bg Sofia

Cooperative Palace Saint Sophia

- Moskovska Street 29 -
The construction of the residential cooperative building lasted from 1927 until 1929 and was built according to a project that came from the hand of the Bulgarian architect . The project for the seven-story building with 72 apartments, to house around a hundred families, was finished by the architect in just ten days. It was built as the Palace of Saint Sophia, which was the first housing cooperative and administration of the Union of Bulgarian Teachers. The building bears the name of the neighboring building, which is the .
The project of architect Lazar Parashkevanov
The project of the cooperative building is unique and built with the most modern technical solution and was built with disbelief as nine floors were built. The four entrances of the cooperative are oriented so that each of them is illuminated by the sun during a certain part of the day.

An interesting detail is that the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church strongly opposed the construction of the new building, with the argument that there should not be a building taller than the in its vicinity. Attacks against the revolutionary cooperative enterprise are also led by malicious politicians, public figures, and journalists. All of them claimed that this place, which is near the palace, is not suitable for living.
The building during its construction in 1928
The building also impresses foreigners with its monumental appearance, elegant apartments, and Schindler elevators. Fazli Bey was amazed by the construction, the cousin of , asked the architect Lazar to go to Turkey to train the builders there. He tells him that he will accept to study his Turkish colleagues in Sofia. Admired by the building, Fazli Bey was also surprised by the fact that it was built solely with the savings of the small owners.

On October 16, 1929, Count flew over the capital with his aircraft. In front of the journalists who filmed the historic flight, the count said that the highest points in Sofia are the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the housing cooperative building Saint Sophia.
An old photo showing the building in the distance
The of the building, which was built in the Eclectic style, are a prominent presence at many places around the entire building. They are visible underneath a lot of roof overhangs, but also between the that support the many balconies in which the building is rich. The balconies are either secured with a curved wrought iron railing or a stone balustrade that contains , which are crowned with an Ionic . The building also features some huge , as well as some curved protruded parts on the east side, which gives the building a nice depth.
Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin during his flight over Sofia where the Cooperative Palace Saint Sophia is visible