Current name: Hub Calefo Original name: Calefo (Agricultural Consortium for the Processing and Export of Fruit and Vegetables)
City: Tresigallo (FE) (ITA) Address: piazza Del Popolo (People’s Square)
Year of construction: 1935 Designer: Carlo Frighi, based on an idea by Edmondo Rossoni Client: Calefo Architectural style: Rationalist
Interior visitable: Yes Note: Calefo is included in a dedicated itinerary in this guide
The Calefo factory, now Hub Calefo, after the restoration carried out by the municipal administration.
The twentieth-century town of Tresigallo, refounded by Minister Edmondo Rossoni, was surrounded by a belt of factories and commercial buildings, giving the small, impoverished fishing and farming village a new “industrial” identity. Among the first factories established in the area was Calefo, the Agricultural Consortium for the Processing and Export of Fruit and Vegetables, which specialized in the selection and packing of fruit for export
CALEFO project, main elevation.
The plant consisted of two buildings, connected by a shorter structure, which formed the corner between Piazza Del Popolo and Via Delle Venezie. The section on Via Delle Venezie was used for actual processing. The fruit was selected and packaged in crates ready for transport. The processing building has a “traditional” appearance: the structure is made of terracotta and the classic gabled roof is clearly visible.
The main building faced the square. It was designed in a modern style, predominantly inspired by Rationalist architecture. Its composition is harmonious and immediately legible. The reinforced concrete frame and plastered piers create a strong architectural rhythm, while the recessed infill panels generate a striking interplay of light and shadow, adding depth and contrast.The upper part of the façade conceals the pitched roof, giving the impression of a flat-roofed building. Large windows further reinforce its modern character. The building housed the Calefo retail store, warehouse, and service areas.The architectural intent was to express a break with the “old” in favor of a new, modern city. In this project, Rossoni and Frighi revisited many of the design principles already explored in the façades of the Cafioc factory.
The former Calefo before the restoration. Image courtesy of Google.
The building was recently renovated by the Tresignana Municipal Administration, which was awarded a regional grant for the development of infrastructure to support local competitiveness and territorial growth. The new premises are set to become a hub for the Lower Ferrara area: a place designed to foster collaboration between universities, schools, the manufacturing sector, and local associations. The aim is to support the creation of new businesses and generate future social and educational opportunities..
Cafioc
Current name: Former Cafioc factory Original name: Cafioc (House of the Hemp Ribbon)
City: Tresigallo (FE) (ITA) Address: via Del Mare 50
Year of construction: 1935 Designer: Carlo Frighi, based on an idea by Edmondo Rossoni Clients: Cafioc Architectural style: Rationalist
Interior visitable: Yes Notes: An emblematic building but aesthetically compromised Cafioc is included in a dedicated itinerary in this guide
The main facade of the Cafioc factory as it appears today. Image courtesy of Google.
Italy boasts a long tradition of using hemp for textile purposes, making rope, and paper. The domestic product surpassed that of other European nations in quantity and quality and became crucial to the Italian economy. Emilia-Romagna was a key region in the production of hemp for textiles, and the Ferrara area in particular played a key role in its cultivation. With the 1935 Ethiopian War, the imposition of “sanctions” by the League of Nations, and the subsequent beginning of the autarchic period, hemp was required to replace cotton on a massive scale to prevent its importation.
The Cafioc factory in a vintage image.
The Cafioc (House of Hemp Flakes) factory, owned by a Rome-based company, began producing hemp flakes in Tresigallo (note the figurative juxtaposition with cotton flakes) in 1935. Its location within the city’s urban grid was particularly significant. It was built at the base of the main street of the new industrial city conceived by Tresigallo’s minister, Edmondo Rossoni. It is a straight, symbolically rich path that, starting from the factory, crossed Piazza Della Rivoluzione (Piazza della Repubblica) until reaching the new cemetery where the large mausoleum that Rossoni himself commissioned still stands today. In the years immediately following, other “self-sufficient” factories operating in the hemp sector were established, such as CELNA (National Cellulose), which processed the residues of macerated hemp, the National Consortium of Hemp Producers, MALICA (Linen and Hemp Manufacturing), and SAIMM, which produced agricultural machinery.
The main facade of the Cafioc factory in Tresigallo.
With an extremely simple façade and a distinctive Rationalist design, the building captures the essence of modernity and symbolic representation. The raised sections, and particularly the central tower, recall one of the models championed by the Fascist regime. The design was by engineer Frighi, Minister Rossoni’s trusted technician, but the idea was the fascist leader himself. Reinforced concrete, though alternated with the more traditional brick, still represents the building’s decorative and structural element, in keeping with the aesthetic interpretations of Rationalism. The original design, however, is severely compromised. The demolition of the tower, the creation of terraces, and the exterior whitewashing obscure one of Tresigallo’s iconic factories. Today, it houses numerous artisanal businesses.
Carabinieri Barracks
Current name: Carabinieri Barracks Original name: Casa Littoria (fascist house), Casa del Fascio
City: Tresigallo (FE) Address: Via Roma 48
Year of construction: 1937 Designer: Architect Carlo Frighi, based on an idea by Edmondo Rossoni Clients: Public Architectural style: Rationalism
Interior visitable: No Notes: The Carabinieri Barracks (formerly Casa del Fascio) is included in a dedicated itinerary in this guide. Superintendency restriction – historical and artistic significance.
The former “Fascist House” in Tresigallo, now the “Carabinieri Barracks.”
The presence of the fascist state, both guarantor and admonisher, can be felt in every corner of the city “designed” by the powerful minister Edmondo Rossoni. But it is Viale Roma, formerly Via Edmondo Rossoni and Via Principale, that holds the record for architectural achievements of political significance. In a telegram sent to the prefects in July 1931, Mussolini ordered: “From the beginning of the tenth year, all urban centers of the municipalities must have a street—not a secondary one—named ‘Rome.'” And the “Casa Littoria” of fascist Tresigallo was built precisely on Corso Roma, the urban axis of public functions. The street of parades and marches in black shirts. Of stage sets. That straight street filled with rigid formations when the powerful minister Rossoni harangued the crowd from the balcony of the “Casa del Fascio”.
The building’s beautiful rationalist design, “signed” by Carlo Frighi, the leading engineer for Rossoni’s new Tresigallo, features the usual features of fascist houses. These include the littoria tower and the arengario, construction elements dictated by the party’s need to monitor, represent, and communicate. Frighi specifically highlighted them with a device that wasn’t exactly rational, but was decidedly effective: he adorned their exterior with travertine slabs, contrasting with the remaining plaster. Inside, the building also features a meeting room: a large apse-shaped space with a glass-cement ceiling, the setting for dinners and dances. There are offices, restrooms, and additional rooms. The entire roof is flat. The interesting staggering of volumes gives the building a natural monumentality. Today, it houses the Carabinieri barracks. The building stands out, like most of the restored structures in present-day Tresigallo, for the carefully studied and successful colouring of its facades.
