Hadji Nikoli Inn is located in the heart of Veliko Tarnovo. It is a valuable specimen of the monumental public architecture of the late Renaissance. The Inn was declared a national antique and cultural monument of national significance. The Inn is bound symbolically and sentimentally with the history and inhabitants of the old capital.
Hadji Nikoli Inn was built in the period 1858–1862 by the native genius builder Nikola Fichev (Kolyo Ficheto) for the rich merchant Hadji Nikola Minchev (Hadji Nikoli). The Inn is also significant because of the fact that it is the only inn of all 70 inns built in the city that survived over the years.
The building is a part of a dense urban skyline, situated on steep shallow ground. Its structure is designed by step-shaped forms, open-worked façades, typical architectural motifs and concave profiles of the cornices, parapets and stone plinth, and an elliptical line of arches and vaults. The narrow long courtyard is enclosed from three sides:
- from the northeast – by a two-storey wing with a ground floor;
- from the southeast – by a one-storey wing with a ground floor;
- from the southwest– by ground floor shops facing the street and a pass to the courtyard.
The floor plan comprises a self-contained premises located on each floor, which over the years have been used for storage rooms and workshops. On the first level facing the street, there were shops when the building was originally built that are still being used as shops today. The construction is a solid structure of brick, natural stone and iron. The bearing walls are constructed of crushed roughly treated stone and the floors are covered with solid flat bricks. In the column-supported corridors, the horizontal forces are borne by square section tension bars.
contact us: 19, G. S. Rakovski Street, Veliko Turnovo +359 62 651 291 mob.: +359 879 066 453, +359 879 066 455
office@hanhadjinikoli.com
contact us: 19, G. S. Rakovski Street, Veliko Turnovo +359 62 651 291 mob.: +359 879 066 453, +359 879 066 455
office@hanhadjinikoli.com
Until now, the Inn has undergone several modifications. In 1929, the southwest wing was affected because of the 1907 urban development plan according to which a street was to be made and today’s old post office was to be built. Dismantled stone columns were lined against the wall of the shops. The walls were vertically extended with stone, elliptical blind arches and wooden eaves. The shops were turned into garages. In some rooms, the arches were closed and the floors were covered with wooden flooring to serve as houses for bachelors.
Currently the complex is in its original form. In 1967-69, architect Stefan Penkov made a partial restoration of the building. Until 1987, the Inn was open to visitors as an ethnographic museum. After that, it was given to the National Museum of Architecture and the shops were given to AEK “Samovodska Charshiya”. In 1992, the Inn was restituted and handed over to the heirs of Hadji Nikoli. The Inn was closed to visitors and plunged into ruin for more than ten years.
In 2005, Bul Beck Ltd. bought the Inn and, at the request of the new owner, the restoration and revival of the Inn began. Before the restoration, parts of the plaster were missing in the main building. There were critical cracks in the arches and holes in the walls. Gutters and drainpipes were also missing. The stone columns were eroded and some had structural cracks. The cornices and stone floorings were eroded, too. The courtyard was deserted. The complex was heavily flooded from the north side that is built on rock. The roof needed complete repair.
The renovation of the Hadji Nikoli Inn started in 2006 and finished in 2010. The authentic façade and look of the complex has been preserved. Service facilities and a kitchen have been established in the nearby building by making a passage through the common wall. The same building houses the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. The roof structure has been completely renewed and authentic Old Bulgarian roof tiles were used to cover it. The columns have been preserved and the arches have been structurally reinforced. Natural materials have been used for the interior – oak parquet, Italian ceramic flooring, wood window frames, doors and solid wood furniture. Nowadays, the unique Hadji Nikoli Inn enjoys a new life with authenticity and comfort.
