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The Building
The Red House is a building in the centre of Sofia that used to
be the home of the Bulgarian sculptor Andrey
Nikolov. Built in the “spirit of Italy" the house invites
the visitor “to leave all prejudice out”. Planned by one of the
most remarkable architects of the time Ivan Vassilyov, the house
is now a monument of culture of national significance. On his return
from Rome, where he lived from 1914 to 1927, Andrey Nikolov decided
to build a house-atelier in Sofia, a magical place which would preserve
the spirit of Italy and create an atmosphere for a happy family
life while responding to the needs of a sculptor. Ivan Vassiliov
planned the building using drawings by Andrey Nikolov who was enchanted
with the atmosphere of the Italian city. And not surprisingly, in
this building, which is quite unusual for Sofia’s architectural
style, one could feel the “taste of Italy”.
After years of decay, Andrey Nikolov’s house is now The Red House
"Andrey Nikolov" Centre for Culture and Debate. This is
a place that attracts contemporary audiences with cultural and socio-political
programmes while at the same time introducing the public to the
art of two great Bulgarian artists from the beginning of the century
– the architect Ivan Vassiliov and the sculptor Andrey Nikolov.
The Red House Centre for Culture and Debate offers multifunctional
rooms for theatre performances, exhibitions, public debates, film
shows, etc. The centre also houses the permanent exhibition of Andrey
Nikolov’s works, a library, an information center and a cafe restaurant.
Through artistic experiments and public debates which stimulate
the critical reflection and the intellectual curiosity of the audience,
the Red House Centre for Culture and Debate is a meeting place of
different opinions - a space without prejudice.
Arch. L. Boyadjiev and Arch. Tzv. Tzinzev are the
authors of the project for the reconstruction of the house. The
project was selected following an open competition, where 24
projects were competing.
Arch. Ivan Petkov was consulting the reconstruction project.

On September 26, 2002 Isover - Bulgaria donated mineral
wool for the isolation of the roof of The Red House.
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