The spirit of old Sofia returns to the heart of the capital with the KvARTal festival

Once upon a time, there was a remarkable neighbourhood where the construction of Old Sofia first took shape. Situated between the Royal Palace and the railway station, it was the main artery of the city - a hub of activity. This area was not only a place for people to meet and converse, but also a driving force in shaping the architectural, cultural and business growth of the capital, thanks to the dedication and passion of its residents.

This year's edition of the "KvARTal" ("Neighbourhood" - ed.) festival takes us back to a bygone era to experience the spirit of Sofia before 9 September 1944.

"For almost nine years, the KvARTal initiative has been campaigning for Sofia to have an Old Town, because the city deserves it," says Martina Stefanova, the festival's organiser. - The Old Bohemian Quarter, the first in the capital, is located between the boulevards of Dondukov, Knyaginya Maria Luiza, Slivnitsa and Vasil Levski, with the long Rakovski Street dividing it metaphorically into two lungs. Here were the numerous craftsmen and auction houses in front of the Baths, shrouded in whispering stories about the Renaissance houses and the doctors and merchants who used to live there.

It was also a cultural centre, home to the "Gallery of Six", one of the first galleries that fostered Bulgarian art in the early 1920s. Many things will lead us to the "Spirit of Old Sofia", as the festival is called. Our aim is to bring them to light and tell the story before they disappear or are replaced.

From 13 to 15 September, residents and visitors to the city will have the opportunity to stroll along streets that have been closed to traffic for the festival, take part in some of the historical walking tours, listen to music from the period, paint graffiti, dress up in period costume, enjoy the vintage car parade and the "Light from the Past" installation. The issue of preserving and renovating the cultural heritage will also be discussed at the "KvARTal" forum in the presence of building owners, representatives of institutions and politicians.

Ruby Red House is a restored early 20th century house transformed into an apartment building that combines traditional and contemporary aesthetics..

"One of the main concerns is to preserve the houses, but this is an extremely difficult task, because many of them have been removed from the list of cultural monuments and others are even being marked for demolition. And when you open this register, you get the frightening picture that 70% of the buildings in the neighbourhood have to be demolished and rebuilt," Martina Stefanova reveals the bleak reality.

But there's a glimmer of hope, she says. The area is beginning to change, with the help of citizens' initiatives such as KvARTal, and is gradually transforming from the decay it suffered under the communists into a place of charm and history. To prove her point, she takes us to one of her favourite buildings, built in 1911 for the family of Zachary Futekov, a book publisher and brother of the Bulgarian teacher and revolutionary Rayna Knyaginya.

"We found it a few months ago," she says. "The house is on the corner of Benkovski and Dondukov, hidden behind trees and untouched. The building is a unique work of art from the Secession period, when people wanted to escape from mass production and return to nature in the face of the emerging technological revolution - like today's digital revolution. This is the reason for the Art Nouveau movement, which repeats floral motifs on buildings.

The Futekov house is such an example, as everything - the door, the balconies and the facade - looks like a drawing. But the most interesting thing is that in front of it, on the side facing Dondukov Boulevard, there is an eagle with outstretched wings, holding laurel branches and a scroll with the inscription Vincit Veritas ("Truth Wins"). And this is very inspiring for the times we live in".

The Bohemian Quarter, as it was popularly called by the people of Sofia, was a favourite meeting place for prominent members of the literary community - Ivan Vazov, Peyo Yavorov, Geo Milev, Boyan Bolgar, the Elmazov family of doctors, the journalist Joseph Herbst, whose tragic fate was lamented by his wife on the streets of the city centre long after his death.

"One of the legendary journalists, Joseph Herbst, was the first to publish the news of the bombing of St Nedelja's Church, and it may have cost him his head, because the next day he disappeared without a trace in the purges that followed the attack, along with Geo Milev," says Martina Stefanova.

For many years afterwards, his wife Viola, daughter of the Bulgarian liberal politician Petko Karavelov, desperately continued to search for him. Driven mad by grief, she walked the streets wearing a dress with a large portrait of Herbst sewn on it, asking passers-by, "Have you seen my husband?".

But Sofia's ideal city centre also had its own Parisian charm.

"Back then, people lived more freely and happily. The area was also known as the Red Lantern Quarter," continues the festival organiser. "There were many café chansons where chansonettes sang their songs.

The ladies of the city did not approve of their gentlemen going to these places, the most famous of which was the Gambrinus restaurant, but those were the times. Gentlemen would gather there, their cigarette smoke wafting up as they drank inside, between two floors and the balconies to the side. They'd finish at 4 in the morning and then go to a nearby restaurant for tripe soup".

The life of a Bulgarian in those years was pleasant, cultured, prosperous and bohemian, according to Martina Stefanova. It was the period after the Liberation (1878) when, according to her, the first statesmen and awakeners left a bright mark for future generations; it was the time when Bulgarian intellectuals travelled across Europe to communicate with the great minds in cities like Vienna, Paris and other major capitals.

"It is fascinating that it was at the beginning of the last century that the first contemporary Constructivist plays were staged at the National Theatre," adds Martina Stefanova. Another interesting fact is that the vision of "KvARTal Festival 2024 - The Spirit of Old Sofia" was inspired by the creator of the capital's coat of arms, Haralampi Tachev, who also designed the architectural ornaments on iconic buildings such as the Halite Shopping Centre and the Central Mineral Bath, and is considered to be the first Bulgarian decorator.

All these intelligent and progressive people lived in harmony, eager to evolve and progress towards a better future, until a full-blown catastrophe occurred in 1944, when the new rulers did their best to destroy the intelligentsia and eradicate bourgeois life. The Communists began demolishing or nationalising the buildings of the capital's bohemians. In their place they erected bland, boxy buildings devoid of imagination and spirit. Until the early 2000s, when the first merchants with their small shops moved into the area, which for many years had been considered dangerous.

How does the urban environment affect all of us in spirit, education and dignity, and can we blame it to some extent for the ills that afflict our society today?

"We live in an extremely broken urban landscape. After the transition, we hastily embraced capitalism and, in our rush to catch up with the West, left education and culture behind. But true progress requires both, and like absolute savages we have lost the memory of the repressive regime that sought to destroy everything created before 1944.

That is why our aim is to recover that memory, because without culture we have no values, we have no education and we will end up back in the caves. The transition is over and it is time to recover our values".

"The Spirit of Old Sofia takes us back to a time when the new Bulgaria and its new capital were being built, a time of cultural exchange with the rest of the world that enriched the nation's spirit, education and consciousness. "Our message is simple: without history there is no future, so we must know and remember it. And one more thing: the true patriot is the one who values history and tries to carry it into the future," says Martina Stefanova.

Once upon a time, in the centre of a European city, there was a neighbourhood whose bohemian spirit had been extinguished by the proletarians who flooded the city from villages near and far. But because the spirit was immortal, it was destined to regain its strength. Walking through its former realms from 13 to 15 September, you will catch a glimpse of a long-gone era that is now making its return.

Photos:KvARTal Festival, BTA, BGNES

Translated and posted by Elizabeth Radkova