bg Sofia

Georgi Semerdzhiev House

- Oborishte Street 12 -
The construction of the residential building, which was designed by the architectural firm of the Bulgarian architects and , started in 1929 and was completed in 1930. The building is provided with central heating, as well as complete installations for hot and cold water, and electric lighting. It was built for the Bulgarian industrialist and a representative of the people, Georgi Semerdzhiev. He was the founder of the woolen textile factory called Semerdzhiev & Co and the main shareholder of the Izida Factory, which was a ceramic factory in where they made all sorts of porcelain, tiles, and sanitary ware. In 1924, the company Izida began to fulfill its contract with the municipality and delivered the first yellow paving stones laid on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard, which were imported from .

Georgi Semerdzhiev was the father of two sons and was married to Elena Stefanova, who was the daughter of the Bulgarian industrialist and Minister of Finance, . In 1940, due to advanced age and frail health, the main shareholder Stefan Stefanov transferred the management of all his enterprises to his son-in-law Georgi Semerdzhiev. All of the enterprises were nationalized in December 1947, and after that time the Vietnamese embassy was housed in the building until they moved out in 2004.
An old photo showing the building
The building, which is built in the Eclectic style, features some Neo-Baroque elements. A strip of , as well as some , are placed underneath the that separates the attic from the rest of the building. Above the second floor windows, you can see a multi-layered , while above the first floor windows, you can see a segmental , as well as two rosettes. Within the segmental part of the pediment, you can admire an ornament adorned with a squirrel, which is a symbol of preparation and resourcefulness, and the three next to it contain birds of paradise, which symbolizes elegance, exoticism, status, and wealth. On the western side, you can see two more birds of paradise, as well as a man with a dog. On the eastern side, you can admire a hare, which symbolizes abundance, prosperity, and good fortune. Above the main entrance door, which contains the same wrought iron-barred window as the four garage doors, you can admire a lavishly decorated cartouche that contains the year of completion. Above it, you can adorn a little that contains a . The same counts for the that's located on the western side of the building. The two ornaments that flank the main entrance door are embellished with a and foliage. There's a balustrade placed above the two garages that contain .
An old photo showing the building in the 1970s