bg Sofia

Ivan Georgov House

- Krakra Street 14 -
The construction of the residential building, which was built according to the design of the Czech architect , was completed in 1887. The construction of the building was commissioned by the Bulgarian scientist, philosopher, idealist, pedagogue, and academician Ivan Andreev Georgov. He was born on January 7, 1862, in the ancient Bulgarian city of , as the son of the prominent Veles public figure and the older brothers and . After graduating from the Teacher's Seminary in he settled in Bulgaria and from 1882 he was deputy head of the educational council at the Ministry of Education. In 1886, after the , in which he participated as a volunteer, he graduated in philosophy and higher pedagogy at the University of and at the University of in 1888. In 1889, he defended his doctorate in philosophy and pedagogy in . After returning to Bulgaria, he taught philosophy, ethics, and logic at the Higher Pedagogical Course, at the Sofia University.
Ivan Andreev Georgov
After the unfortunate end of the for Bulgaria in 1913, the Central Committee of the Military Academy authorized Ivan Georgov, , and to visit the European capitals in order to inform the authorities and public opinion of the situation of the Bulgarian population under Serbian and Greek power and to propagate the idea of ​​giving autonomy to Macedonia. The three visited , Vienna, , and , connected with local political circles, and the visit of the delegation was reflected in the press. Until the end of the , he remained engaged in propagandizing the Bulgarian point of view. He is the author of many studies and articles on the Macedonian question, in which he proves the connection of the region with the Bulgarian language.

He was married to Elisaveta Georgova, with whom he had two sons, Vladimir, who became a doctor, and Evgeny, who became an engineer. Professor Ivan Georgov passed away on August 13, 1936, in Sofia, at the age of 74.

After the coup of , the building was nationalized, but after the restitution in 1992, the building fell into disrepair. In 2004, after a complete renovation and restoration, which included the construction of some modern floors on top of the historic building, the Crystal Palace Hotel opened its door to its guests.
Ivan Georgov with his wife Elisaveta and their sons Vladimir and Evgeny
Underneath the that separate the modern part from the historical Eclectic and Neo-Classical part of the building, you can see a strip of and an motif. The ornaments that are placed on top of the that can be seen on the second floor, as well as the keystones, which are placed above some of the windows on that same floor, are adorned with foliage. Above the other second floor windows, you can see a straight , while above the first floor windows, you'll be able to see a pointed pediment. The pilasters that flanked the last mentioned windows are crowned with an Ionic , which also counts for other capitals on this same floor.
The building without the modern part