Next to the “Casa Littoria” we find a pleasant fragment of Futurism. It is the sign that indicated the presence of the Bar Roma. The building that housed the bar is set back from the more important “Casa del Fascio.” In this case, the abandonment of the building and the resulting lack of construction in the second half of the twentieth century meant that the stone inscription was saved. On the opposite side of the street is the cinema theater designed by Frighi in 1934. Today it is the Teatro 900.
The famous “Bar Roma” sign on the street of the same name in Tresigallo.The gallery of the Tresigallo cinema-theater. Detail of the furnishings.
Sant’Apollinare and portico
Current name: Church of Sant’Apollinare Original name: Church of Sant’Apollinare
City: Tresigallo (FE) (ITA) Address: Piazza Italia 10
Year of construction: 12th century, 18th-century façade, stylistic restoration 1937 Designer: Carlo Frighi (restoration) Clients: Public Architectural style: Classicism
Interior visitable: Yes Notes: Sant’Apollinare and the portico are included in a dedicated itinerary in this guide Superintendency restriction – historical and artistic importance.
The church of Sant’ Apollinare and the portico of Piazza Italia in Tresigallo. The facade of the church of Tresigallo.
The oldest part of Tresigallo is represented by the church of Sant’Apollinare. The parish church, mentioned in 11th-century documents, reached the 20th century with an 18th-century appearance, but today virtually nothing remains of its original design. The interior was modified in the 1960s, but by 1937 the sacred building had undergone substantial renovations that completely transformed its façade, churchyard, and surrounding areas. This renovation was planned by Edmondo Rossoni, the powerful Minister of Agriculture, as part of his efforts to revitalize the city of Tresigallo, and bears the signature of engineer Carlo Frighi, a trusted technician of the fascist leader himself. The 1937 urban planning project defined the appearance of Piazza Italia, creating, among other things, the loggia that today represents one of the city’s most iconic structures. That portico built in a “modern” Neoclassical style helped to forge the tourist brand of “Metaphysical City” for Tresigallo.
The church’s façade has been completely transformed. It has been re-clad, with a new portal and bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the life of the bishop and martyr Apollinaris. The loggia was built around the perimeter of the churchyard, partially adjoining the nursery school building. The elegant portico continues with an interesting curved path on Via Giuseppe Verdi, which overlooks several public buildings. At the top of the structure are significant panels depicting a vast iconography of the area’s ancient productive activities: fishing and agriculture, along with various aspects of war.
Detail of the frieze in small panels that overlooks the loggia in piazza Italia.
Also overlooking piazza Italia is the Infant School, a building constructed in 1926, partially utilizing an existing building. The style of the school was also revisited during the urban planning project of 1937. Of extreme interest is the small terrace that supports a high relief, used as a parapet, composing the “Memorial to the Fallen.” The inscription underneath reads: “The sacrifice of the Heroes burns forever.” The iconographic layout is completed by the date 14th EF (1936), delimited by two gladiuses, and at the top of the entrance littoria tower, an open book is flanked by two shovels and two rifles.
Lace House
Current name: Cultural Club Original name: Lace House or Embroidery House, then Friends’ Club
City: Tresigallo (FE) (ITA) Address: Viale Giuseppe Verdi no. 18
Year of construction: 1935 Designer: Carlo Frighi based on an idea by Edmondo Rossoni Clients: SERTIA Architectural style: Modernist – Littorio with references to Rationalist solutions – Eclecticism
Interior visits: upon request Notes: The Casa del Merletto is included in a dedicated itinerary in this guide, subject to Superintendence restrictions – historical and artistic significance
The “Lace House” in Tresigallo. After the war, the Friends’ Club.
On Via XVIII Ottobre (the date of the March on Rome), facing what is now Viale Giuseppe Verdi in Tresigallo, numerous public buildings were constructed during the Twenty Years of Fascism. All are styled after the characteristic architectural choices of the period. The elevations, almost always suggested by Agriculture Minister Edmondo Rossoni, were mostly designed by Carlo Frighi, the trusted engineer of the powerful Tresigallo hierarch. Among them are the Elementary School, the Royal Carabinieri Barracks, the “Scuola del Merletto,” the famous portico leading to Piazza Italia, the Hotel Italia, the Mother and Child House, the Domus Tua Hotel, the Domus Tua Ballroom, and, finally, the Sports Field with its monumental entrance. In the modernization and industrialization of the old Ferrara suburb, the powerful minister pushed for accelerated completion of public buildings and urban development projects. Rossoni knew that the work of refounding the city, far from the approval of Mussolini and the state, would not last long. And that the huge sums he had raised would be lost. And so it was.
Begun in 1934 and completed in 1935, the Lace House (Casa del Merletto) was one of the first buildings constructed in Tresigallo. It was intended to house a sewing school for single mothers and the unemployed, a place designed to offer educational opportunities preparatory to entering the workforce. It was owned by SERTIA, the company founded by Rossoni’s uncle to manage the financial flows, construction, and expropriation of the enormous “Tresigallo construction site.” Interestingly, just across the road, the similar and complementary “Casa della Madre e del Bambino” (Mother and Child House) of the ONMI (National Institute of Italian Migration). The façade of the “Casa del Merletto” appears to be linked to many traditional construction features, and the attempt to address the need for modernity was partially addressed with the use of two heavy cylindrical towers. The right tower features a vertical iron ribbon window, reminiscent of Rationalism. The absence of frames in the first-floor openings and the lightness of the small, reinforced concrete canopies over the entrances reflect the same concept. The gabled roof, however, is made of traditional materials. The shape of the roofs of the two towers, seen from above, resembles those of a small castle, effectively evoking the building’s Eclecticism. The left tower houses the small balcony/arengario, while the right tower contains the staircase leading to the single upper floor. After the war, the building was purchased by the Amici Cultural Club, which made it its prestigious headquarters. It is currently empty.
The load-bearing structure is made of brick and the floors are made of reinforced concrete. The pitched roof is covered in terracotta. The floors feature a recurring Palladian style.
Elementary School
Current name: C. Forlanini Elementary School Original name: Elementary School
City: Tresigallo (FE) (ITA) Address: Piazzale Carlo Forlanini No. 2
Year of construction: 1937-1939 Designer: Surveyor Gino Prampolini, based on an idea by Edmondo Rossoni Clients: Public Architectural style: Rationalist
Interior visitable: No Notes: The Elementary School is included in a dedicated itinerary in this guide Superintendency restriction – historical and artistic importance.
The Tresigallo elementary school in a modern image.
