Emanuela MARINSKA
Architect § Cultural heritage expert
Architectural survey of an old house
Varna, Bulgaria
“Kombina” is an individual housing operation in the city of Varna, Bulgaria.
In 2019 I’ve been called upon by fellow architects from the “Decart” studio for a complete and detailed survey and documentation of the existing house and the surrounding courtyard. My work then served as a foundation for a renovation project by “Decart”.
The original house was built in 1927 by an Italian architect living in Varna. In the 1980’s, the owners petitioned for the house to be listed as cultural heritage in order to avoid its planned demolition, as the urban-planning authorities had decided to replace it with a 5-storey building. This move was not without reason, as the house exhibits many of the valuable aspects of a typical building from the interwar period and its authentic characteristics are well preserved.
The interior boasts richly ornamented double portals, doors and other elements of wooden joinery.
Moreover, the house also has historical value, as it was the setting for a 1982 movie called “Kombina” - the first film in the criminal genre to be made in totalitarian Bulgaria.