bg Ruse

Former Bulgarian Commercial Bank

- Tsaribrod Street 3 -
The bank building was built in 1910 and the design came from the hand of the engineer Todor Tonev. The Bulgarian Commercial Bank was founded in 1895 in Ruse and was initially housed in the small shop of . Soon this building did not prove to be sufficient or comfortable, and the Board of Directors instructed and to find a suitable building, which they couldn't find, so they decided to build a completely new building.
An old photo showing the building
During its existence from the end of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, it was the largest bank with mostly local private capital. It's connected through numerous personal connections with the People's Party.

After another two decades, the commercial bank leased the building to merchants. Before coup of the , there was the Alliance Française Club, where cold drinks were served, billiards, and table tennis were played. After the nationalization of the banks, the building of the Bulgarian Commercial Bank in Ruse was used for various purposes.
The director's office
Above the roof of the Art Nouveau building, on top of the two piers, two large globes were placed. If you look a bit further down you can see that the piers are adorned with a decorative . Underneath the segmental part of the building, between the windows, you can see a beehive, which symbolizes frugality. Above and underneath the windows on the second floor you can see a lot of beautiful geometric forms. Above the main entrance door, you can see a of the Greek god , a patron of trade and culture. The door frame of the other entrance door is beautifully decorated with all sorts of ornamentation.
The mascaron of the Greek god Hermes