The elementary school project, designed by surveyor Gino Prampolini (the same one who designed the cemetery), was originally oversized. Twelve classrooms were envisioned for a town experiencing rapid and constant population growth, driven by the construction of new factories and growing popularity. However, the final plans halved the number of classrooms. One of the two wings that jutted symmetrically from the rear of the building was sacrificed. The gap on what is now Via Dello Sport is clearly visible.
The Tresigallo Elementary School in a period image.
The central body, built on an interesting rationalist design, underwent significant alterations in the postwar period. Not so much in the movement of the volumes, but in the stylistic features that distinguished the original work. Some windows were closed, the small arches at the first-floor openings were removed, and the three characteristic central windows were replaced and made smaller by nondescript windows. The classrooms and bathrooms are still distributed across the two above-ground floors, while the basement once housed the firewood storage area. The façade follows the circular shape of the roundabout, which is overlooked by the entrance to the “Campo Sportivo” and the former “Domus Tua” (house).
The Tresigallo Elementary School. Facade on what is now via Giuseppe Verdi. Period image.
Domus Tua
Current name: (private apartments) Original name: Domus Tua (ballroom)
City: Tresigallo (FE) (ITA) Address: Viale Giuseppe Verdi n. 30
Year of construction: 1937 Designer: Orlando Mezzadri and Carlo Frighi Clients: Public Architectural style: Rationalist/Littorio
Interior visitable: No Notes: The Domus Tua is included in a dedicated itinerary in this guide Superintendency restriction – historical and artistic significance Vitrified brick cladding
The former “Domus tua” of Tresigallo in a modern image.
Three fasces placed at the main entrance welcomed the residents of Tresigalle and the neighboring villages who came to dance at the “Domus Tua.” For many years, the building was the most famous and popular music venue in the area. It was located in Piazza Risorgimento, on the corner of Viale XXVIII Ottobre (the date of the March on Rome), and was given a rounded façade to complement the layout of the roundabout that, on the same ellipse, housed the elementary school and the scenic entrance to the sports field. On the façade, the lictor tower testified to the dominant presence of the Fascist Party in everyday life, even during leisure time. The ballroom adjoined the “Domus Tua” hotel, now a retirement home. The two establishments frequently collaborated in organizing weddings and receptions. From 1942, its rooms were used as a shelter for the wounded. In the 1990s, a fire destroyed the ballroom. The modern residential building that now stands was constructed on the resulting area and the land behind it. The property has also recently housed a B&B.
On the left, the “Domus Tua” ballroom in Tresigallo in a period image. On the right, the “Elementary School.”
Initially designed by surveyor Orlando Mezzadri in the mid-1930s, the “Domus Tua” was later refined by Carlo Frighi, the most important local engineer. As Edmondo Rossoni’s favorite technician, he was tasked with overseeing the creation of the new city and designing almost all of its public buildings. The interesting project features a Rationalist design style, enriched with cornices and moldings. The building housed a café-bar, several guest rooms, the caretaker’s apartment, service areas, and a ballroom. At the rear was an area for summer events. The tower housed the stairs to the upper floor, but its considerable height suggests an essentially symbolic and representative meaning.
The former “Domus Tua” in Tresigallo. View on Via Del Mare.
The load-bearing structure is brick. Among the materials used are stone, wood for the service stairs, and reinforced concrete. The floors are made of brick and cement. The exterior features an interesting cladding of vitrified bricks that simulate ceramic. The window panes were originally opaline.
Sports Field
Current name: Sports Field Original name: Sports Field
City: Tresigallo (FE) (ITA) Address: Via Dello Sport No. 2
Year of construction: 1937-1939 Designer: Carlo Frighi, based on an idea by Edmondo Rossoni Clients: Public Architectural style: Rationalist – Monumental Lictor
Interior visitable: Yes Notes: The Sports Field is included in a dedicated itinerary in this guide Superintendency restrictions – historical and artistic significance The red writing is painted on the wall
The monumental entrance to the Tresigallo sports field.
The entrance to the Tresigallo Sports Field transports us, like a black and white newsreel, to the monumentality that the regime wanted to attribute to public buildings after 1936. In that year, after the colonial conquests, Rome transformed from the capital of the kingdom of Italy to the capital of the fascist empire. Rationalism merged with monumentality creating a simplified Classicism that Mussolini and the hierarchs liked so much. It is that architectural style that we want to call monumental Littorio.
The monumental entrance to the Tresigallo Sports Field in a post-war image.
In its linearity and apparent simplicity, the entrance to the Tresigallo Sports Field exudes a rich and refined symbolism. First and foremost, it evokes the Roman spirit envisioned by the Duce: an inspiration heightened by its resemblance to the 4th-century triumphal Arch of Constantine. Then there’s the guarantor and admonishing presence of the Fascist state, the great value of sport, the power of the empire, and modernity. The rounded layout, which follows the roundabout, also emphasizes the welcoming nature of a place dedicated to young people and the celebration of physical fitness. It is therefore a building of great symbolic value. It must also be remembered that this splendid structure was the last one Rossoni completed in his personal project of refounding the city before being dismissed from his post as Minister by the Duce. For this reason, it likely symbolizes the personal character of the Tresigallo hierarch more than any other. Its location at a major and busy traffic intersection underscores its propaganda intentions.
Access to the Tresigallo Sports Field.
The ticket office and the stadium lighting control rooms were created within the same building. The colonnade and architraves are constructed of reinforced concrete. The exterior is finished with Travertine marble slabs. The roof is flat. During the restoration, the words “Campo Sportivo” and “Cassa” were painted red directly onto the stone, as in the original version.
Republic Square
Current name: Piazza Della Repubblica (Republic Square) Original name: Piazza della Rivoluzione fascista (Square of the Fascist Revolution)
City: Tresigallo (FE) (ITA) Address: Piazza Della Repubblica
Year of construction: 1937 Designer: Carlo Frighi based on an idea by Edmondo Rossoni Clients: Public Architectural style: Modernist – Littorio with references to Rationalist solutions – Eclecticism
Notes: Piazza Della Repubblica is included in a dedicated itinerary in this guide Superintendency restriction – historical and artistic significance
Republic Square, formerly the Fascist Revolution Square, in Tresigallo.
The term “platea”, derived from the Greek plateus (wide, spacious) and the Latin platea (square), perfectly captures the essence of Piazza Della Repubblica (the Fascist Revolution Square of 1937). Its D-shaped layout mirrors the geometry of theaters, where the stalls are the reception area. The Tresigallese plateus was born precisely with a dual purpose: both as a square and as a theater stalls.
When Edmondo Rossoni, a controversial fascist leader, designed the new Tresigallo, he placed the “piazza maggiore” on the city’s main axis, in the heart of the new town. The outline of the large open space was surrounded by residential buildings, which on the ground floor offered a series of shops served by a modern loggia. Thanks to its shape, the square hosted numerous theatrical and musical performances, which Rossoni was keen to promote. The powerful fascist’s great passion for music was also fulfilled in the construction of a theater, a dance hall, and, indeed, a square whose shape favored acoustics.
