New map charts Tbilisi’s stunning 20th-century architecture

From its eye-catching valley setting to the picturesque Old Town, the Georgian capital of Tbilisi has a lot to offer. As well as a bustling art and food scene, there’s the incredible, eclectic architecture that has won over the hearts of visitors from all over the world. Now, it’s easier than ever to discover some of the structural gems across the city, as a new Tbilisi architecture map has been released that pinpoints unmissable points of interest.

Created by Tbilisi-based architectural historian Ana Chorgolashvili, the map includes buildings that the expert researched along with details like the years they were built and the architects behind the projects. The locations are also listed to make them easy for travelers to find. It includes a written introduction, with images that were shot by architectural photographer Stefano Perego.

Published by Blue Crow Maps, this is the 27^th architecture map of a global city that the company has created. The map features examples of the most original architecture on show across the city, from neoclassical to art nouveau through the Soviet era and its demise. The two-sided map opens to a size of 16.5 x 23.4 inches, and includes details for 50 buildings from the 1890s to the 1990s printed in English and Georgian.

Former Ministry of Transport, with what seems like several separate buildings stacked perpendicular to each other — Ministry of Transportation (now Bank of Georgia HQ) by G. Chakhava, Z. Jalaghania, T. Tkhilava, V. Kimberg, 1974 © Stefano Perego / Blue Crow Media

“I think that Tbilisi’s architecture of the 20^th century is an artefact of historical and paramount importance. The architecture of this period in itself combines various styles as well. The beginning of the century is marked by the entrance of art nouveau and its wide popularity. At the same time, we see numerous neo-Gothic, neo-Romantic buildings as well. However, this drastically changes upon the involuntary Sovietization of the once democratic Republic of Georgia. Since then, the architecture of Tbilisi has been entrapped within the prism of Soviet architecture and its further development,” Ana Chorgolashvili told Lonely Planet.

A photograph of the Tbilisi Architecture Map, with text and photographs of buildings — The Tbilisi Architecture Map © Stefano Perego / Blue Crow Media

Another natural evolution of the city’s architecture came after the fall of the Soviet Union, led by civilians who needed to expand and improve living spaces in the city. While much low-quality and faulty buildings were constructed, the 1990s resulted in some interesting examples of informal architecture.

“In the process of doing my research for the map, I came across some interesting information about 74 architectural objects. However, I could only include a few of these buildings into the map. Collecting all this data was a very interesting process – I stumbled upon the sea of the reading material, wrote texts about each building, which enriched my knowledge about the architectural heritage of Tbilisi in a wide sense,” Ana said.