The "Vlaikova" Cinema

Maria Vlaikova is the noble lady and wake-up call, who built a "cinema" modern for her time on her plot and with her own funds. Construction began in 1925. After its completion, the hall was built on an area of 330 sq.m., with a stage and 4 small dressing rooms, it had a capacity of 300 people and was covered with a reinforced concrete slab with the idea of subsequently building a second floor intended for accommodation of a future neighborhood People's Community Center.

On November 26, 1925, Mrs. Maria Vlaikova announced her desire to bequeath to the Ministry of Education the newly built hall for the establishment of a "Kinematogrof" for students, to be used for cultural and educational purposes after her death.

During the bombing of Sofia on March 29 and 30, 1944, the salon was hit by a bomb and burned along with all the inventory. The tenant Stilyan Georgiev restored the building with his own funds and on 15.10.1944 the cinema started functioning again.

Later, in fulfillment of part of Mrs. Vlaikova's will, by Resolution No. 7 of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, from 06.04.1949, the building was ceded for perpetual use to the neighborhood People's Community Center "Anton Strashimirov".

Today, the "Vlaikova" Cinema is the oldest existing Chitalist cinema in Bulgaria.