Republic Square in Tresigallo. Detail of the loggia.
A few stylistic touches are not enough to give the square a Rationalist appearance. The modernity is evident, but the choice of materials, the prominent use of cornices, the application of some brick moldings, and the construction of gabled roofs place the architectural group among works tied to tradition. It was the factories, in their ideological task of modernizing the small Ferrara village, that brought the greatest architectural innovation. The loggias of the homes are characterized by different flooring types. The “marmetto” tiles, present in the curvilinear portico, identify the buildings intended for factory managers, while the tiled concrete ones likely characterize the porticos of the workers’ homes. When it was created, the square was decorated with a double row of trees and a series of street lamps, which have now been reproduced and relocated by the Municipality.
Republic Square in Tresigallo. Part of the curved loggia.
At the center of the area is a beautiful fountain surrounded by four young bronze gazelles drinking. The symbolism, difficult to pin down, appears unrelated to that strictly tied to the regime’s propaganda. And speaking of symbolism, it’s worth noting that the aforementioned cardo (now Via Filippo Corridoni) originates in the square and then continues straight until it ends at the entrance to the new cemetery. Within those sacred walls, Rossoni built his monumental mausoleum, at the northernmost point.
The fountain in Republic Square in Tresigallo.
Former Hospital
Current name: Former Hospital Original name: IMFPS (National Fascist Social Security Institute) post-Sanatorium Colony, then Hospital
Year of construction: 1938 Designer: Carlo Frighi based on an idea by Edmondo Rossoni Clients: Public Architectural style: Modernism, Littorio, with references to Rationalism
Interior visitable: No Notes: The Hospital is included in a dedicated itinerary in this guide Superintendency restriction – historical and artistic significance
The former Tresigallo Hospital, formerly a post-sanatorium colony.
Fascist Italy’s fight against tuberculosis was a veritable “people’s reclamation.” It was one of the regime’s priorities in its attempt to eliminate the endemic diseases that weakened the Fascist nation. While malaria was fought with land reclamation, tuberculosis was countered with compulsory insurance for employees and the creation of a widespread and propagandistic sanatorium network. Grandiose and imposing were the terms usually attributed to the modern buildings of the Fascist National Social Security Institute. The building constructed in Tresigallo, with its proportions appropriate to the size of the Ferrara town, also reflects this image.
The entrance to the former Tresigallo Sanatorium seen from Piazzale Forlanini. On the right is the former “Domus Tua” building.
The Tresigallo Post-Sanatorium Colony was located, as was always the case for this type of construction, in a location far from the city center, where the air could be purer. A building permit application for this construction site exists, dated February 1936. The designer was Carlo Frighi, the Tresigallo engineer who translated Edmondo Rossoni’s architectural and urban planning ideas into glossy paper. Rossoni was the all-powerful Minister of Agriculture, a Tresigallo native, committed to the “refoundation” of his hometown from a small village into a modern, industrialized city. The fascist leader operated financially in Tresigallo, securing funding and steering the construction activity through SERTIA, a company managed by a close relative.
One of the stairwells of the former “Sanatorium” of Tresigallo.
The hospital building is one of the tallest in Tresigallo and possesses a certain charm. It has five floors above ground and a basement. It is located within a park. Routine activities were carried out on the ground floor, where the laboratories and kitchens were also located. The basement contained storage rooms, while the upper floors housed numerous dormitories for patients. The large complex also included recreation rooms and several laboratories where long-term patients could perform some “work” activities. The building operated as a hospital until 1992. It was subsequently used as a nursing home. The building displays monumentality and an institutional presence, elements cherished by the regime, especially after 1936, the year of the creation of the Fascist Empire. The Modern interpretation is clear. In its evolved Eclecticism, the building simultaneously incorporates the Littorio style, from which its monumentality derives, and Rationalist elements, such as vertical iron strip windows, portholes, sections of the flat roof, and reinforced concrete infill, as well as architectural elements such as the Romanesque façade. and Tradition: with a gabled brick roof, string courses, and window frames. Inside, there are stairwells with an interesting modern architectural design.
One of the stairwells of the former “Sanatorium” of Tresigallo..
Dreams
Current name: Sogni (Dreams) Original name: Bagni (Bathrooms)
City: Tresigallo (FE) (ITA) Address: Via Del Lavoro 4
Year of construction: 1936 Designer: Clients: Public Architectural style: Rationalism
Interior visitable: Yes Notes: The Sogni building is included in a dedicated itinerary in this guide, subject to Superintendency restrictions – historical and artistic importance
The “Dreams” building in Tresigallo.
The Dreams (Sogni) building is one of Tresigallo’s most iconic properties. Its simple Rationalist structure is free of superfluous ornamentation and empty expectations. The national fame this small, charming building has achieved today is largely due to its name and the blue color of its exterior walls. It was a brilliant idea that matured in 2000 when it underwent a careful philological restoration.
The “Bagni” (Bathrooms) building was later renamed “Sogni” (Dreams). The image can be dated to the immediate post-war period.
Originally, the sign on the street front read “BAGNI” (BATHROOMS). That was, in fact, its intended purpose. The structure, built at the same time as the “Casa della GIL,” complemented it. The external square was the site of Balilla rallies and blackshirt parades, and the building, complete with changing rooms and bathrooms, became modernly functional to the needs of the Fascist city.
The “Dreams” (Sogni) building as it appeared before the restoration.
After the war, the building became privately owned and, as often happened in those years, its facades were profoundly altered. However, the property was purchased by the municipal administration, which, with a forward-looking vision, restored it to its original form. It was then that the name Sogni (Dreems) was born, describing the new use of the interior spaces, which were dedicated to housing modern start-ups. The blue building now hosts exhibitions and events. Its façade is the most photographed by young people.
“Dreams” (Sogni), the building in Tresigallo most photographed by young people.
Behind the “Dreams” (Sogni) building is the “Aqueduct Tower,” which stands out and contrasts with its color. The evocation of Giorgio De Chirico’s towers in the numerous versions of “Piazza d’Italia” or in “The Enigma of Departure” is evident.
The tower of the Tresigallo Aqueduct.The interior of the Tresigallo Aqueduct Tower.
Dimitrovgrad (BG) the history
Dimitrovgrad is created on the ground of three villages – Rakovski, Mariyno and Chernokonevo, who have their interesting history. Archaeological evidence suggests that their territories were inhabited for millennia. The most ancient objects, fruit of human activity, in Dimitrovgrad were found in the cave “Dyado Panyovata dupka” in the area Gabera. Specialists date the processed flinty blades since the Paleolithic Age (40 thousand years BC).
