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Hristo Ankov House

- Krakra Street 15 -
The Hristo Ankov House, nowadays the Czechoslovak Club, is located at Kraka Street 15. The building was built for Hristo Ankov in 1892 and was probably designed by the Austrian architect Anton Haderer. In 1924, the building was bought from Josefina Ankova by the Czechoslovak People's House, and was named after the first president of Czechoslovakia, . Besides the fact that the activity resembles a real cultural center, this remarkable building also houses a restaurant serving Czech dishes.
The building in 1920 with the old attic still on
The round towerlike corner of the building, built in Art Nouveau and Neo-Baroque style, really stands out. If you look closely you can see a on both sides of the balcony. The window frames are flanked by , as well as , which are crowned with Ionic . A decorative garland is placed over the circular windows. The stone balcony railing is decorated with . Underneath the balcony, you'll be able to see four supportive , which are decorated with a Greek key motif, , and . Between the corbels and above the first floor windows you can admire either a of a female or male figure, which gives the building a true Art Nouveau touch. On the south side of the building, you can see that the is covered with glass framed windows that run diagonally from the facade all the way to the railing of the balconet. At the entrance, you'll see a small that's supported by two columns that are crowned with Doric capitals.
Another old photo showing the old attic
On the eastern facade, the two larger pilasters are crowned with Corinthian capitals, while the smaller ones have an Ionic one. Two beautiful angels made of plaster flank the large window on the first floor, as well as of lion's heads. Above each window, in the cornerstone, there is a mask, either of a human figure or of a lion. This is not the case for one of the windows because a segmental is placed there. The , which can be seen on the corners of the give the building a nice multidimensional touch.
The building in the 1970s