Zlatyu Boyadzhiev Gallery

The medical doctor and eminent public figure from the National Revival period Dr. Stoyan Chomakov was one of the most active fighters for autonomous Bulgarian Church before the Liberation from Ottoman domination in 1878. The Chomakov Huse, built in 1862-1865, is his material legacy to the future generations of Plovdiv. It is located in a good area in the Old Town and it stands out with dignity of one of the remarkable monuments from the National Revival period in Plovdiv. The architectural solution betrays the Neocalssical style that was very popular at that time.

The façade of the house is stern, animated only by a central rhizolith without portico, from which a light balcony hangs, shading a two-wing stone staircase. The corners of the building and the frames of the windows on the ground floor are built of regular hewn small stone blocks without plaster on the outside. The windows of the upper floor are flanked by pilasters with elegant Doric capitals and crowned with arcs. The upper part of the middle rhizolith ends with a light triangular pediment.

The staircase at the entrance leads to a hall with a marble floor. After it a broad hayet opens,, at the back of which there is a double-wing staircase leading to the second floor. The ceilings of the hall and of the hayet are wooden and richly ornamented. They are decorated with carved “suns”. The plan of the ground floor includes also four symmetrical rooms, two pantries and a corridor leading to a bath and kitchen with a big fireplace.

After the Liberation, Dr. Chomakov’s heirs offered the house as the residence of Tsar Ferdinand - a fact confirming its impressive appearance and central location in the architectural ensemble of Trimontium.

Since 1984 this house has hosted the biggest collection of 72 paintings by the famous Bulgarian artist Zlatyu Boyadzhiev (1903-1976), which are representative for the two distinct periods in his professional life. After a severe stroke in 1951, the artist started to paint with his left hand.

Zlatyu Boyadzhiev loved his native country and its people. In fact people are central in his art.

Zlatyu’s world is fairy-like, it is full of symmetry, balance and harmony. The artist has grasped the two extreme states of human nature - suffering and sorrow, faith and love, idealism and sacrifice. His canvases feature rural life and joy derived through communion with nature.

Day for free visit: Every first Thursday of the month for students and retired people.

Visits are in compliance with the anti-epidemic measures.