bg Ruse

Girdap Bank

- Rayko Daskalov Street 2 -
The bank building was built in 1897, which was built according to a project that was created in 1896 by the engineer Samuil Danailov. It was built for the needs of the Girdap Bank, which is the name of the first private bank in Bulgaria, founded as a Joint Stock Savings Company in Ruse in 1881. During its existence, Girdap was one of the two largest Bulgarian banks, along with the Bulgarian Commercial Bank, founded mainly with local private capital. The Management Board includes some of the richest merchants and entrepreneurs in Ruse. The Girdap Bank is closely linked to the People's Liberal Party. The bank's activity increased during the economic rise of the country in the first decade of the twentieth century. After the end of the , the bank lost its political protections, and in 1924 the court declared Girdap bankrupt. In 1913 a fire destroyed the attic floor and after the renovation in 1915, the building was upgraded with another floor, designed by engineer Todor Tonev and architect Udo Ribau.
An old postcard showing the building
The corner top of the building, which is built in the styles of Neo-Classical and Neo-Baroque, is highlighted with a round clock. The clock is surrounded by beautiful floral ornamentation and a segmental . Above the windows on the third floor, you can either see a segmental or a pointed pediment. Some of the underneath it are adorned with three and others with two . In some places, the between the third and second floor is embellished with . The corbels in the frieze, as well as underneath the pediments on the second floor, are adorned with foliage. A , which contains multiple , is placed underneath three windows on the same floor. Two windows are flanked by , which are crowned with Corinthian . The building features a total of three balconies, all of which are secured with a beautifully decorated curved wrought iron railing. Above both of the entrances, you'll be able to see a richly decorated and one of the door frames is embellished with a lot of .
An older postcard showing the building