One of the most important apartment on Istiklal Street in Beyoglu and the Patisserie there: Luvr Apartment and Baylan Patisserie

 Luvr Apartment is located on Istiklal Street. The building, which was home to the historical Baylan patisserie, was later used as İKSV headquarters for many years. Today, it serves OXXO textile company.

It also hosted the Beyoğlu branch of Loryan Patisserie, which was renamed Baylan in 1934. Let's talk about the story of Baylan Patisserie in this article.


The founder of Baylan patisseries, Filip Lenas, a Greek of Epirus origin, immigrated to Turkey from Albania at the age of 15. After settling in Istanbul, he worked for a few years in Mulatiye, Turkey's first chocolate factory run by the French.


In 1923, he opened his first patisserie in Beyoğlu Deva Çıkmazı. He named the first patisserie "Loryan", which is the spelling of the French word I'Orient (Orient). With its 200 kinds of cakes and confectionery products, it became known together with the famous patisseries of the period, Markiz, Lebon and Moscow.


In 1934, the name Loryan was changed to Baylan in accordance with the law foreseeing the Turkishisation of foreign names. This name was suggested by Burhan Toprak, a professor of art history and one of the patisserie's regulars; "Baylan" means "perfection, perfection" in Chagatai Turkish.


The second Baylan was opened in Karaköy in 1925, and when the building it was located in was demolished during the opening of Karaköy Square, it was moved to the ground floor of the Luvr Apartment Building on Istiklal Avenue in Beyoğlu in 1928. Later, Karaköy Baylan opened for the second time in 1954 on the ground floor of the historical building where Axa Oyak is located today.


After graduating from high school, Filip Lenas' eldest son Harry Lenas learnt the trade at Baylan in Beyoğlu. He studied at the pastry school Zuckerbaecker Schule in Vienna for a year. He did internship in various patisseries in Vienna.


He also studied pastry and chocolate praline at the Richmont Fachshule in Lucerne, Switzerland for nine months. He then worked at the Mövenpick Restaurant. He also attended chocolatier courses at Gefrat Solingen.


He returned to Turkey in 1954 as a certified pastry chef and opened the first daytime bar "Tagesbar" opposite the tunnel exit in Karaköy.


The Kadıköy branch of Baylan was opened in 1961 by Mihal Lenas, the younger son of Filip Lenas, who had studied business administration in England.


Beyoğlu Baylan ceased its operations in 1967 due to economic reasons and Karaköy Baylan ceased its operations in 1992 due to the renovation of the building. Today, only Kadıköy Baylan continues to operate.


Baylan Beyoğlu branch has an important place in the history of Turkish literature. Especially in the 1950s and 1960s, it was a meeting and discussion place where many literary figures, poets, painters, cartoonists and theatre artists "took up residence". Some of the 40 Baylan regulars took their place in the history of Turkish literature as the "Baylancılar Movement".



You can see the masters of literature who were regulars of this patisserie below.



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