“The architectural brutalism of socialist Bulgaria has two distinct faces – one for the masses and one for the elite. And they are both best embodied by the work of a stubborn female architect with great command of béton brut, expressive construction and elaborate spaces – Stefka Georgieva (1923–2004), one of the most obscure figures serving the communist regime.”

Compared to their neighbors in Macedonia, there is very little brutalism in Sofia, Bulgaria. For me, the most interesting buildings I came across were done by a female architect – extremely uncommon for a Communist government in that timeframe.

Most of what I learned comes from this academic article which is a short and extremely interesting read. As I had quite a bit of trouble finding references of Georgieva’s work, I thought it might be a fun project to catalog some of her projects. Despite being one of Bulgaria’s most influential architects, there’s remarkable little being done to preserve these historical buildings.

Residential Buildings For Diplomatic Corps, Sofia, 1973

Sofia Tennis Hall, 1968