site.btaBucharest Completes Works to Secure Building of Historic Bulgarian Solakov Inn

Works to secure the building of the Solakov Inn in Bucharest, arguably the most important of all structures associated with modern Bulgarian history in Romania, have been completed, the local Municipal Administration for the Consolidation of Buildings at Seismic Risk reported on its official website on Friday.

The press release said: “The interventions carried out were aimed at stabilizing and protecting the building, including the installation of a supporting metal structure, consolidation of the foundations and removal of waste from the basement and side annexes. All works were conducted in accordance with the specific requirements for interventions on historical monuments.”

The base of the metal structure used 650 prefabricated elements and 200 tonnes of laminated profiles, Romania’s Antena 1 television reported. The repair works, which began in April 2024, have so far cost RON 5 million (approximately EUR 1 million). A total of 3,000 tonnes of waste were removed from the courtyard and basement of the building.

Further strengthening work is planned. The original elements of the building will be preserved, according to the Romanian Ministry of Culture.

The building, where prominent Bulgarian freedom fighters planned uprisings against Ottoman rule in the 1860s and 1870s, will be transformed into a municipal cultural centre, and Bulgaria has been promised a dignified place to commemorate its historical legacy. Currently, the marble plaque of revolutionary and writer Lyuben Karavelov on the building’s front wall serves as a reminder of the Bulgarian revolutionary presence.

The Solakov Inn is named after the enterprising Solakoglu brothers from the Danubian town of Svishtov. In 1859, the two men built the property for commercial purposes (a macaroni factory) but over the years it became a refuge for Bulgarian revolutionary immigrants in Romania. It was there, in the mill in the courtyard of the inn, that Bulgarian national heroes Hristo Botev and Vasil Levski endured an extremely cold winter together, described by Botev in a well-known memoir. On the first floor, in the printing workshop, Lyuben Karavelov published the newspapers Svoboda (Freedom) and Nezavisimost (Independence) and the magazine Znanie (Knowledge).

In June 2023, the Bucharest Municipal Council adopted a decision to secure, preserve and protect the Solakov Inn. Later that year, following elections in September, the city administration was replaced. The new leadership, headed by then Mayor of Bucharest and current President of Romania Nicusor Dan, declared that saving the Solakov Inn was a priority.

In July 2025, a Bulgarian delegation visited the inn to inspect the restoration works on the historic building. At that time, Bulgaria’s Deputy Culture Minister Ashot Kazaryan told BTA that the two countries were working on a memorandum of cooperation for the building’s restoration.