
Built in the late 1920s, this house was originally the residence of banker Dimitar Ivanov and his wife Nadezhda Stankovic. The interior features a striking red marble fireplace in the reception room, as well as a stage for musical performances and crystal-adorned interior doors.
The house has several bedrooms, elegant terraces, a spacious study and various utility rooms. Although the original furnishings have been lost, historical records indicate that the elite Sofia residents of the time preferred Central and Western European furniture.

The exterior of the property features a large front garden bordered by an ornate wrought iron fence. A large triple staircase leads to the main entrance, and the property is also characterized by carriage portals that flank the courtyard.

These portals are reminiscent of a bygone era where one can imagine a horse-drawn carriage driving into the courtyard, while the horses and carriage wait in a specially designated area behind the house until the end of the reception.

The Ivanov family enjoyed their residence until 1944, after which the estate was nationalized. At first it served as the Romanian embassy, later as the USSR’s trade mission in Bulgaria and as the headquarters of various communist organizations with unclear functions.

In the 1990s the house was returned to Ivanov’s heirs. In 2004 it was taken over by Valentin Zlatev, director of Lukoil. Despite this change of ownership, the property, which had fallen into disrepair for decades, remains neglected and abandoned, with no apparent connection to its cultural heritage.

The purpose behind those mysterious black cables on the road

If you ever see black cables stretching across the road, you had better know what it means. I had no clue… Check comments.
While on the road, chances are you have spotted the black cables on the road.
However, although they are common and perfectly safe to run over, most people don’t have a clue about their purpose.
These rubber cables, that are stretched across the road, serve the purpose of gathering data about the traffic. So how do they work? When a vehicle crosses over them, it causes pressure which is recorded and transmitted to a counting device.

This information assists transportation agencies in keeping track of traffic flow, vehicle speeds, and volume, which is essential for urban planning, road maintenance, and safety upgrades, ultimately affecting the decisions on traffic management, road expansions, and the positioning of traffic signals or speed limits.
Rubber cables are often positioned in low-visibility areas to avoid drawing attention and to minimize any interference with traffic. This approach guarantees that the collected data is as precise as possible, representing typical traffic conditions without the effects of altered driving behavior.
To learn more go to the video below.
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