1, Georgi Sofijski Str. Alexandrovska Hospital opens as Sofia First Rate Hospital in 1879, with two buildings located on the future site of the mausoleum of Prince Alexander I. Since its capacity was inadequate to meet the needs of a modern medical facility, in the very same year the Sofia Municipality provides a 360,000 sq.m…
Category: Public buildings
The Central Market Hall
25, Princess Marie-Louise Blvd. At the end of the 19th century, in place of the Central Market Hall stood the wooden construction of the Bulgaria Circus and Theater, in front of which ran the so-called Friday Market – a weekly farmer’s bazaar for meat and dairy products, fruits and vegetables. In view of Sofia’s growth…
The Central Mineral Bath
Banski Pl. The building of the Central Mineral Baths is listed as a cultural monument of architecture and art and is one of the best examples of the National Romanticism trend of the early 20th century. Authors of the concept, inspired by Viennese Secession but incorporating elements of the Byzantine and Bulgarian architectural tradition, were…
The Sofia Railwaystation
102, Marie-Louise Blvd. Construction of the building of Sofia Railway Station, designed by the Czech architects Antonin Kolar, Bogdan Prosek and the Bulgarian architect Todor Markov, began in 1882. To the work contributed also Italian specialists, while the overall management was entrusted with the entrepreneur and future Sofia mayor, Ivan Grozev. Technical difficulties with the…
The St. Josef French College for Girls
‘Lavele’ Str. The St. Joseph Catholic College opened on January 14, 1880. Its building stood on north ‘Lavele’ Str., between ‘G. Washington’ and ‘Prince Boris I’. It was part of a large complex, which also included the St. Joseph Cathedral, and the St. Cyril and Methodius Catholic College for Boys. Its founder was the Capuchin…
The Odeon Theatre
On November 6, 1910, on Tsar Simeon Street, near the District Court, opens the Odeon Theatre. The designer is Arch. Naum Torbov, who has received his architectural education among the spectacular architecture of Bucharest and is author of other landmark buildings, such as the City Casino and Market Hall. The striking volumes and sophisticated decoration,…
The Knyaz Boris of Tarnovo Orphanage
The Intersection of Hristo Botev Blvd. and Kozloduy Str. Instituted immediately after the Liberation, the Sofia Charity Society worked to provide support to children of poor or war-stricken parents, by providing food and clothing. Right from the beginning, the Society’s members considered opening an orphanage. Through charity balls and concerts, as well as donations, they…
The Palace of the Holy Synod
4, Oborishte Str. The Palace of The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Patriarchate – a sparkling representative of the National-Romanticism current of the early 20th century Bulgarian architecture, an exceptional cultural and historical landmark, and one of the first monumental buildings of Sofia, was designed by Arch. Petko Momchilov and Arch. Jordan Milanov and built…
The Bulgarian National Library
131, Georgi Sava Rakovski Str. Instituted on June 17, 1879, the Bulgarian National Library is among the first state institutions of the newly liberated Principality. Initially, it uses a modest house on the site occupied today by the building of the Bulgarian National Bank. The growing number of books, however, coupled with systemic lack of…
The National Theatre
5, Dyakon Ignatii Str. One of the most beautiful building of the Bulgarian capital, informed by the reigning European trends, is The Ivan Vazov National Theatre. The initiative for its construction dates to the beginning of the twentieth century, when a July 14, 1903 Directive of the Minister of Public Education, Dr. Ivan Shishmanov appoints…