Baku in the 21st century
D: Helenendorf (Xanlar) ist eine hübsche Stadt mit alten deutschen weißverputzten Häuschen, sauberen Alleen und kleinen Bächlein, die die Straße entlang fließen. Alles in allem sehr idyllisch, eine entspannte Atmosphäre, fast wie Urlaub!
Continue reading ‘Moskauer Kickboxen auf Schwäbisch - Moscow Kickboxing in Swabian’
From our long period of silence you can guess that things have been quite busy over here letely. Apart from our own project we now are engaged in the German embassadors’ project, to publish 4 books by next year - the German Cultural Year in Azerbaijan. To one of them - “German Architecture” in Baku we will contribute photographs and texts which require quite some amount of extra work.
Sebastian and I have been tracing an old list by a great Bakunian russian speaking Architecture Professor Mr. Fatulayev (hopefully I spelled it correctly..) in order to find all the listed German buildings, built by German Architects during the first Oilboom Period 19/20th century.
First challange was the update of street names as they seem to change here every couple of years. By the time we got to some of the buildings, we then realised that quite a few of them are not easy to capture.. Sebastian once again had to escape from the police who forced him to delete his pictures of one of the Oilfirm’s Headquarters. Also the Iraqi-Embassy is in one of Mr. Edel’s buildings. We didn’t even dare to try here.
Well and tomorrow at 6 (actually in 3 hours time) we will hit the road to Khanlar, Ex-German Settlement by the name Helenendorf. Invited once again by our Embassador we will join the summerparty and inauguration of the German churches bell.
We will soon tell you more and get you up to date concerning our work on Urban Changes, our Interviews and latest Adventures.
We also started our street interviews “officially” yesterday and revealed some interesting “facts” about Baku’s development.
In the picture you can see our key to the Azeri/Russian speaking world Darina (Architecture student and great aid in our work process) one of our interview partners and me.
A couple of days ago we visited an interesting project with our potential sponsor SEDUS.
An old Hamam - being reused as an office building, refurbishing and maintaining the historic soviet structures from the 40ies/50ies, revealing the regional limestone on the inside and outside.
This might be a nice example for a developer choosing the advantages of flexible floor plans, a cooling atrium and beautiful high quality stone structures as opposed to demolition and a fast erection of a new high rise building.
Soviet Hamam (1950) being renovated instead torn down / Altes 50er Jahre Soviet-Hamam, das renoviert statt abgerissen wird
A glass self-made raspberry Mojito is excellent for brainstorming and philosophising about Baku’s future..
fresh mint leaves
thin lemon slices
sugar
crushed ice
frozen raspberries
light rum
soda
shake and – ready the “Baku Pirito”
Continue reading ‘Mojito à la Pirouz’
The heat is paralysing. I am staying inside most of the day, either at home or at the DAAD, both air conditioned. All my energy seems to be gone… This is worrying me. I am hiding inside. Waiting. For what? Until the summer is over?
I am meeting “our Architecture Student” at 6 at MäcDonalds. The spot where the Westerner, according to some German Journalist, can apparently escape to familiar territory. The cool air, the same BigMacs as at home. Nearly home…
Every German writing about Caucasus/Azerbaijan (or at least the articles/books I have read so far), are obsessed with two topics. Zynically they observe the behaviour of the Westerner and their own, on a desperate search for “home” and “order”. Why is it such a big issue? - I don’t know it yet.
Because first of all Baku seems not so different to “our world” (at least not so different to mine), compared to other non European countries. Baku is Eurasia.
Nevertheless “Westerners” a sticking together as it seems. Most of them wont learn the language, as they speak English at work, and language is home. Therefore there have to be other means to create “home” (…to continue the stereotypical analysis of my countrymen and journalist collegues).
Bars and Restaurants can definately create a zone of familiarity. One of them might be Mac Donalds (I doubt it though), and one is probably the Irish Pub, which I visited on the weekend myself. An Irish Pub in Baku yes! Well, probably they are everywhere by now, but coming straight from Dublin, I was kind of touched…
4 Azeri musicians were playing Irish Traditional music quite convincingly and some of the visitors, obviously Westerners, were tapping with their feet or even clapping, drinking their pint on deep lether benches in front of the dark timber cladded pub-interior, dreaming of “home”… (maybe)
Outside tough, the manager, a big Azeri guy - sweating because the airconditioner collapsed - had not much in common with an Irish pub owner…
Others may make Baku their home by making friends with a particular street musician, who will always be there at the same spot ready for the daily greeting and smalltalk.
