bg Ruse

Former German Protestant School

- Borisova Street 31 -
The construction of the school building started in 1900 and works were finalised in 1901. It was designed by the architect Udo Ribau and was built under the supervision of the civil engineer Todor Tonev. The school was built by the German Protestant community in Bulgaria and was inaugurated on October 5, 1902. After the , the German colonists established their own parish and school. In 1883 a German school was opened in Ruse with a kindergarten and a primary school. When Pastor Theodor Wangeman arrived in Ruse, the German school grew, and with that, the need for a new building to house the kindergarten and the school. In 1899, Pastor Wangemann embarked on a charity trip to Germany to raise the necessary funds for the construction of the new school.

After the , according to the , all Germans and Austrians had to leave Bulgaria and their property was confiscated. The building was handed over to the St. Joseph French School. In 1933 the building was bought by the Ruse municipality for the Third Junior High School called Petar Beron. The Music High School was the last school of many schools that were housed in the building. It was abandoned after an earthquake in 1977, which caused structural damages. In April 2007, it was purchased by local entrepreneurs, the Bobokovi brothers, who intend to use it as a museum for their private collection.
An old photo created in 1926 showing the building
The building is built in the Eclectic style in a combination of elements of Neo-Romanesque and Neo-Gothic. The tower, which is located in the center of the main facade, is roofed with a pointed hip roof. The dormers are roofed with pointed roofs and distinctly broken roof lines. The tower contains a total of two , one of which is supported by two and the other by four. Underneath the four corbels on the second floor, you'll be able to see four , which are crowned by Ionic . One of the loggias is embellished with a beautiful wavy pattern. The arch and above the main entrance door, as well as the capitals of the round shaped pilasters underneath the arch, are adorned with foliage.
An old postcard showing the building
Between the richly decorated corbels, which support the roof overhang, you'll be able to see a panel that's decorated with a floral ornament and a T motif. The windows on the third floor are flanked by round shaped pilasters that contain a Doric capital. On this same floor, you'll be able to see some . The windows one floor down are topped with a pointed , which is supported by two small corbels. The corbels underneath the windowsills are adorned with five , one of which is different in style than the other four. The keystones and capitals on the first floor are the same in design as the ones you can see at the main entrance door, although some of the capitals here contain a little flower.

At the back of the building, you can see three decorative clovers. Also, a fragment can be seen there, which shows a book, which stands for knowledge. The book is surrounded by two laurel twigs, which symbolize success, fame, and prosperity.
The fragment that contains the book and the laurel twigs