Dimitrovgrad.
The favorable climatic conditions and fertile soil along the rivers Maritsa and Merichlerska have attracted people even during the antiquity. Evidence for this are the found many ceramic materials and artifacts from the land of Dimitrovgrad. Probably in the late antiquity was built the fortress in the area Kaleto or Durhana, which is identified with Blesna or Blisimos. Within the Bulgarian Khanate the fortress was identified after the victorious crusade of Khan Krum (802-814) against the Byzantine Empire. Blesna lived a real heyday during the Byzantine domination XI-XII century, when it turned into a great spiritual and military center. The medieval chronists connect the name of the city with the Third Crusade led by the German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa during 1189 and victorious crusades of Tsar Kaloyan during 1202 in Trakiya. For the last time the name of Blesna was mentioned in the sources, because of the brother of the captured by the Bulgarians Emperor Baldwin of Flanders – Anri. He invaded in 1206 in Trakiya and conquered the fortress, which had previously been abandoned by its inhabitants and defenders. What was the exact fate of the fortification then – is unknown. Archaeological materials testify that life around it had continued thereafter.
After the conquest of Trakiya by the Ottoman Turks, the area around Dimitrovgrad falls within the so-called Roumelian Vilayet. Main livelihood of the population is agriculture. In the late XIX, early XX century main development receives the vegetable production. Part of the local population deals with rafting (freight carriage) (carriage of goods by the Maritsa River) and another with liming (production of lime). In 1873 was finished the Baronhirshovata railway, which passes through the village of Kyadzik. The station gives impetus to the development of the village and it became the center of trade. In 1895 was the beginning of coal mining in the region. In the years between the two World Wars at the Marishki coal basin were built two power plants – Thermal Power Plant (TPP) “Vulcan” and TPP “Maritsa 1”, which effectively start the electricity generation and electrification in South Bulgaria. In the village of Rakovski is open a Tinning factory and began the construction of a large cement plant between the villages Mariyno and Chernokonevo. Thus begins the formation of a major industrial region, which foreshadows the construction of an urban settlement of great importance for the country. Coincidentally, in 1946 has been made a government decision the first Bulgarian fertilizer plant to be built precisely in the land of village Rakovski. In a meeting held on April 3, 1947 of the Municipal Administration of village Rakovski is decided that the Village, together with village Mariyno and the settlement at factories and mines “Vulcan” to be announced as a city under the name Dimitrovgrad.
In the spring of 1947 is decided the construction to be with the participation of brigadiers. On May 10, 1947 arrived the first constructors of the future city – 40 brigadiers from Nova Zagora region (Novozagorsko). On June 22, 1947, of an impressive meeting for the announcing of the construction site of the National Youth construction brigade “Young Guard” (“Mlada Gvardia”) – Dimitrovgrad, is announced also the name of the new town. Very quickly it became popular throughout the country. On 2 September 1947 the Council of Ministers issued Decree № 3, which reads: “The villages Rakovski and Mariyno, Haskovo district and Chernokonevo, Chirpan district, are united in one village, which is proclaimed as a town under the name Dimitrovgrad “. The beginning was set – then follow years of creation. Since the summer of 1947 the meadows near the Maritsa River began unprecedented development. Simultaneously are prepared the sites of the Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant (NFP) and TPP “Maritsa-3”, intensively is build the Cement Plant “Vulcan”, built are streets, plumbing and sewerage, built are the first residential blocks for the builders and residents of the new town.
The Dimitrovgrad Town Hall.
In the coming years Dimitrovgrad grows as a major industrial center. The first put into service venture is the cement plant “Vulcan”. On 16.10.1947, with the entry into operation of the first furnace, was set the beginning of the production of cement in the region. In the summer of 1948 is turned the first sod of the first Bulgarian factory for the production of fertilizers. The official opening is on 05.11.1951. In the same day is open also the new power plant – TPP “Maritsa 3”. The city becomes the center of coal mining. The established in 1948 State Mining Company (SMC) “Marbas” combines all existing mines in the region, and the new discovered subsequently mines provide work for most of the residents of the city. Over the next two decades the industrial look of the city is complemented by the established enterprises of light industry – Bread factory, Industrial plant, factory for bags “Spring” (“Prolet”), knitwear factory “Gergana”, and etc.
The house-museum of the famous Bulgarian poet Penyo Penev in the city of Dimitrovgrad.
What makes an impression in Dimitrovgrad is not only the significant crowding here on heavy industrial enterprises, but also its specific architecture and the particular attention which is given to the landscaping. The construction of entire green area, including three parks, green belts along the Maritsa River, numerous gardens between blocks and neighborhoods, and the significant street and boulevard landscaping, make the city one of the greenest settlements in Bulgaria.
Dimitrovgrad has also and rich cultural life. In the early 50s of XX century in Dimitrovgrad are created the museum, the brass band, the theater and the city library. In 1957 started working the first cinema amateur club in Bulgaria, and on May 24, 1962 opens doors the country’s first amateur planetarium and astronomical observatory. From 1970 originate the National “Dimitrovgrad’s days of poetry.” They are held at the beginning of May every two years and are associated with the memory of the poet – symbol of the city – Penyo Penev.
Dimitrovgrad maintains active cultural contacts with cities around the world. In 1957 Mayor Peter Yordanov participated in the Constituent Congress of the World Federation of twinned towns / WFTT / and became one of its founders. Today, the twin towns of Dimitrovgrad are: Nowa Huta – Poland, Grosseto – Italy, Eisenhuttenstadt – Germany, Dimitrovgrad – Russia, Blida – Algeria, Darkhan – Mongolia, Zhao-Ziyang – China, Municipality Kalamaria, Thessaloniki – Greece, Kazincbarcika – Hungary.
Castrocaro Terme and Terra del Sole: the history
The municipality of Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole was formed from the merger of two distinct administrative entities. The shared seat of the Town Hall was authorized by Royal Decree in 1925.
Terra del Sole is an ancient fortified town founded in 1564 by Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (son of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere). The designer was Baldassarre Lanci from Urbino, an architect, artist, and scientist who found in the “ideal city” of Terra del Sole his architectural masterpiece. Overlooking the central Piazza d’Armi, toward which the streets of the districts converge, were the public and noble buildings, while the 38 houses that were actually built, out of the 64 planned, were constructed in two of the boroughs within the magnificent fortification. Terra del Sole, the last Tuscan stronghold before the border with the Forlì territory of the Papal States, would become a customs post, the provincial capital, the seat of the Tribunal, and the headquarters of the Grand Ducal Commissariat, which was moved here from Castrocaro in 1578. It remained in Terra del Sole until 1784, when the province was abolished.
Terra del Sole (Land of the Sun) in a vintage postcard.
