The
most beautiful building of the early twentieth century - the rapidly developing
oil Baku, and today the "Palace of Happiness" that brings people
happiness. This magnificent building, located in the center of Baku, is perhaps
amazing because it was created out of the endless love of a happy couple.
Thus, the famous Baku millionaire Murtuza Mukhtarov built this
building, which we call the "Palace of Happiness", in honor of his
beloved wife Liza Tuganova. The palace has a very interesting history of construction.
The couple, who once traveled to Europe, also visited Florence, Italy. At that
time, Lisa was fascinated by the architecture of Italian buildings, especially
one of them, and expressed her admiration to her husband. About a year later,
while touring Baku, Mukhtarov brought Lisa to Fars Street, and suddenly Liza's
eyes met a palace-like building she had seen in distant Italy. Mukhtarov kisses
his wife's hands and congratulates her on his new property…
Called the “Palace of Happiness,” the happy couple had the best time
of their lives. The palace was built by Polish architect Josef Plosko in the
French Gothic style in 1911-12. Mukhtarov specially invited Plosko from Moscow
to Baku and then sent him to Italy to get acquainted with the palace. Every column,
arch, buta and flowers, windows and doors of the palace are unique works of
art, architectural pearls, and these details fascinate everyone who passes by
or enters the building.
When drafting the project for Mukhtarov, Ploshko thought that he
would be in the Eastern style. However, because he liked the Ismailiyya
building, Mukhtarov decided to build a palace in the Gothic style, not in the
national-eastern interpretation. The facade details of this house are in the
form of a central tower, elegantly designed in the spirit of French Gothic. The
elegant columns on the facades give a special beauty to the building.
