bg Sofia

Veliko Kardzhiev House

- Kniaz Aleksandar Dondukov Street 61 -
The three-storey building, which was built for the Bulgarian Colonel Veliko Todorov Kardzhiev, was built in 1912. He was born on April 30 ,1858, in the city of . He took part in the national-revolutionary struggles of the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire, for which he was arrested in 1875. After the , he entered the first class of the Military School in Sofia and graduated in 1879. On 10 May the same year, he was promoted to second lieutenant and served in the Fourth Mountain Artillery Division. He later served in the East Rumelia militia. In 1882, as a lieutenant, he was sent to the Mikhailovgrad Artillery Academy in , Russia, where he graduated in 1885.

During the , Captain Kardzhiev commanded the first four pound battery, to which he was appointed on November 5, 1885. The battery fought in many different battles and for his services, he was awarded the military order "For Courage" fourth degree. In 1886, he took part in the dethronement of Prince Battenberg, being included in the convoy, due to which he was discharged from the army and emigrated to Russia. He served in the Russian army until 1891, after which he was reinstated into the Bulgarian army. Later, as a colonel, he commanded the fortress battalion, formed in 1892. Colonel Veliko Kardzhiev died on January 12, 1953, in Sofia.
Veliko Todorov Kardzhiev
The building is built in the Art Nouveau style. The first thing that catches the eye is the in the center of the main facade. Below the oriel window, you can see a lot of beautiful ornaments. Like the convex-shaped forms on the sides, the string of decorative coins within the and the ivy leaves. The balcony above the oriel window is secured with a wrought iron railing. In the middle of the wide frame around the balcony door, you can see a surrounded by a ribbon. On the sides of the frame and many other parts of the building, you can see a with wavy Greek keys.
An old photo showing the building
All windows on the ground floor are decorated in the same way. They all include a relatively large cornice supported by decorative corbels, an upper medallion, and a thin, interrupted frame. The white fragments next to the windows are built out of geometric forms. On top of each of the corners, a is placed, which are surrounded by ribbons and floral decorations.
The beautiful ornamentation underneath the oriel window