Over the years, a number of buildings have remained as legends in public memory—whether centuries-old, like the Kurshum Inn, or more recent, like the “Maritsa” pharmacy or the “Koudoglu” house. More than a few architectural masterpieces, however, have completely disappeared, almost erased from our collective memory. In the following text we will tell you about several buildings like that, erected between the two World Wars.
Modernist building by architect Dimitar Popov, next to the Koudoglu Public Health House
The residential building was demolished during the expansion of the Post Office in 1973. Practically two entire blocks of houses were erased, which today would have been located at the site of the current Post Office and the Forum excavations. Popov’s building was one of the most impressive, with its clean modern forms—it would stand today as one of the best examples of modern architecture in interwar Plovdiv.
The building at the corner of “Odrin” and “Ivan Vazov” streets, designed by architect Asen Semov
Built as a private hospital for Dr. Koicho Koev in the 1930s, the building—though with some alterations—no longer exists. In its place stands a modern business center. The hospital, however, was extremely beautiful—with its light columns and canopy, wide windows, undecorated walls, and clear volumes.
“The Military District Headquarters” (“Voennoto Okruajie”)
Its exact location is now somewhat difficult to pinpoint, but it is known to have stood at the former “Tsar Krum” Square, approximately where the small traffic light stands today on “Tsar Boris III Unifier” Blvd., between the Tunnel and “Trimontium”. The old urban plan of this part of the city underwent major changes—first in the 1960s with the construction of the boulevard, and later in the 1980s when the underpass beneath the Post Office was created and officially opened at the very end of the socialist decade. The building was demolished much earlier, but with its orderly windows and elegant terrace with a canopy on the top floor, it would still impress architects and aesthetes today.
The building known as the “Hunting Lodge”
It was located on the right bank of the Maritsa River. The building is known from a single photograph in the Plovdiv Municipal Newspaper from the 1930s, but its exact location and fate remain unknown. The Hunting Lodge seems to have been erased entirely from the memory of Plovdiv’s residents, though historians often stumble upon surprises. Whether the building was remodeled or completely demolished would be more of an interesting historical detail, since in all likelihood it no longer exists in its modernist form.
The two buffets—on Sahat Tepe and the Great Bunardzhik Hill
Photo: lostbulgaria
Both were erected by the municipality in the 1930s, but their decline came at different times. The Sahat Tepe buffet disappeared as early as the 1970s, linked to a modernization plan for the hilltop. The plan was never realized, and to this day the spot next to the current fountain remains empty.
The Bunardzhik buffet changed its appearance gradually over the years until, just over 15 years ago, it was finally demolished, with plans to turn it into a private club. However, massive civic protests stopped the project, and the area remained green and public.
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