bg Plovdiv

Pharmacy Maritsa

- Ploshtad Apteka Maritsa -
The history of the pharmacy Maritsa dates back to the 1880s, which was established by the local pharmacists Gabriel Tokatliyan and his father. The building that housed their pharmacy was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century. Gabriel Tokatliyan went bankrupt in December 1896 and his enterprise was taken over by a limited partnership. Six years later, in 1902, Gabriel Tokatliyan returned to work at the pharmacy, but a few years later he decided to leave Plovdiv.
The previous building is depicted on the left on an old postcard
In 1908, the pharmacy was bought by the Bulgarian pharmacist and deputy and mayor of Plovdiv, Hariton Kuev. He decided to build a new and more representative building on the other side of the street. The project was constructed by a design that was created by the Bulgarian architect and the exterior decoration was created by the Italian architect and artist, . The opening of the new pharmacy building, which took place in 1911, was one of the biggest events in the city at that time.
The owner Hariton Kuev on the left in his pharmacy in 1908
Hariton Kuev was born in 1879 in in the family of Dimitar Kuev, a participant in the in 1876. Hariton studied and graduated in pharmacy in and later became the co-founder of the first pharmaceutical company in Bulgaria called Galenus. In 1908, he got married to Elenka Kueva, three years later, he became a deputy in the Fifth Great National Assembly, and from November 11 and December 30, 1919, he was the mayor of Plovdiv. He financially supports the poor people of Plovdiv and gave money for the restoration works that were needed to restore the damage caused by the great in 1928. Hariton Kuev died in 1940, in Plovdiv, at the age of 61.

The building, which was once admired by the people of Plovdiv was destroyed in 1979 with dynamite for the redevelopment of the square.
Hariton Kuev and his wife Elenka Kueva during their wedding
A majestic dome was placed on top of the building, which was built in the styles of Art Nouveau and Neo-Baroque and topped with a . The scaly sheeted mansard roof contained various dormers, of which two of them lead to a balcony. These balconies were placed on top of an , of which one of them contained two . This same oriel window featured ornamentation consisting of dragons, a book, and floral ornamentation, and was supported by two . The other oriel window was embellished with garlands, as well as a and a that were visible at two other places as well. The building also featured two busts that were placed within a , as well as two statues and two plaques, most likely of the Greek god and the Greek goddess . There were a couple of that ran around the entire facade, all of which were supported by loads of corbels. The that were visible on the second floor, contained either three, five, or seven .
The building visible in an old photo