bg Sofia

Former Balkan Insurance Company Building

- Kniaz Aleksandar Dondukov Boulevard 4-6 -
The administrative and commercial building was originally built for the needs of the Balkan Insurance Company. The building was built around 1905 and was built according to a project of the Austrian-Bulgarian architect . After the coup of in 1944, the National Council was housed in the building. There once was a bookstore called Soviet Bulgarian Literature (Съветска Литература Българска), which was located on the first floor. In 2014 the Bulgarian Greek bank called the Postbank opened a new branch in the building.
An old photo showing the building on the left
The symmetrical building is built in the styles of Neo-Baroque and Neo-Renaissance. The three protruded parts on top of the building are all crowned with an open pointed which is adorned with a in the center of it. The central pediment is supported by two , which are embellished with floral ornamentation. The pediments on the flanks are supported by two . Another pediment, but in this case, an open broken pediment can be seen in the center of the building. It includes an motif, which can also be seen underneath the roof . The two huge corbels that are supporting the open broken pediment are decorated with floral ornaments and a garland wreath. The facade on the fifth floor is adorned with even more garlands. On the same floor, you'll be able to admire some fragments that are decorated with laurel leaves and circles.

The bottom of the cornice, which is located between the fifth and fourth floor, is embellished with two different sized . The frieze underneath it contains fragments of ivy leaves, two cartouches, garlands, and many geometric forms. All the pilasters, that stretch all the way from the third until the fourth floor are crowned with an Ionic . In between the pilasters, located on top of the fourth floor, there are cornices with a wavy motif, including shapes. Richly decorated cartouches are placed between the windows on the second floor.

The building contains a total of five balconies all secured with a wrought iron railing. The biggest balcony can be seen on the second floor and stretches along the entire facade. Two of them are a bit smaller and have two corbels and a garland underneath them. The two smallest balconies can be seen in the center of the building and are without any corbels.
An old photo of the building created in the 1970s