bg Sofia

Former Headquarters of DZI

- Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard 6 -
The magnificent corner building was erected back in 1926. At that time, it was built for the Official Cooperative Insurance Company. The construction of the building began in 1914 but was delayed because of the and is fraught with stories of expensive materials, a large number of subcontractors and penalties for poor performance. The building was completed only in 1926 and was designed by the architects , and . In 1923, Nikola Yurukov was assassinated by the activists of the Internal Macedonian-Edirne Revolutionary Organization (), so he never witnessed the end result. After the coup of in 1944, the building was nationalized. In 1951 the newly established State Savings Bank was housed here. Later it became the headquarters of the DZI Insurance Company.
An old photo from the 1920s showing the building
The most impressive feature of the Art Nouveau building is the majestic dome on the corner. The dome, adorned with many garlands and , also houses a clock. Beneath the octagonal planned dome stands a statue of a Bulgarian woman embracing two young children, which symbolizes the work of the people and their care for the future. A beehive, a symbol of frugality, has also been added. The sculpture is the work of the Bulgarian sculptor Ivan Lazarov.

The eastern facade is more decorated than the northern facade. Between the pointed and the attic floor windows, you can see a . The underneath the attic floor is decorated with . The windows on the fourth floor are fitted with and are flanked by round , as well as a cornice that contains dentils. The pilasters are topped with an Ionic . The cornice and corbels between the third and fourth floor, as well as the small balcony above the entrance, are beautifully decorated with garlands. The windows on the third floor are equipped with . On the second floor, the garlands above the arched windows are decorated with floral and fruit ornaments, with in between them a Greek key motif. Two , a symbol of abundance, are placed above each of the entrances. Both entrances are flanked by pilasters that are crowned with Ionic capitals. The two supportive corbels on top of them, contain .
An old photo from 1930 showing the building