On Calea Moșilor, at number 134, stands today an abandoned and dangerous building, barely holding on to the contours of what it once was: Hanul Solacolu. Seen now with fear and a sense of helplessness, the inn is both a witness of decline and a reminder of Bucharest’s 19th-century glory. More than 150 years ago, the place was considered an architectural jewel and a symbol of commercial refinement.

The beginnings of an elite inn

Its story begins in 1859, when the Solacoglu brothers, Bulgarian merchants from Sviștov, settled in Wallachia. Their initial plan was to build a pasta factory, an innovative business at that time.

The construction was meant to combine the practical with the pleasant: four family apartments upstairs and production and storage spaces on the ground floor. However, the building’s purpose soon changed, and it became a sumptuous inn designed to host wealthy merchants and distinguished travelers.

According to period documents, Hanul Solacolu had around 100 rooms, an impressive number for that era. At street level, along Calea Moșilor, stood several shops, while the cellars stored merchandise brought by traders from across the country. 

Guests accessed the inn through two large gates, wide enough for luxurious carriages, while the inner courtyard exuded the charm and bustle typical of Bucharest’s merchant quarters.

Architectural uniqueness

Hanul Solacolu stood out through its distinctive architecture. It was the only inn in the capital built in a “U” shape, with two entrances facing Calea Moșilor, making it both visible and accessible. 

The building also featured a veranda with glass panels, called “cercevuri”, a rare architectural detail for that time, which gave it a refined look. Thus, the inn impressed not only through its functionality but also through its aesthetics.

This elegance made it the preferred destination of a select elite: prosperous merchants, prominent travelers, and cultural or political personalities. For 19th-century Bucharest, Hanul Solacolu was a landmark of commerce and hospitality.

A revolutionary center for Bulgarians

In the second half of the 19th century, Eastern Europe was shaken by revolts and independence movements. Hanul Solacolu became a key refuge for Bulgarian revolutionaries escaping Ottoman rule. 

Among its most notable residents was Liuben Caravelov, leader of the Bulgarian Central Revolutionary Committee. He transformed part of the inn into a hub for spreading ideas of freedom.

In the printing press located on the ground floor, Caravelov published the newspapers Liberty and Independence, essential tools for mobilizing the Bulgarian population in the fight for national emancipation. 

The poet Hristo Botev, another iconic figure of the anti-Ottoman struggle, also lived in the inn. It was here that he drafted and printed The Word of Bulgarian Emigrants and The Banner, papers widely circulated among exiles and compatriots.

Even Vasil Levski, known as the “Apostle of Freedom,” found shelter in the inn. The presence of such personalities turned Hanul Solacolu into a revolutionary stronghold that left a profound mark on Bulgaria’s history and strengthened ties between communities on both banks of the Danube.

The inn in modern times

After its revolutionary phase, the inn continued to serve as a lodging and commercial space until the end of World War II. Although damaged by a devastating fire, it managed to accommodate guests for some time. Still, its prestige began to wane.

The turning point came in 1948 with the rise of the communist regime. Hanul Solacolu was nationalized and turned into social housing. From an elite destination, it became a poor-quality housing block, with no maintenance or restoration works. Neglect inevitably led to rapid degradation.

In the 1980s, authorities declared the building a collapse risk and suspended rentals, but it was never completely evacuated. After 1989, the inn entered a grim period, becoming a shelter for the homeless. Its once-celebrated printing press was tragically transformed into an illegal brothel, a symbol of its complete downfall.

Failed rescue attempts and repeated decline

In 1997, Hanul Solacolu was included in the National Restoration Plan, in partnership with the Bulgarian Embassy. Unfortunately, the project never progressed beyond intention. 

The property’s restitution in 2003 to the Solacoglu family’s heirs brought no significant change either. Illegal activities continued until 2007, when police intervention put an end to them.

The building’s degradation reached a peak in 2010, when the entire roof collapsed, dragging part of the interior walls with it. The inn officially became a dangerous ruin, on the verge of total collapse.

There were some more recent attempts to save it. In 2016, a public-private partnership for restoration with European funds was proposed, but the project never materialized. 

In 2019, Bucharest City Hall approved the expropriation of the building for 4.5 million lei, intending to include it in a cultural circuit. However, the procedure was not finalized within the legal 90-day deadline, leaving the initiative in limbo.

The Honacolu Inn, present day: a new hope

It was only in January 2025 that the first real signs of hope appeared. Romanian President Nicușor Dan, the former Mayor of Bucharest, officially announced that conservation and protection works had resumed. 

Teams from the Municipal Building Trust began reconstructing the first-floor structure and installing beams for a temporary roof. At the same time, debris was cleared, and reinforcement works were carried out in the basement and ground floor.

It is a modest yet essential start for a monument that once witnessed commercial prosperity, revolutionary fervor, and social decline.

The symbol of a shared history

Hanul Solacolu is not just an abandoned building on Calea Moșilor. It carries within its walls the story of cosmopolitan Bucharest in the 19th century, where merchants and revolutionaries crossed paths. It was once a place of luxury, later a haven for those who dreamed of freedom, and ultimately a painful example of neglect.

Its restoration is not only an act of architectural preservation but also a moral reparation, recognizing the role this building played in the shared history of Romanians and Bulgarians. If saved, the inn could be reborn as a museum of memory or a cultural center, breathing life back into both its walls and its remarkable story.

Today, Hanul Solacolu is a ruin, but also a living history lesson. It was once a pasta factory, an elite inn, a revolutionary center, a luxurious hotel, social housing, and finally a shelter for the marginalized. Beyond these transformations, it remains a landmark of collective memory. Its future depends on the will of the authorities and the community’s respect for its past.

If the current restoration projects succeed, Hanul Solacolu will no longer be just an open wound on Bucharest’s face but a place of cultural rebirth, where tales of glory and decline will meet again with hope.

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