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| The
deplorable state of preservation of many structures reveals glimpses of
the former bourgeois splendour of Tbilisi houses (lower Ietim-Gurji St). |
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| As can be seen in this structure, visible from Ovanes Tuvaniani Turn,
modern materials and construction techniques are ubiquitous in the
“restoration”, in most cases complete reconstruction, of old Tbilisi
houses. |
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| Around Charkhuradze St: Historically more sensitive restoration
produces the kind of sterility that one nowadays witnesses on sections
of Charkhuradze St where the liveliness and spontaneity of Old Tbilisi
is no longer expressed in architectural forms. |
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| Old Tbilisi consists of a
few main thoroughfares and a host of lanes and cul-de-sacs, as this
side street off Charkhuradze St. |
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| Balconies accentuate most
facades: there is an emphasis on late 19th-century ironwork, combined
with myriad later alterations. |
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| This balcony on Betlemi Rise demonstrates the inventiveness of
generations of inhabitants that turned it into an additional interior
living space. |
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| A.Dumas St, showing here its entrance from Kote Afkhazi St, is an
excellent example of balconies communicating across the streets. |
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| Ottoman elements can be discerned in the yoke-shaped arches of this balcony on the West side of A.Dumas St. |
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| Orientalising forms are also expressed in the lace-like decoration of the arches on this balcony on Ietim-Gurji St. |
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| Balconies, verandahs and related structures have been interpreted in a
variety of modern materials, often in a somewhat makeshift fashion and
with surprising results. |
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| In this large dwelling on Betlemi Rise, the courtyard galleries also
fulfil the function of balconies, as they afford a panoramic view over
the entire old city. |
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| The lightly built overhanging structures have not only been subjected
to frequent alterations but are also under particular threat from decay
and neglect (L.Gudiashvili Sq., SE corner). |
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| No.11, Beglar Akhospireli
St: a grander version of the three-sided courtyard, symmetry accounting
for a sense of monumentality despite the use of light materials. |
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| A similar composition, yet consisting of only two storeys, with a glazed ground floor, an often-used device in Tbilisi. |
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| This courtyard on lower
Ietim-Gurji St shows a more classically inspired composition which is
somewhat reduced by the glazing of much of the upper gallery. |
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| M.Lermontov St, North side: an example of modern infill around a traditional Tbilisi courtyard. |
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| A
recently restored complex on Botanikuri St with spectacularly cascading
staircases that follow the natural contours of the hill. |
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| A rickety, but original staircase on the West side of A.Dumas St. |
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| Many
visible external staircases are additions of later periods when the
internal organisation of Tbilisi houses underwent considerable changes
(East side, Ietim-Gurji St). |
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| This
complex on lower Ietim-Gurji St, with its sloping two-storeyed bridges,
is one of the most compelling examples of the improvised nature of many
traditional Tbilisi dwellings. |
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| The
Stomatological Clinic on Kote Afkhazi St, the main thoroughfare of Old
Tbilisi, is a poignant modern interpretation of the traditional
staircases of the historic city centre. |
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| A
side view of No.35, Lado Asatiani St, shows that 19th-century European
facades are often mere screens in front of traditional Tbilisi
structures. |
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| This
palatial structure at No.16, Geronti Qiqozdis St exhibits a similar
combination of solidity at the front and lightness and translucency in
the Tbilisi-type gallery on the side. |
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| The
dangers to the survival of Old Tbilisi are everywhere to see.
Large-scale demolition is under way in many quarters, as here on
Jerusalem St. |
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| “Improvements”
often come in the form of complete reconstruction with only the most
superficial concessions to traditional forms, as here on the corner of
G.Abesadze and V.Beridze Streets. |
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