bg Plovdiv

House of Charity and Public Health

- Central Square 1 -
The residential building, which later turned into a healthcare institution, was originally built in 1923 to house the Hotel. The construction was ordered by Mikhail Dimitrov, who had it built by a design of the Bulgarian architect . It was built on the site of an old theater that was built in 1892, but on February 20, 1896, a fire destroyed the theater. At the end of 1926, Bulgarian tobacco merchant Dimitar Kudoglu purchased the Tsar Simeon Hotel to house the House of Charity and Public Health. The idea of creating a public health facility gained momentum after the death of his wife in 1924. The official opening of the House was on October 8, 1927, where he delivered a speech in front of his relatives, and dignitaries, including Prime Minister and the mayor of Plovdiv , the first chairman of the facility, , and some Plovdiv residents.
Dimitar Kudoglu reading his speech at the consecration of the House of Charity and Public Health
The public health facility became the most famous health facility in Plovdiv and its surroundings. The building is equipped with steam heating, new electrical installation, service rooms, a washing machine, and a medical staff consisting of doctors and nurses. In accordance with the will of the donor, a bacteriological laboratory and three departments were formed. One department for children and mothers, one for tuberculosis patients, and one for patients with venereal diseases. Hundreds of thousands of patients from Plovdiv and Southern Bulgaria came here for advice and treatment. In the following decade, the departments of the facility expanded their activities and achieved remarkable results.

The second tremor of the that took place on April 18, 1928, caused significant damage to the building. The entrance columns were damaged, the wall of the western facade was split, and the northern wall was partially demolished. During the restoration works, the dispensary was housed in other premises of Dimitar Kudoglu next to the central railway station.
A patient helped by a doctor and nurse at the Department of Tuberculosis
Dimitar Kudoglu died on March 7, 1940, in Plovdiv, and already in that same year, a bust in honor of him was erected in the city garden. In 1951, by a degree of the new government, the monument was moved to the lung dispensary at the edge of the city. Already 7 years before that, in 1944, the activity and property of the House of Charity and Public Health were nationalized.

On July 20, 1970, the City Council decided to develop an option for the extension to the post office and the demolition of the building. Although the building was a cultural monument, after the intervention of the Ministry of Economy and Construction, and despite the opposition of the then mayor of Plovdiv, , the building was demolished in 1973.
Dimitar Kudoglu is seated in the center surrounded by board members and medical staff
The corner top of the building, which was built in the style of Eclectic combined with some Neo-Baroque elements, was crowned with a majestic bell-shaped dome, which was topped with a . The , which was placed underneath the mansard roof that contained multiple dormers, as well as beautifully curved cornices on the corner, were all decorated with . Underneath these curved cornices, you would've been able to see loads of , some even more richly decorated than the others. The building contained four under which another lavishly decorated cartouche could've been seen. The balconies that top two of these oriel windows, as well as the central balcony that was placed on the corner, were all secured with a beautifully decorated wrought iron railing.

The two that flanked some of the fourth floor windows, were adorned with . Another cartouche was placed above the entrance that was located on the southern side of the building. The that was placed above the circle top windows, was embellished with an impressive .
A part of the building after the earthquake