Others, like our Architect contact person, have the chance to let “home” become stone and built their own house in the way they want it. With Western safety standards, materials, aesthetics, comfort and neighbours…
Or they might even have the chance (as bespoke architect) to create more restaurants/cafes for themselves and others who look for western atmosphere, temperature and food…
I haven’t found home here yet. This would be too much to expect after 1 week. But definately I am trying learn Azeri, to at least be able to have a conversation with the people here.
Yesterday we met Fuad Akhundov, famous over here for his TV Shows about history and architecture of Azerbaijan, especially Baku. When his TV show got closed down after critizising Baku’s development, the Ex-Interpol Inspector emigrated to Toronto/Canada with his family. Now he is back in Baku for a couple of months and we will get the chance to do some tours with him during the following week to get an (historical) overview of the city and also to shape the concept of our own documentation project.
He is a guy with many vivid stories and interesting photographs of buildings and people from old days that he keeps in a big black “accordion-folder”. When we had lunch together he already started introducing us to Baku during the first oilboom period and the early soviet times, pulling out pictures of his “magic-files” and adding them to fascinating continous stories.
Also see: BBC News - Oil boom destroys Baku charm
E: After traveling nearly seven days we managed the last challenges and finally arrived in Baku…
Sebastian managed to get back 12 Dollars from the Azeri taxi driver who brought us to the Georgian/Azerbaijanian border and ripped us off big time. Instead of a six hour drive to baku we had face a 11 hour bus tour (it was part of the rip-off). Loud mobile phones playing azeri hits, busdrivers swopping places during the ride, facing thousands of cars driving against traffic (or was it us..?), a constantly opening bus door - all this was included in the bus-trip-entertainment.
When we arrived at half eleven pm in Baku, exhausted and annoyed, we still had to argue about a fair telephone call price before we could finally get ourselves and all the luggage to Uncle Samir’s place…Poor tourists that we are!
I just explored the “Bakuanian” city centre on my own and had a walk at the sea side Boulevard, a site of entertainment for families and couples.
Sound impressions:
Hooting, mobile phone music, waves, ship-sirenes, “motor” sounds from mini-jeeps used by little kids to ride around on public squares, carousel(?)-music, cars and more cars…
I like it here - on first sight! Maybe its not a city for love on the second glance, as we were told before. It probably depends where you start looking!
The city seems surprisingly European, “normal”, even polished…
Lets see what the second glance will reveal.
D: Nach einer fast sieben taegigen Reise sind wir nun endlich da. Die letzten Huerden sind ueberwunden:
Sebastian hat vom Taxifahrer, der uns von Tiblisi aus bis zur Grenze fuhr und uns maechtig uebers Ohr haute, 12 Dollar zurueck erobert und wir haben die 11 statt 6 Stunden Busfahrt, die Teil der Abzocke war, trotz einiger Strapazen hinter uns gebracht.
Die Handy-Musik-Beschallung neben mir, die Aserbaidschanische Schnulzen zum besten gab, die Fahrerwechsel bei voller Fahrt, tausende Geisterfahrer, wir selbst als Geisterfahrer und die Bustuer die immer wieder aufsprang, all das war Teil des recht unterhaltsamen Programms…
Als wir dann gestern entnervt und erschoepft um halb 12 in der Nacht in Baku ankamen, mussten wir uns noch am Busbahnhof um einen fairen Telefonpreis streiten, bis wir uns und unser Gepaeck endlich zu Onkel Samirs Wohnung gebracht hatten. Wir armen Touristen!
Gerade habe ich die Innenstadt auf eigene Faust erkundet und bin wie tausende Aserbaidschaner an der “Strand”promenade, der Vergnuegungsmeile fuer Familien und Verliebte, entlangflaniert.
Geraeusch-Impressionen:
Hupen, Handymusik, Wellenrauschen, Schiffshupe, “Motoren”geraeusche von Miniaturjeeps, mit denen die Kleinen auf den oeffentlichen Plaetzen Ihre Runden drehen, Karusellmusik, nochmal Autos und nochmal Autos…
Auf den ersten Blick gefaellt sie mir gut. Vielleicht doch keine Stadt auf den zweiten Blick? Kommt vielleicht darauf an, wo man anfaengt zu gucken…
Erstaunlich europaeisch, “normal”, ja sogar herausgeputzt ist jedoch mein erster Eindruck von Baku.
Mal sehen was der zweite Blick offenbart…
