bg Sofia

Sofia Central Mineral Baths

- Banski Square 1 -
There was an Ottoman bath in this place until the beginning of the 18th century, which later was destroyed. The first building plan for the newly built bathhouse was created by the Austrian architect after he won a competition. It was later remodeled by the architects and at the request of the Sofia Municipality. Subsequently, Petko Momchilov created the more detailed design. The author of the exquisite multi-colored decoration is the artist , and the author of the stone sculptures is the sculptor .

The construction lasted from 1906 until 1912 and opened its door to the public in May 1913. The central mineral bath is equipped with the most modern facilities, supplied with water from the mineral springs springing under the building, and with equipment for hydrotherapy.
The building somewhere before January 10, 1944
The of Sofia on January 10, 1944, hit the building hard. The southern wing of the Central Mineral Bath was completely destroyed and the northern wing was severely damaged. After the war was over, the building was restored and until 1986 it continued to fulfill its main purpose. The flow of the mineral spring in the center of Sofia, which supplies the Central Bath, has decreased by over 36%, which means that the water is no longer enough to use the bathhouse as a spa. According to experts, the cause is the earthquake in 2012. The permanent exposition of the Museum of History of Sofia, located in one half of the building of the Central Mineral Bath, was officially opened on September 17, 2015.
The building after the Anglo-American bombing
The building was based on an originally Baroque idea, but also contains elements of Byzantine and Art Nouveau architecture and is modeled from decorative stone slabs and colorful ceramic tiles. The building contains three huge domes, each of them accompanied by two smaller domes. The many , which are crowned with Romanesque , can be seen in many places around the entire building. On both sides of the arch, which is located above the main entrance, you'll be able to see an , and a richly decorated is placed within the arch. The roof , which runs around the entire building, is embellished with a strip of .
The interior when the building was still used as a bathhouse