bg Shumen

Anton Iliev House

- Hristo Botev Street 10 -
The architect that designed the residential and commercial building that was built in 1908, is the Czech architect Toma Varhota. It was built over the 270-year-old brick and wooden beam structure that was built in the Ottoman era. The construction was commissioned by the Bulgarian merchant and musician, Anton Dochev Iliev, who lived there with his wife Anka Ilieva, and their family. Anton was born in 1878 and plays the mandolin, and is one of the founders of the choir called Native Sounds. From 1950 to 2001, the family of their eldest son Nikolay Antonov and the archaeologist Vera Antonova lived in the building.
Anton Dochev Iliev around 1915
Vera was born on April 19, 1917, in and graduated from a classical high school in her hometown. She continued her education at the University, where she studied classical philology, with a second major in ancient history and archaeology. In 1942, she began working as a teacher of ancient Greek and Latin at the Girls' High School. Her name is invariably associated with the studies of significant medieval sites of national importance. Her greatest achievement is related to the complete study of the , to which she devoted 30 years of her scientific career.

There was a shop that was called Manifaktur Maria Luisa, which was located on the first floor, where fabrics and suitcases were sold. In 2001, the new owners renovated the building giving it a different appearance.
Anka Ilieva and their son Nikolay Antonov
The roof of the symmetrical building, which is built in the style of geometric Art Nouveau, got interrupted by three piers with a decorative vase on top of them. In between these piers, you can see a segmental cornice with the construction year 1908 underneath it. The , as well as the frames around the windows, are decorated with all sorts of geometric shapes, among which are circles, squares, rectangles, and . The wrought iron railing that secured the balcony, is richly embellished with all sorts of .
A statue in honor for Vera Antonova is placed at the Shumen Fortress