The protesters did not agree with the Minister of Culture
Protesters formed a live chain tonight in front of the Central Halls in the capital, demanding that the building be preserved as a cultural asset and not allowed to become a supermarket. The protesters called on the Ministry of Culture not to coordinate such a project until a thorough analysis is made.
The action is of “Save Sofia”. According to them, the appearance of the Central Halls is in good condition and nothing requires a change in its functions from a closed market with many small retailers, to become an impersonal store like many in the country.
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The caretaker Minister of Culture Velislav Minekov also arrived on the spot, but the two sides turned out to be of opposite opinions. Minekov explained that there is no possibility to stop the project due to the fact that the Central Halls are privately owned.
“There should be restoration and maintenance of this property here,” Minekov said.
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“The investor should not lead the process in the dark, but comply with public opinion,” urged municipal councilor Boris Bonev of Save Sofia.
The protesters also demanded that the Sofia Municipality take a stand on the issue.
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The central halls of Sofia are one of the oldest shopping complexes in the country, established in 1911 by architect Naum Torbov. As an architecture, the building combines the hitherto rare style “neo-Byzantine” and the far more modern “secession”. Apart from the weather, the building withstood the bombings in the capital in 1944.
In 1988 the halls were closed for reconstruction and renovation. In 1995 it received the status of a cultural monument of national importance. In 2000, the halls reopened after the Israeli company Ashrom formed a joint venture with Sofia Municipality and invested in preserving the iconic building. Later, the municipality sold its stake and today the already registered company in Cyprus, Ashrom, is the sole owner of the capital. However, the parking lot at the building is municipal property.
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Deal or no deal
Last week, it became clear that the German retail chain Kaufland has investment intentions for the Halls and is ready to give BGN 50 million for restoration and reconstruction to rent it, promising to keep the appearance of the building. The company has signed a preliminary contract for the purchase of the building from the current owner Ashrom.
The conceptual design
The procedure was launched during the third cabinet of Boyko Borissov. The investment proposal was first considered at a meeting of SESONCC on February 26, 2021. By decision of the Expert Council it was then recommended to the Minister of Culture not to approve the investment project in the presented form, as a number of recommendations were made. It was requested to preserve the authentic appearance of the iron columns, to present several variants of the conceptual design for reconstruction, as well as to open all entrances to the building for access.
On July 19, SESONCC considers for the second time the changes made by the investor, which were presented by arch. Maria Popmarkova, who was hired by Kafland to develop the conceptual design for the reconstruction. He predicts that nothing will change in the appearance of the building. 2 of the four entrances to the building, which is part of the stumbling block for receiving the blessing of the Ministry of Culture, will be open to customers. And the reason for the two entrances is the requirements for access control and security measures, says Popmarkova.
The proposal is open for clients to keep the central entrance from Maria Luiza Blvd. and the one from Pirotska St. The entrance from Washington Street will be used only for charging, and the one from Ekzarh Yosif Street will remain closed, as it is now, due to the proximity of the trams and the large displacement of the terrain. In fact, the entrance from Ekzarh Yosif Street is still not open, and the older citizens of Sofia do not remember when it was used.
The iron columns will be preserved in their authentic form, as recommended by the experts. The fountain also remains in the central lobby and will be restored according to the drawings of arch. Bags. There will be no interference on the facade and roof of the building except for the replacement of the compromised sheet metal. The second level built during the reconstruction at the end of the last century will be removed, according to the Kaufland project.
The loading ramp of the store however, it turned out to be a stumbling block in the implementation of the Kaufland project. The reason – the ramp was built in the 60’s and 70’s of last century for small trucks and it can not enter those who are now loaded with other stores in the chain.
That’s why Kaufland offers two options. One plans to deepen by about 50 cm, and the other – a new roof slab, which will raise the current level, but will break the symmetry of the building. The expert council insists that nothing be touched and that small trucks be used to fill the hypermarket. From the explanations of arch. However, it became clear to Popmarkova that Kaufland was not ready for this discount, because it would not be profitable and the store would not be able to support itself.
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How far have you come?
The National Institute for Immovable Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture does not have a positive opinion on the reconstruction of the Halls, which is necessary because the Central Halls are a cultural monument of national importance.
The caretaker Minister of Culture Prof. Velislav Minekov believes that the building needs “huge repairs and restoration”, which is the prevailing opinion. However, his department and Sofia Municipality will not back down from preserving the spirit, architecture and functions of the building.
The Sofia Municipality has already stated that at the moment neither Ashrom nor Kaufland have submitted a request to them for the reconstruction of the Halls into a supermarket, because all coordination procedures with the Ministry of Culture have not been completed yet.
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Arguments against the deal
“The function of the building is completely changing – from a closed market with many small traders, the halls will become another impersonal supermarket. This is bad news for the northern parts of the center, which are already seriously behind the southern ones and need meaningful investments. to attract and retain people in the area “- this is the position of” Save Sofia “.
“The building is private, but it is a cultural monument of national importance and that is why its owner has a duty to the public to preserve and restore it, and not to turn it into an impersonal object,” the activists said.
Save Sofia insists that the conceptual design for the reconstruction of the halls be publicly presented and subjected to public discussion. According to Prof. Minekov, the German chain must convince the public that their project is good.
At the moment, however, the proposed project does not meet all the prescriptions of the National Institute for Immovable Cultural Heritage. And until all the requirements for the adequate protection of the building and its history are met, until the preservation of its authenticity and spirit is ensured in an adequate way, there can be no coordination, the statement of the Ministry of Culture says.
Several experts have already spoken out against the investment project because the spirit and atmosphere of this iconic building in Sofia is not preserved.
Meanwhile, there is already a petition to keep the Central Halls building as an indoor retail market.
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But who will invest in the maintenance of this cultural monument, which has long been in need of repair? And we must admit that if we have to go back to the last century, during socialism, the Central Sofia Halls were a large supermarket, and on the second floor there were rooms with management and employees related to logistics, invoicing and accounting. at this commercial site.
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