Kars and Its Baltic Architecture, a Grid Plan and Basalt Facades

If you step into a street in Kars and lift your eyes, two layers of the city appear at once. Above stands the castle, built of cut basalt. Below run broad avenues that cross at right angles, lined with buildings of the same dark stone and facades decorated with reliefs. This second layer of Kars is called Baltic architecture. The name evokes a coastline so far away that it makes you wonder what connects Kars to the Baltic Sea. Using information from official institutional pages, this article explains the story behind the name, the city plan, the stone, the facades and a route you can walk today.

Where the Baltic name comes from

According to the pages of the Kars Governorship and the Kars Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, Kars remained under Russian administration for about forty years after the Ottoman-Russian War of 1877-1878. During this period a new development program began in the city. Kars was organized as a military province, and a new city plan was laid out around what are now the centers of the Yusufpaşa, Ortakapı and Cumhuriyet neighborhoods. The official pages say that an architectural approach applied in 1706 on the Baltic Sea side of northern Russia was brought to Kars. The same sources add that engineers brought from the Netherlands in the 1880s sped up the work. So the word Baltic points to the geographical origin of a style. Today these buildings belong to the urban fabric of Kars and are read as one layer of the city's building history.

The plan came first

The most striking feature of this architecture is the city plan, which precedes the individual buildings. According to the official description, the new plan consists of avenues laid out on a grid, crossing one another at right angles. When you walk in Kars you notice that streets run parallel or perpendicular to each other. This order differs from the winding bazaar lanes of many old Anatolian towns. Wide avenues let both the pedestrian and the buildings be seen with ease, and you can read the facades even from a distance. In a high plateau city where winter lasts long, this openness shows the color of the stone plainly during the short hours of sun. To grasp the plan, stand at an intersection and look in four directions in turn.

Cut basalt

On these avenues, according to the official pages, buildings of evenly cut basalt were raised from 1890 until 1917. Most are one or two stories, and a few rare examples have three. Basalt is a dark, dense volcanic stone. The municipality page notes that the outer walls of Kars Castle were also built of cut basalt. So the castle and the city speak the same stone language. Centuries separate the castle's inscription, dated to the middle of the twelfth century, from the civil buildings of the late nineteenth century, yet when you turn toward the castle the color of the stone ties it to the urban fabric. Look closely at the surface. The fineness of the joints and the regularity of the blocks show careful workmanship. Subtle shifts of color on the stone are best seen when the sun is low.

The language of the facade

The official pages say the entrance facades are decorated with false columns and relief border stones. A false column is a vertical element half sunk into the wall that serves as decoration rather than support. It gives the facade rhythm and emphasizes the entrance. A cartouche is a framed relief panel that holds an inscription or ornament. The Kars Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism says the cartouche decoration on the exterior of the Treasury Office building draws attention. The same page describes the facades of some buildings as Baroque in style, decorated with false columns, reliefs and cartouches. When you look at a facade, therefore, search for three things in order. First the columns that emphasize the entrance, then the relief borders around the windows, and finally the framed cartouches. The rear and side facades of the same building are often plainer. The official page also notes that in some buildings those rear and side walls were built as rubble masonry.

A long corridor and the peç inside

The interior follows a certain rule as well. According to the official description, the buildings have rooms and halls opening one into another along a fairly long corridor. Another notable feature inside is a heating system called peç, built in the form of a fireplace. In a city with long winters, heating sits at the center of architecture. Thick stone walls and peç stoves show that these buildings were made for the climate. Because most buildings are privately owned, touring the interiors may not be possible. Still, in buildings used by public institutions, some interiors are known to keep this layout. For interior photography or a visit, ask the relevant institution for permission. The ceiling decorations of houses also appear as a separate heading on the Provincial Directorate page.

How many buildings are protected

The pages of the Governorship and the Directorate of Culture and Tourism give the same figure. Of the properties built in the Baltic architectural style, 190 are registered and protected. Most of them are privately owned and used as homes. Some serve as workplaces and some as public institutions. This gives two lessons for your walk. First, Baltic architecture in Kars does not live in a museum but in everyday life. Second, you can look at most buildings only from the outside. Approach doors, windows and gardens with respect. Do not stand for long in front of homes taking photographs. Since the number may change as registration continues, it is wise to check the current figure on the official page.

Example buildings

The Kars Provincial Directorate page lists several buildings as examples. The Treasury Office building is remembered as one of the most important works of this period, with its three stories and the cartouche decoration on its facade. After the proclamation of the Republic it was used as the Governorship building, and after restoration following 1980 it began to serve as the Treasury Office. The Health Directorate building was built in 1907. It has three stories, and the false columns and cartouches on the east wall, which is the entrance facade, draw attention. According to the same page the building served for a time as the state hospital and, after restoration in 1980, took on its present role. The Governor's Residence dates from 1883, is single storied and has an L-shaped plan. Its east-facing entrance facade is decorated with false columns and reliefs. Since it is used today as the Governor's office, it cannot be entered and can only be viewed from outside. Another house was built in 1897, according to the inscription above its entrance door. With the Baroque decoration of its western entrance facade and the large wooden balcony in its back garden, it is counted among the important Baltic examples in Kars. It is used as a residence today, so it too should be viewed only from outside.

A walking suggestion

It makes sense to build your route around the Ortakapı, Yusufpaşa and Cumhuriyet neighborhoods, because the official pages say the new plan took shape around the centers of these neighborhoods. Decide the exact street boundaries on site. Start the walk from a point that gives a view of the castle, then follow the avenues in sequence along the grid. In every block look for the three layers of the facade, namely stone, column and cartouche. In front of buildings used by public institutions, stop and compare differences in facade and ornament. Keep the walk slow. A few minutes per facade is enough, but patience is needed for the stone's color to change with the light. Although the broad avenues are easy to walk, pavements can ice over in winter, so choose shoes with a non-slip sole.

Season and practical notes

Kars is a high-altitude city with a harsh winter. Basalt facades look most impressive above snow, when the sun is low. In summer the dark color of the stone and the clear sky show the facades more sharply. Morning and late afternoon are the best hours for photography. If you plan a winter walk, dress warmly and check the weather beforehand. Opening and visiting conditions vary from institution to institution. Before entering a building used by a public institution, check the announcements of that institution. For current information, consult the official page of the Kars Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism. The castle and the Baltic buildings can be visited together on the same day. Climbing to the castle first to see the city from above, then descending to look closely at the facades, is a sensible order.

Sources

• Kars Valiliği, Baltık Mimarisi, https://www.kars.gov.tr/sehirkartlaribaltikmimarisi
• Kars İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü, XIX.YY Baltık Mimari Örnekleri, https://kars.ktb.gov.tr/TR-54889/xixyy-baltik-mimari-ornekleri.html
• Kars Belediyesi, Kars Kalesi, https://www.kars.bel.tr/serhat-sehri-kars
• Vikipedi, Kars, https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kars