Imperial Hotel

When it was built, the hotel rose 5 stories above the surrounding buildings. Today, it forms the corner of a quarter that is occupied by some of the most personable buildings in the city centre and borders directly the Presidency Building. Its double attic roof still dominates the skyline of Saborna St. The Imperial Hotel was considered one of the most modern buildings of its time - with its elegantly furnished rooms, luxurious apartments, central heating, running hot water and telephone. But its main feature is the reinforced concrete structure, which, along with luck, helped it withstand 1944 Sofia bombings. The building is quite impressive with its opulent and precisely executed decoration - the stone sculptures of the balcony handrails, the friezes, the garlands over the vertical elements, the plant covered soffits of the lower balconies all create a feeling of vibrance and festivity. The combination of stone and metal, so typical of Secession (the entrance door, the balcony railings and the attic roofing), lends elegance, luxury and dignity to the Imperial Hotel facades.

Kiril Marichkov (architect)

1917 - 1920

2а Saborna St, Sofia 1000

SF0445