bg Sofia

Former Garov Hotel

- Knyaginya Maria Luiza Boulevard 89 -
When the railway reached Sofia, the Lion's Bridge became the gate to the city, through which all those who arrived passed by. Before and around the bridge, there were only small inns in the crooked streets. The enterprising Bulgarian woman Evgenitsa Hristova, who was an ally of , opened a hotel in 1895 by the name Garov Hotel (meaning Train Station Hotel). It was later renamed into Bellevue Hotel according to the current French fashion. She used a low-interest loan from the Bulgarian National Bank to build the hotel. After the coup of and by the seizure of power of the Bulgarian communists, the hotel was nationalized. At times it also served as a residence for Vietnamese guest workers. A while later, the hotel was reopened under the name of San.
An old photo of the hotel created in the 1970s
The hotel is built in Neo-Baroque and Neo-Classical style and its corner contains a , which is crowned with a lead roofed dome and has a on top of it. Within the open pointed , underneath the dome, you'll be able to see a clock. The clock is surrounded by beautiful decorative ornamentation, like palm branches, , and a . The that support the pediment are decorated with volutes and garlands and can be seen underneath the roof as well. The fragments between the second and third floor are embellished with a within the center of it a garland wreath. Even more garlands and volutes can be admired on the top of the window frames on the attic floor. In the center of the eastern facade, you can see a round shaped with a little balcony on top of it, which is secured with a wrought iron railing. The pediment above the balcony door contains a festoon and a with a mascaron.
An old photo showing the building on the right