Property News

a postcard of hotel Tsar Boris III

In a previous blog post, I mentioned that this monumental building was purchase by Edmund Beck, the US millionaire that also restored the Hadji Nikoli Inn to former glory.

The businessman purchase the crumbling Veliko Tarnovo property on Opalchenska Street via his company, “Bulbeck” about two months ago.

The millionaire invested approximately $3 million to restore the Hadji Nikoli Inn. The restoration of the hotel is expected to cost more. It will be a 4-star hotel and owner is keeping its historic name.

Currently architect Nikolay Georgiev has undertaken safety and security measures of the former hotel, which is in poor condition. A team of architects will most likely be assigned to restore the building.

Several projects are to be considered, whose approval will likely take about a year, since the building is of cultural importance in Veliko Tarnovo.

Hotel Tsar Boris III now

Summer Kitchen

Ever wonder why our descriptions of Bulgarian property almost always include the space called summer kitchen? Here is why.

During the long hot Bulgarian summers a summer kitchen is worth its weight in gold when considering buying a house in Bulgaria.

Summer kitchens are multi-purpose living and recreation areas during the Bulgarian summer. Following a cold winter, Bulgarians enjoy time outdoors during the summer months. Summer kitchens are usually an extension of homes and are often covered to protect inhabitants from the heat of the sun.

People living in villages use the summer kitchen to cook, dine, rest/sleep, watch television and socialise with friends. Typically, summer kitchens are well equipped with a sink, kitchen area with table, cooker/wood burning oven/ BBQ, fridge and seating.

Most Bulgarians will make the most of an outdoor area even if it’s simply a balcony of an apartment, most of the cooking will be done on an electric grill or BBQ, to reduce both the heat and food smells of indoors.

Revival residential construction goes through three time periods, subject to the general economic development:

• the end of the 18th to the 30s of the 19th century,
• from the 30s of the 19th to the 60s of the 20th century,
• from the 60s the 20th century until the Liberation in 1878.

During the first period Bulgarian Revival houses are built mostly in mountainous regions, in several flourishing Bulgarian villages (now towns) like Tryavna, Zheravna, Kotel, Borovets, Koprivshtitsa, Sopot, Bansko, Melnik).

Plovdiv’s symmetrical houses

The second period is shorter than the first, but is characterised with diversity of styles. At that time, Plovdiv has become an important cultural and economic centre in Bulgaria. The structural truthfulness of the early Revival house shifts towards a more decorative representation, which is a reflection of the confidence of the emerging bourgeoisie. These Bulgarian properties become more spacious and symmetrical. The symmetry is expressed by a longitudinal axis of symmetry or by two mutually perpendicular axes of symmetry.

The third and shortest period of the Revival Houses in Bulgaria witnesses the development of the symmetry and decoration of the Plovdivian houses (more elaborate decorations and classic influences can be observed), while Bulgarian homes in other parts of the country remain almost unchanged over the aforementioned stages.

During the Revival Period, Bulgarian architecture grows not only in size, type and implementation of the houses, but architects are also given access to build and renovated various public buildings that were previously under the the monopoly of the Ottomans.

Bulgarians have a significant share of trade in the middle of the 19th century, which leads to the building of large houses with large basments/groundfloors. Typical example would be the Konstantsalieva House in Arbanasi and the Sarafkina House in Veliko Tarnovo.

The architecture of the Bulgarian Revival (from the late 1780s to 1878) reflects the general economic, political and cultural progress in the life of the Bulgarian people.

The development of crafts and trades causes the migration of many Bulgarians to towns and cities (Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Ruse, Vidin, Sliven, Veliko Tarnovo, etc.). gradually changing the urban landscape.

Typically, such crafts and trades towns have non-geometrical development plans and picturesque spatial compositions, organically related to the peculiarities of the area and the concentration of crafts and trades sectors distributed around the main street (bazaar), e.g. the Samovodska Charshia in Veliko Tarnovo.

The appearance of some settlements (like those in Tryavna) is determined by the joining of the two-level development of the main street, while others (like in Koprivshtitsa) are characterised by high-wall enclosed properties with large gates.

Due to being under the Ottoman rule, Bulgaria was in complete cultural isolation during that time. The Revival Period puts an end to the “anonymous” building and art-making. Names of master-builders and artists start to appear on church walls and buildings – the walls of the Rila Monastery are signed by Alexi Rilets and Master Milenko, the Hadjidimitrov House in Karlovo by Masters Spas, Ivan and Non; the Dzhambazova House in Karlovo by Master Patyo, and others). Widely acclaimed during the late Revival Period are masters Gencho, Nikola Fichev (aka Kolyu Ficheto, see the House with the Monkey) and his teacher Master Velyo, each with their own architectural style.

Housing construction takes up a significant part of the revival residential architecture, which in turn influences the types of houses built during this period. Depending on their geographic location, experts usually distinguish between Western, Teteven, Koprivshtitsa, Tryavna, Zheravna, Rhodope, Stranddzha, Black Sea, Plovdiv style of traditional Bulgarian houses.

Such Bulgaria homes are also grouped by different features, depending on:

• the topographical nature of the area – mountain houses and “field” houses (those in flat areas)
• the prevailing building materials – stone, wood, adobe (sun-dried brick), wattle and mixed;
• the construction – with bearing walls, beamed, half-timbered and mixed
• the planning – with or without chardak (chardak is a traditional spacious non-windowed balcony; the term is used to describe the balconies on traditional Bulgarian properties)
• the composition – symmetric and asymmetric, and the like.

To be continued…

The lack of detailed development plan for the Old Town of Veliko Tarnovo has lead to the collapse of many beautiful Bulgarian houses, apartments and historic buildings, reports Evrokom Tsarevets, a local TV channel, thus hindering investment in the town.

According to the Chief architect Nikolay Malakov, the main reason for the unfortunate state of Veliko Tarnovo properties in the Old Part is the lack of clear objectives concerning the future of the area.

Preparation of a masterplan for the reconstruction and development of the old part of Veliko Tarnovo is a difficult task. The problems every development plan faces in this part of the town are of varied nature – the specific terrain of Veliko Tarnovo, the historic image that needs to be preserved and the creature comforts that still need to be met.

Seems like the administration of local planning agency is finally taking steps for preservation, however. Detailed plans and requirements for façades of important streets, such as “Nezavisimost” have already been made and will be distributed to owners of properties on chosen streets.

Hopefully, more steps towards the conservation of traditional and Revival period buildings will be taken.  Who knows, it might just give Veliko Tarnovo a much needed boost for European Cultural Capital in 2019.