Gradored - Young Civil Society of Ruse

The Mission - To revive the history of Ruse for the young generations!

 

In the 19th century, Ruse underwent innovations that earned it the name "City of Firsts". The first railway station was built, people watched movies for the first time, and were even able to ride in the first manually operated elevator. In the "City of Firsts" route, we have selected buildings that reflect the entry of the European way of life into Bulgaria.

 

 

Landmarks along the route:

Princely Palace

Chicago Fashion House

Marin Cholakov's Beer Garden

Girdap Bank

Bulgaria Insurance Company

Chamber of Commerce and Industry

 

In 1863, the English company of the Barclay brothers received a concession for 99 years, and on May 21, 1864, work on the construction of the line began. The construction of the railway line became the occasion for the construction of the two-story stone building on Knyazheska Street for the Management of the Railway, with an area of ​​360 sq m, with funds left over from the Commission for the Assistance of the Circassian Migrants. The European style of the building contrasts sharply with the traditional architectural appearance of the other Ruse buildings at that time. The second floor of the newly built building housed the Austrian Consulate. In 1875, a branch of the Ottoman Bank, managed by foreign bankers, was opened here. The maintenance of the Princely Palace was assumed by the Ruse Municipality, for which it took a loan from the National Bank, part of which was paid for by the sale of the city steam mill.

 

In 1896, Ivan Mayor designed a building for the Solomon and Rosalie Blaustein family at 5 Pirot Street. Solomon Blaustein was a famous merchant who made his fortune thanks to his huge collection of postage stamps, which he presented at an exhibition in Chicago. With the money he earned, he and his wife opened a hotel in the building on Pirot Street named "Bucharest". It quickly became a favorite place for entertainment for the city's residents and guests. The owners set up a cabaret there and invited singers and dancers from all over Europe. There is evidence that the hotel housed the first elevator in the country, installed according to the American model. Due to the lack of electricity, the elevator was operated with the help of four strong men. The hotel existed in the building for only four years, after which the company's hat shop "Pri Chicago", owned by Solomon's wife, was located there. Rosalie Blaustein's fashion house is present as the first Bulgarian and one of the largest manufacturers of women's and children's hats.

 

In 1896, architect Edwin Patritsky built a one-story building for the merchant Marin Cholakov at 41 Knyazheska Street. Later, the building housed the first cinema in Bulgaria. Marin Cholakov was a famous merchant from Ruse who sold Russian mustard, Swiss cheeses, Dutch flower bulbs, caviar, salmon, smoked fish, dried mushrooms, and caramel. According to sources, he had a beer hall on the ground floor. Marin Cholakov's beer hall was a gathering place for curious readers who found European newspapers there, such as "Figaro", "Monde", and "Illustration". Some of the first films that Ruse residents witnessed were: "Welcoming the Train", "The Workers Leaving the Factories," and the first comedy - "The Flying Waterer". They were organized mainly by traveling cinematographers in various cafes, beer halls, and hotels. The entrance fee was only one leva.

 

In 1881, the first private bank in Bulgaria was founded in Ruse as a Joint-Stock Savings Company with the name "Girdap". The word is of Turkish-Persian origin and means "swampy, difficult-to-pass place". This was the current central square at that time. During its existence, "Girdap" was one of the two major Bulgarian banks, along with the Bulgarian Commercial Bank, founded mainly with local private capital. The Board of Directors included some of the richest Ruse merchants and entrepreneurs. In 1897, the bank acquired its building. The building appears on illustrated postcards as an important architectural landmark of Ruse. In 1913, a fire destroyed the attic floor, and after the renovation, the building was upgraded with another floor. The corner facade is crowned by a clock tower. "Under the Clock" is a favorite meeting place for Ruse residents.

 

In 1898, based on a project by architect Eduard Winter and under the supervision of architect Udo Riabau, a three-story building was erected at 30 Aleksandrovska Street to house the first Bulgarian insurance company ''Bulgaria". In 1891, prominent Ruse residents Panayot Popov, Georgi Teodosiev, Ivan Chorapchiev, and Stefan Simeonov founded the first Bulgarian insurance company, Bulgaria. Over the years, the Bulgarian insurance company has had representative offices from Constantinople to Athens, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, and London, all the way to Chicago. Currently, the building is under mixed ownership, which prevents a unanimous decision from being made for its renovation. However, the initials of the first Bulgarian insurance company, BZD, still stand above the side entrance to the complex.

 

The first Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce was founded in Ruse in 1890 with Panayot Popov as chairman. On April 14, 1914, the construction of the building began, and in 1916 it was completed. The facade of the building is in the Modern or fin de siècle style with Baroque elements. A clock was installed in the dome above the main entrance, and the door of the central entrance was beautifully decorated with a metal rosette and the wings of Mercury, the god of trade. Since 1954, the building has housed the "Lyuben Karavelov" District Library.

 

For more information, please visit the Gradored website. -  https://www.gradored.com/marshruti/grad-na-prvite