Street. Malko Tarnovo is one of the most iconic places and the shortest pedestrian street in the centre of Sofia, which hides many memories of the city's history. The street renovation project is being implemented as a public-private partnership initiated by Sofia Municipal Council, with the grant support of the construction and investment company BLD, as part of its long-term urban beautification program Building Difference, and the architectural studio Atelier Serafimov Architects - donors of the renovation project.
The first-of-its-kind urban renewal project is inspired by the multifaceted and rich history behind Sofia's shortest pedestrian street. It includes the renovation and replacement of dilapidated pavements along the street, new lighting and elements, cleaning of facades and wiring, but also the creation of an information system bringing to life narratives from different eras in the development of Sofia as the capital of Bulgaria. On its modest 60 m, the street holds memories and artifacts that bear witness to some of the most significant eras in Bulgarian history. Beneath the yellow cobblestones lie prehistoric remains dating back to 4500 BC, urban legends of the clock tower from the Renaissance era and memories of King Boris III and his beloved Luna Bar. There's also a secret door on the street to this day, sung about in rock ballads, behind which lurk the communist-era State Security cells.
The project for the renovation of the street was presented for the first discussion on March 20, 2019 in the bar "Eleven/ 11" (the former bar "Luna") with the participation of the mayor of Sofia Yordanka Fandakova, the host Daniel Nenchev, intellectuals, artists, scientists such as prof. Mikhail Nedelchev, historian prof. Nikolai Poppetrov from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, representatives of the institutions in the surrounding buildings, such as Vladimir Lyutskanov, director of the Youth Theatre "Nikolai Binev" and Assoc. dr. Mikhail Gruev, Chairman of the State Agency "Archives", the writer Ivan Stambolov - Sula, the poet and scriptwriter Ivan Landjev, the director Viktor Bozhinov, organizers of Free Sofia Tour and Sofia Communist Tour, the musicians Vasko Krpkata and Vasil Gyurov, etc. The feedback collected from them was reflected and the revised project will be presented publicly for a broad discussion with the citizens of Sofia and interested parties.
The exhibition will present the renovation project and the collected historical information about important moments of Sofia's history, concentrated along the Sofia Str. Malko Tarnovo. It can be viewed from May 20 to June 5, 2019 at the Archives Gallery on ul. "The public discussion of the project will take place on 20 May at 6 pm with the participation of Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia Municipality, Arch. Zdravko Zdravkov, Chief Architect, prof. Nikolay Poppetrov, historian, arch. Rado Serafimov, Atelier Serafimov Architects - author of the renovation project, Dimitar Savov from BLD - donors of the project, Filip Boyadzhiev - project manager for orientation and visual communication to the main tourist sites in Sofia and all those wishing to participate. The exhibition is realized by BLD with the assistance of Sofia Municipality, State Agency "Archives", Museum of Sofia, prof. The exhibition will be held in the Sofia City Museum, Sofia, Sofia. Admission to the event is free, and feedback about the project can be sent by June 5 and by email to building.difference@bld.bg. The collected historical information will serve for a system of information boards, which aim to preserve and tell the stories of the residents and guests of Sofia and to transform the street. Malko Tarnovo into an even more beloved and iconic symbol of the city.
The renovation project of ul. Malko Tarnovo and visualizing the historical narrative along the street is happening within the Building Difference initiative, BLD's social and educational platform that aims to improve public spaces in Sofia. The projects in the initiative bring together local communities, professionals, active organizations, students and institutions to work for common causes in different neighborhoods and areas of Sofia. In the first pilot edition of the initiative in 2018, first-year Architecture students from UASG created new public spaces in Lozenets together with the people of the neighbourhood and worked on real urban case studies as part of their official summer internship, with support from the Lozenets district, coordination and funding from BLD. In 2019, in addition to the donation to the ul. Malko Tarnovo, BLD initiated several more projects for shared public spaces in neighborhoods of the city in which the company invests.