Исторически преглед

Издание на Института за исторически изследвания при БАН

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И.Ист.И.

Architect Friedrich Grünanger and Bulgaria

Архитект Фридрих Грюнангер и България

Исторически преглед, 81 (2025) No. 2, pp. 5-35 (ISSN 0323-9748)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71069/IPR2.25.LS01

Lyubinka Stoilova / Любинка Стоилова

independent researcher

Abstract: This paper explores the work of Friedrich Grünanger in Bulgaria from 1879 until his retirement (1914–1915). At a time when the country faced an acute need for specialists, the architect dedicated his 35-year career to supporting rapid social progress. He addressed a wide range of professional challenges for various institutions and social circles, introducing contemporary knowledge and expertise from Central Europe. Well-known aspects of Grünanger’s biography are expanded with new insights into the life circumstances that shaped his work, which unfolded in three overlapping phases: as a civil servant, as a freelance designer, and as an architect at the “Evlogi and Hristo Georgievi” Ephoria. These roles intertwined over time, influencing one another. The analysis of the architect’s personal style within a broader pan-European context, complemented by newly discovered drawings and photographs, enriches our understanding of Bulgarian architecture and culture during the transition from the 19th to the 20th century.

Keywords: architecture, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, “Evlogi and Hristo Georgiev” Ephoria, Friedrich Grünanger.