section_path: Culture/Architecture
section_name: Architecture
paragraph_text: Architecture
  
  The architecture of Tbilisi is a blend of Georgian, Byzantine, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, Beaux-Arts, Middle Eastern, and Soviet modern influences. Few buildings survived the 1795 destruction of the city, so most historic structures date to the Russian Imperial period (1801–1917).
  
  Tbilisi's old quarters (Kala, Abanotubani, Avlabari) were largely rebuilt following their medieval street plans. Downtown areas developed by Russian authorities, like Sololaki, Rustaveli Avenue, and Vera, show a European-style layout with Beaux-Arts, Orientalist, and revivalist architecture.
  
  Tbilisi is particularly noted for its Art Nouveau buildings, especially in Sololaki and Chughureti, which flourished from the 1890s until the early Soviet era. Stalinist architecture, such as the 1938 Marx-Engels-Lenin Institute building (now the Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi), also left a mark on the city's landscape.
  
  Post-World War II architecture introduced mass housing blocks in neighborhoods like Saburtalo and Dighomi. Notable Soviet-era landmarks include the 1975 Ministry of Roads building and the 1984 Wedding Palace.
  
  Since independence, Tbilisi has experienced both rapid skyscraper development (e.g., Axis Towers, Holiday Inn Tbilisi, King David Residences) and challenges with unregulated construction.