Castrocaro, known to the Romans as Salsubium due to the notable presence of saline waters, and also referred to as Castrum Cari or Castro Cario, is mentioned by Dante Alighieri in Canto XIV of the Purgatorio. The castrum is already documented as early as the 11th century. In 1403, Pope Boniface IX sold it, together with the surrounding territory, to the Republic of Florence, for which it became the seat of military and governmental authorities. After the construction of Terra del Sole, Castrocaro’s importance declined rapidly, and the former “capital” became a rural village. The beginning of its revival, eventually leading to its prominent role among Italy’s spa resorts, dates back to 1830. In that year, the Florentine professor Antonio Targioni Tozzetti accidentally discovered that the water collected in the area known as “Cozzi” contained a significant amount of iodine and bromine, and he immediately recognized their therapeutic properties.
Castrocaro in a vintage postcard.
Terra del Sole and Castrocaro were part of the so-called Tuscan Romagna. In 1923, Benito Mussolini decided that all the Tuscan territory on this side of the Apennine ridge should once again become part of the Forlì area. In this way, he set in motion an operation intended to make the province in which he was born more important and prestigious—a province that could boast possession of the sources of the Tiber River, the sacred river of Rome. Castrocaro, strengthened by its new spa development, began to demand the transfer of the municipal seat. Terra del Sole, of course, had a different view. The new town hall was therefore built in a location equidistant between the two rival centers.
The first spa establishment in Castrocaro officially opened on June 1, 1851. However, the creation of the first nucleus of today’s spa complex required the initiative of Aristide Conti, a young nobleman who, after marketing salt, bromine-iodine-lithium compounds thanks to a patent dated May 22, 1871, went on in 1884 to build a thermal spa facility with an adjoining park. The complex was connected to the springs through a system of pipes that supplied the baths and fountains. From this initial phase, later extensively renovated, the “Beverages Temple” still survives today.
Advertisement for the Castrocaro spa from 1930.
Among the many distinguished guests, the Conti Baths were regularly frequented by several members of the family of Benito Mussolini. However, in light of the financial difficulties of the then “Società Terme,” as well as political issues involving some members of the Conti family, Mussolini began to consider turning the spa complex into state property and restoring it as an exclusive center for the aristocracy and upper bourgeoisie. Above all, he wanted to associate the Castrocaro spas with his own name. Financial problems, the forced removal of the Conti brothers from local Fascist Party structures, and the growing majority shareholding of the Istituto Nazionale delle Assicurazioni led the government to place the “Società delle Terme” into liquidation—at that time still owned by the Conti family (Royal Decree, Law 09/07/1936 no. 1665)—and to proceed with the nationalization of the assets comprising the Castrocaro Thermal Company. The operation was formally justified by citing the “absolute and urgent necessity to reorganize it in the public interest.” With Law no. 11 of January 4, 1937, management of the assets was therefore entrusted to the Ministry of Finance, General Directorate of State Property. At the time of nationalization, Castrocaro already possessed high-quality accommodation facilities and a splendid park covering eight hectares, rich in valuable plant species and widely praised in the press. The thermal establishment included forty bathing rooms, eighteen mud-treatment rooms, departments for inhalation and irrigation therapies, and a massage service.
Advertisement for the salt-iodine springs owned by Aristide Conti.
The government plan promptly drawn up (1936–1937) called for the construction of three buildings considered essential to the creation of the “Thermal City”: the Bathing Establishment, the Grand Hotel, and the Pavilion of Entertainment, thus “implementing higher directives for the enhancement of that important spa resort in the land of Romagna.” Thanks to the development of its spa facilities, Castrocaro gradually achieved a significant growth in the quality and quantity of its hospitality, commercial, and tourist offerings.
Castrocaro Thermal Baths. Postcard from 1957.
Today, thanks to substantial private investments, the Terme di Castrocaro complex is a cutting-edge center for wellness and spa treatments, an outpatient medical facility accredited by the Italian National Health Service, and a rehabilitation center.
The thermal spa complex, and in particular the Festival Hall, has been the venue for many editions of the “New Voices” Festival of Castrocaro. The famous singing competition, which launched the careers of many successful Italian singers, held its first edition in 1957.
Dimitrovgrad/Caribrod the history
Dimitrovgrad or Caribrod is a town located at the southeast of Serbia and it represents a place on „the imperial road“ which has connected Belgrade, Sofia and Contantinopole for centuries. Since the ancient times, this territory has been a crucial point for connection between East and West. In 3rd Century AC there has been a road named “Via Militaris”, with various stations for rest and horse change, including also “Mulatio Translitus”, in the immediate vicinity of the settlement of Balanstra, while, according to the various archeological researches, the traces of the first settlements on this territory had been recorded from Neolithic times.
The surroundings of Caribrod and Caribrod itself are mentioned in the works of many travel writers and statesmen under different names: Zaribrodt, Czaribrod, Saribrot, Spribrot, Zaritvrodt. For more than four centuries, the Caríbrod region was under Ottoman rule, then it was annexed to the Principality of Bulgaria by the decision of the Congress of Berlin in 1878, and finally, a year later, in 1879, the border between Serbia and Bulgaria was established. During the same year, many residents from the Pirot area, primarily merchants and craftsmen, moved to Caribrod, contributing to the economic and cultural development of the town.
Dimitrovgrad (SRB) 20th century.
According to various historical data, at the end of the 19th as well as at the beginning of the 20th century, the town of Caribrod had been economically and culturally developed, and one of the most important segments, which partly contributes to the urbanization of this place, is the infrastructure. Namely, the construction of the railway brought many benefits to the place itself and was put into operation in 1888, thus, with the arrival of the railway, the image of the town is greatly changed.
A decade following the liberation from the Turks, the first printed media appeared in Caribrod. The first written trace regarding cultural activities in Caribrod has been found in the scientific-literary journal “Domashen uchitel”. The first issue, published in February 1889, emphasizes the importance of the establishment of town library. Two years later, more precisely in 1901, the political magazine “Caribrod” has been established. In 1909, a weekly magazine named “Nishava” was established, and it had been printed until 1912. After being paused for almost a year, this magazine has been published until September 1915, when it was cancelled due to the beginning of the World War I. Following WWI, in 1919, a weekly magazine for humour, satire and social life named „Кlopotar“ was issued.
In 1894, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built.
The memorial stone to the fallen Serbian and Bulgarian soldiers in the Serbian-Bulgarian War was built in 1887 on the Neshkovo hill above Dimitrovgrad in he memory of the Serbian-Bulgarian War of 1885.
