Can you imagine how rich you must be to build a separate house for your money instead to just put them in a safe? If you want to learn about the history of Stepan Hindliyan and explore the home of the stinking rich merchant, visit Plovdiv. You can really travel through the whole world until you explore the extremely rich decoration of the Hindliyanov’s house. The merchant of Armenian origin wanted to decorate his home with scenes from the sights that he saw during his many travels.
So you can see on the walls and into the typical decorative niches called “alafranga” painted scenes of Venice, St. Petersburg, Lisbon, Athens, Stockholm and even one of the lost wonders of the world – the Alexandria Lighthouse. According to one of the stories that are told, Hindliyan is not even the real name of the merchant of Armenian origin. He received his Surname because he was trading with distant India.
The first thing you will see when coming into the yard of the house is a small building on the left hand side. This separate building is actually the house where the trader left his money before going home. Hindliyan was so rich that he had a fountain with constantly running rose water in one of the rooms in his house. When stepping inside in the old house you will be amazed by the carvings, inlays and decorations.
Another unique thing in the house of the merchant was the bathroom with separate faucets for hot and cold running water, which at that time was extremely rare. The marble room looks like a hammam and was heated by pipes with hot air which passed under the floor. While you are in the living room on the second floor you can even hear the clamor and the music of the great celebrations that are organized in the home of the trader.
The built in the 30 years of the 19th century house is now a museum. If you love the Bulgarian Renaissance atmosphere we recommend you stay at the hotel “Hebros” in the Old Town of Plovdiv. The site was also a home of an wealthy local merchant and the authentic furniture in the hotel makes the atmosphere unique. Even without mentioning the delicious food you would be served
