bg Sofia

Baron Gendovich House

- Dyakon Ignatiy Street 7 -
The residential and commercial building of Baron Gendovich is the first skyscraper in Sofia and Bulgaria. The building which was built in 1914 was designed by the Bulgarian architect . It was built on behalf of the Bulgarian politician and entrepreneur Hristo Gendovich. He was born in 1848 in and is the son of the local merchant Ivan Gendovich. Hristo Gendovich is a personal acquaintance of and a member of the revolutionary committee he founded, along with Mikhail Grekov, Atanas Uzunov and others. Like in many other parts of the country, revival is primarily led by teachers. Gendovich is a courier for Levski and as such was captured and sent to prison. However, he managed to escape with the help of friends and went to . There he joined the educational and political movement for the . At that time, because of his excellent Russian language and ties with Russia, Gendovich accompanied the Russian troops and helped them as a translator, serving mainly under General . For this reason, he was awarded the title "Baron" by the Russian .
Portrait of Baron Gendovich by Nikola Ganushev
Shortly after the Liberation of Bulgaria, the enterprising baron began to get rich, accumulating significant funds from the execution of military orders for the militia and gendarmerie. His career as an influential member of the Liberal Party and a member of parliament in ten national assemblies multiplied his influence and capital. He participated in the construction of the first railway line in Bulgaria, the construction of a motor mill on the Tundzha River, and a glass factory in . In 1890, Gendovich bought the plot located next to the National Theater, on which later the first skyscraper of Bulgaria was built.
The technical drawing of the building
The building, which was built in the Neo-Baroque and Art Nouveau style, is identical on three sides of the building. On each side of the building, there are two that span three floors. The same oriel windows can be seen on the corners of the building. The oriel windows are decorated with , , and a garland . A lot of balconies can be seen on the third and fourth floor, which are secured by a wrought iron railing. The balustrades on the second and fifth floor are adorned with stone . Each of the balconies is supported by beautifully decorated . On both corners, you'll be able to see a dome, one of which is a bit higher and is octagonal shaped and has a on top of it. Just underneath the domes and in the middle of the northern facade you'll see an identically designed segmental broken , with within it a .
A photo of the Baron Gendovich building before the bombing of Sofia