Historic Russian architecture in eastern Turkey attracts tourists
Russian tourists travel to eastern Turkey to see tsarist-era architecture
by Sercan Kucuksahin / Caglar Sefertas
KARS, Turkey
Historic tsarist-era architecture built by Russians after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 has become a destination for tourists in the remote eastern city Kars.
The 157 imperial style municipal buildings found dotting the city were built during the various periods of Russian administration of the region. The city was captured by Russian forces on several occasions in the 19th century, before officially being annexed to St. Petersburg by the Treaty of San Stefano following the Ottoman Empire's defeat during the 1877-78 war.
Kars' Russian administrators built a series of grid patterned roads and pastel-colored bell époque stone buildings, typical of Russia's Baltic region.
The city was returned to Turkish administration in 1921 after the Soviet Union and Turkey singed the Treaty of Kars.
Located close to Turkey's border with Armenia, tourists from Russia, Germany, and France come to see the city's unique architectural ensemble.
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