Style Moderne in Architecture of Old Batumi

Abstract

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Art Nouveau style spread throughout the cities and towns of Georgia. The architecture of old Batumi (at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries) features public buildings and residential houses designed in the Art Nouveau style. Owing to their location, scale, dynamic composition, and artistically expressive decorative forms, some of these buildings acquired the significance of prominent urban accents.

Certain buildings are distinguished by their камерal scale, restrained façade decoration based on linear forms, and less plastic ornamentation. In Batumi’s Art Nouveau architecture, one may observe the local tradition of opening courtyard façades with glazed galleries. Buildings designed in the Art Nouveau style constitute an integral part of Batumi’s historic urban ensemble.