Thanks to a new project, centuries-old historical buildings, mostly of the Baltic architectural style, are being restored to their former glory in northeastern Türkiye's Kars province. The "Kars Province with Its Historical Identity" project aims to bring the historical and cultural texture of the city to the fore.

The Baltic architectural style gets its name from the Baltic Sea as it was used in cities around it in the early 1700s. The style particularly stands out with its single-story basalt stone technique.

Kars features examples of unique Baltic architecture due to the Russian occupation from 1878 to 1918 during the Russo-Turkish War. Russia declared the city a military province and conducted new town planning as it did in 1706 in cities around the Baltic Sea. Large boulevards were established as well as the construction of buildings with cut-basalt stone in the city.

Starting from 1890 until 1918, they built single-story, two-story and sometimes three-story buildings made of neatly cut basalt stone in Baltic architectural style on these large boulevards. The entrance facades of these buildings are decorated with columns and relief stones, and their interiors are generally composed of rooms and halls arranged along on a long corridor.

Another unique feature that draws attention to the buildings is the heating system in the form of a fireplace called "peç."

Some 190 structures built in the Baltic architectural style have been registered and are under protection today. Most are used as residences under the ownership of individuals, while some are used as workplaces and a few others as official institutions.

Thanks to the "Kars Province with Its Historical Identity" project, the facade of 32 buildings constructed in the Baltic architectural style will be revamped with a budget of approximately 5.2 million euros ($5 million). The project was prepared by the Serhat Development Agency (SERKA) and financed by the European Union (EU) Pre-Accession Financial Assistance Fund.

As part of the project, the buildings on Haydar Aliyev Street in the city are being restored, with the layers of modern paint on the buildings being removed as the first step.

Russian architecture

Among the buildings on Haydar Aliyev Street are the Kars Provincial Health Directorate building, the Revenue Office guesthouse, the Kars Chamber of Commerce and Industry building, the Revenue Office building and the governor's mansion. These structures are the best examples of Russian architecture in the city.

The Revenue Office building attracts attention with the cartouche decoration on its exterior. The three-story building was used as the governor’s office of Kars from the declaration of the republic until 1980. After being restored, it then served as the Revenue Office building. The decorative pillars and cartouche motifs on the eastern entrance of this triplex owned by the Provincial Directorate of Health, which was built in a Baltic architectural fashion in 1907, are also notable. The building served as a hospital for a while after the declaration of the republic. After its restoration in 1980, it was turned into the building of the Provincial Directorate of Health.

Across the avenue stands the Revenue Office guesthouse, which was built in 1897 and used as a courthouse for a while.

The Chamber of Industry and Commerce building and the old governor’s house (Stavuski Mansion) are also located close to each other. The mansion was built by Russians in 1883, is one story and was designed in a ‘’U’’ shape. The most important fact about this building, decorated with fake pillars and reliefs on its eastern entrance front walls, is that it is where the Treaty of Kars was signed on Oct. 13, 1921. The building, which was used as the governor’s residence after the declaration of the republic, has been registered as ‘’Cultural Real Property’’ as of 2010 following restoration efforts that started in 2005.

The Chamber of Industry and Commerce building across from the mansion was another structure brought into service in the late 19th century. The structure was designed as a winter house with cut basalt and tuff stone and was also used in the republic period. This historical structure, with facades decorated with kerb ornaments, was visited on Oct. 6, 1924, by Türkiye's founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

SERKA Secretary General Nurullah Karaca told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they aim to increase the competitiveness of tourism in the city and to create a suitable investment environment for tourism enterprises.

"Within the scope of the project, scaffolding was built for nine historical buildings. At the moment, restoration efforts are ongoing. Work is being carried out to repair the roofs of 22 registered and 10 unregistered buildings, restore their windows and doors to the original state, and to remove additional paint. In addition, the sidewalks and roads of the street will be reconstructed and illuminated," he said.

Expressing that 30% of the technical work has been completed, Karaca said, "The official completion of this project will hopefully be at the end of 2023."