The official history claims that the cultural centre (Chitalishte) in Caribrod was established in 1898, thanks to the local acting society which has been performing for an entire decade in order to collect the necessary funds. During the following period, which had been conditioned by various social and historical circumstances, the cultural centre experienced a series of. Following World War II, the Library has been established, which had functioned as a part of the Cultural Centre institution up until 1996. According to Municipal Assembly Declaration in 1996, the Library becomes an independent institution named the National Library of Dimitrovgrad. The Library also includes the Local Museum collection, and one of the most famous activities of the Library is the publishing activity, which results in 97 published books from local authors, written both in Serbian and Bulgarian, as well as in the local dialect. The Library frequently organizes Literary evenings, programmes, it also realizes various projects and creative workshops for children. In 2004, it was named National Library „Detko Petrov“, according to the famous Yugosllavian writer, who was born in this area.
In 1909, Caribrod gets its first telephone line. During the same year, „Minov and Hadziev“ printing house, the book named „Poetry and prose“ by Hristo Gotsev was printed. It is the first printed book in Caribrod and it marks the beginning of publishing activity, which will be continued by the Library 9 decades later.
In 1914, the third grade of Primary school is established in Caribrod. Namely, the official beginning of education in Caribrod is related to early 1869, when the first school in settlement “Strosena cesma” was established, in the guesthouse of Cvetko Ivanov.
November 27, 1919, following the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine, Caribrod was assigned to the newly established Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and it officially becomes a part of the new state on November 6th 1920.
In 1927, the town was electrified, and it was supplied with electricity from the power plant of Caribrodski brothers. This year is also important from a cultural point of view, since it was the year when the town got its own cinema.
In 1937, the town of Caribrod had a school, the Banovina Hospital, the Serbian Headquarters, the Tax Administration, the Financial Control, the Post Office, the Customs… In addition to the military barracks, an Officers’ Home was also built in 1935. Caribrod also had a Commercial Bank. Economic life was characterized by numerous cooperatives, such as the Dairy-Cattle, Purchasing and Consuming, Agricultural, Civil, Industrial, Beekeeping, etc. When it comes to foreign visitors, there were hotels with food and accommodation, such as: “Oslobodjenje (Liberation)”, “Balkan“, “Yugoslavia“, “International“, “Solun (Thessaloniki)” and others.
The Dimitrovgrad Cultural Center (SRB).
In 1946, the construction of the Cultural centre was commenced, and during the same year, an amateur cultural-artistic society named „Hristo Botev“ was established. The Cultural centre building was officially opened on January 1st 1950, which gave a different cultural frame to the entire environment. The town gallery in Dimitrovgrad was established in 1955, and it is a home of dozens of exhibitions every year.
In 1950, according to the Government of FPRY, the name of Caribrod was changed to Dimitrovgrad, in honor of Georgi Dimitrov, the president of Bulgaria.
Dimitrovgrad (SRB) at the end of the 20th century.
During the post-war period of reconstruction and development, in the middle of the 20th century, Dimitrovgrad also became an industrial place. Enterprises and factories were established, and a large number of workers were employed:
– In 1947, The social enterprise for the production and trade of furniture “Vasil Ivanov Cile” was founded, as well as the catering enterprise “Balkan”. – March 1948. – foundation of the construction company „Greben planina“, which had operated within the enterprise „Vasil Ivanov Cile“ until 1957, when it became independent, and from 1959 it operated under the name of „Gradnja“. – The cloathing factory „Svoboda“ was founded in 1952. – The state enterprise for the manufacture of the stone cube “Granit” Donja Nevlja was founded in 1953. – In 1958, the factory of patent locks and car parts „FABRAD“ was founded, and in је 1960 its name was changed into „Mehanichar“. – The rubber industry of Dimitrovgrad – GID was founded in 1959. – The joint stock company „Metalac“ for performing locksmith and tinsmith works was founded in 1967. – Lignite exploitation enterprise, mine „Vidlich“ in the village of Mazgosh was founded in 1997.
In 1991, within the Cultural centre, the „Caribrod“ radio and television was founded. The cable distribution equipment was purchased with residents’ funds, while the donors provided funds required for remaining necessary equipment.
Dimtrovgrad (SRB).
The monastery dedicated to St. John the Theologian in the village of Poganovo, has been listed on the State heritage list since 1949 and it has been a part of the World Heritage list since 1979. In 1982, the Monastery was entered in the register of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts as a cultural asset of great importance. It was founded by the Serbian ruler Konstantin Dejanovic Dragas, immediately before the loss of state independence of medieval Serbia, and it was dedicated to St. John the Theologian. It was built in the late 14th century and painted a century later.
Elementary school “Hristo Botev”
Current name: Elementary school “Hristo Botev” Original name: Elementary school “Hristo Botev”
City: Dimitrovgrad (SRB) District: District of Pirot, Republic of Serbia Address: Hristo Botev 3, 18320 Dimitrovgrad
Year of construction: early 50s Designer: unknown Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad Architectural style: social realism
The elementary school “Hristo Botev” – Dimitrovgrad is located in the central part of Dimitrovgrad in 3 Hristo Botev Street, on the cadastral plot No. 599/1 KO Dimitrovgrad. It represents a visually recognizable object which, due to its size, dominates the central area of the town. It is a free standing building, elevated in comparison to the main town street “Balkanska” formerly known as “Marsal Tito Street”. The main, administrative school entrance is located on the street which bears the same name -“Hristo Botev”, while the pupils use the entrance in the school yard.
The school was built in the early 50s, and it was officially opened in 1954. Architecturally, it was built in the style of “social realism”, i.e. “soc-realism”, which was the dominant trend in architecture in the post-war years. The main feature of this trend is practicality over beauty. Architects were supposed to make the most of the space and building capacities, rather than focusing on aesthetics. The architecture of social realism promotes the ideology of social equality. The regime used to limit any liberal act of creativity, while on the other hand the social realism was imposed as the best and so to speak the only artistic style.
The depersonalization of the architect in the fifth decade of the XX century, when this school was built, was followed by an ultimate limitation of artistic freedom and creativity by defining and prescribing a certain typology of facilities. The abolition of the private sector and the loss of the identity of the architects, resulted in the fact that for many buildings of that time the name of the author is not known.
It is a large building, flooring G+2, therefore until 1986 it housed a primary school – an eight-year school and a high school.
Dimitrovgrad (SRB). Hristo Botev Elementary School. Street view.
Rectangular, strict forms, without ornamentation but at the same time functional, are typical of the trend of social realism. Originally, the school was in a neutral beige-dark color that mitigated the imposition of its size in the space. Following the adaptation in order to improve energy efficiency, the school was painted in slightly lighter tones from the same palette.
Cultural Center
Current name: Cultural Center – Dimitrovgrad Original name: House of Culture – Dimitrovgrad
City: Dimitrovgrad (SRB) District: Pirot district, Republic of Serbia Address: 2 Trg Zorana Djindjica, 18320 Dimitrovgrad
Year of construction: 1946-1950 Designer: Architect Vera Lukanska (born in Caribrod) Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad Architectural style: “moderna” architectural direction
Visiting interior: yes
The Dimitrovgrad Cultural Center (SRB).
The cultural Center facility, in terms of aesthetic and artistic values, represents one of the most significant buildings in Dimitrovgrad. The location itself emphasizes the significance of the building, in urban, cultural and social terms. It was elevated in comparison to the surrounding area and the main square, which emphasizes its monumentality.
The architectural design in the style of European modernism, with a dominant pink color, corresponds to both the purpose and the time in which it was created, i.e. in the years after World War II during the socialist regime.
The Cultural Center, formerly the House of Culture in Dimitrovgrad (SRB). Period image.
In construction terms, the facility was built within the massive construction system, with wooden inter-storey construction. Originally, the façade was finished with mortar, while the decoration elements on the balcony are made of concrete with terrazzo finish. The columns on the entrance on the ground floor were made of concrete, with dotted finishing.
The facility was partly reconstructed in the period from 2019 to 2022, including the complete replacement of the roof, façade, installation and carpentry for the purpose of improving its energy efficiency. The large hall of the cultural center was completely reconstructed, the technical equipment, seats, lighting, wall coverings were replaced, therefore the interior got a completely new look. The only detail that has been retained is the interior frieze around the perimeter of the hall with plaster motifs depicting the labor movement and the national liberation struggle. The small hall of the cultural center and the front facade will be reconstructed in the next phase.
The Dimitrovgrad Cultural Center (SRB). Aerial image.
Community center in the village of Petrlas
Current name: Community center in the village of Petrlas Original name: Community center in the village of Petrlas
City: Dimitrovgrad (SRB) District: The district of Pirot, Republic of Serbia Address: “the center of the village” in Petrlas, municipality of Dimitrovgrad
Year of construction: 1949 Designer: The name of the architect is not familiar, but it is known that the chef handyman was named Veka also known as “Brzi Veka”, and he came from the neighboring village of Krupac. Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad Architectural style: regional-eclectic
Visiting interior: yes
Community center in the village of Petrlas also known as “the cultural center” is located “in the centre of the village” at the cadastral plot No. 4186/1 CM Petrlas, Zabrdje region in the municipality of Dimitrovgrad. Petrlas is a livestock -agricultural settlement, compact type, located at 11 km from Dimitrovgrad. The building was contructed in the central part of the village, at the intersection of three rural roads, on a wide and accessible location.
The architectural design of this and almost all buildings of this kind is regional-eclectic, with rustic wall finishing and classical organization of space.
In terms of programming, the Community center has a spacious hall with a stage and ticket office, a reading room, a shop and the office of the agricultural community. These facilities are characterized by the absence of sanitary facilities, which is a clear indicator of the backwardness of the Yugoslav countryside, while at the same time it speaks of the priorities of the state, which first wants to deal with issues of mediation of its ideology, rather than with the issues of hygiene standards.
The floor plan of the building is a ground floor, i.e. G+0, leveled from the ground with a staircase with a different number of heights, depending on the level of the surrounding terrain, considering that the building has several entrances (for the agricultural community, for the store, entrance to the warehouse and another one for the cultural center).
The entrance to the “cultural center” is isolated and emphasized by a porch with four massive masonry pillars, and in the extension of the entrance part, there is a spacious hall with a raised stage. The roof is multi-pitched, covered with tiles. The crown of the building is finished with a profiled decorative strip.
Clothing factory “Svoboda”
Current name: Clothing factory “Interteks” Original name: Clothing factory “Svoboda”
City: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad (SRB) District: Pirot district, Republic of Serbia Address: Balkanska 94, 18320 Dimitrovgrad
Year of construction: early 80s Designer: Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad Architectural style: contemporary architecture
Visiting interior: no
Dimitrovgrad (SRB). The former “Svoboda” garment factory. Street front.
According to its aesthetic and artistic values, this building belongs to the style of contemporary architecture.
Architectural design in the style of “contemporary architecture” with elements of “brutalism”. The facade is not disjointed in form, however, on the most representative front facade, oriented towards the main street, the decorative concrete elements are dominant. It is painted in two shades of pink.
Dimitrovgrad (SRB). The former “Svoboda” garment factory.
In terms of construction, the building was built in a skeletal construction system, with a concrete structure.Currently, the building is in a very bad condition as a result of the collapse of production and years of neglecting of the building.
Dimitrovgrad (SRB). The former “Svoboda” clothing factory. Detail of the sign.
Municipality building
Current name: Municipality building Original name: Municipality building
City: Dimitrovgrad (SRB) District: The District of Pirot, Republic of Serbia Address: Balkanska 2, 18320 Dimitrovgrad
Year of construction: 1960 Designer: Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad Architectural style: social realism
Visiting interior: yes
Dimitrovgrad (SRB). Town Hall. Main front.
The building of the municipality of Dimitrovgrad is located in the very centre of the town at the address Balkanska 2, on the cadastral plot No. 626 CM Dimitrovgrad. It represents a vidually dominant building which was adjusted to the central town area. The building is free standing, it was constructed at the corner of main Balkanska street (former Marsala Tita Street) and Nishava street, next to Zoran Djindjic Square (former Trg Oslobodjenja – Square of Liberation) therefore it dominates the area. Cultural Center is across the main street, and together they make an assembly of the most significant public buildings in this small town.
It was built in the period from 1960, in the style of social realism, a.k.a. soc-realism, which was a dominant architectural style of that time. The main feature of this style is practicality over beauty, with simplified forms and absence of excessive decoration. The form is simple with two main cubes. Originally, the west cube of the building was higher (G+3) while the east cube was lower (G+2).
Dimitrovgrad (SRB). Town Hall. View of the square.
Conceptually, the building has all the features of an administrative space: offices, a meeting room and a large assembly hall. Supporting but inseparable features are the corridors with a staircase facing the street and illuminated by a glazed skylight, and sanitary facilities on all floors. Originally, the building had a flat roof.
Later, in the late 80s, additional storey was added to the east part, and a hipped roof made of ribbed sheet was placed on the roof. The entrance was also extended to emphasize the staircase i.e. entrance vertical. he lateral east and the back north façade were extremely reduced, while the lateral west façade was partly free, due to the fact that in the 80s a residential-commercial building was attached to it.The building got its current appearance in 2006, following the adaptation aimed at improving energy efficiency properties.
Municipal Theatre “Apostol Karamitev”
Current name: Drama Theatre “Apostol Karamitev” Original name: Drama Theatre
Year of construction: 1953 Designer: Decree of the State Council of Bulgaria Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad Architectural style: architectural style popularly known as “Soviet Empire” or “Stalin Baroque”
Visiting interior: yes
The Municipal Theater “Apostol Karamitev” – Dimitrovgrad (BG)
The Municipal Theatre “Apostol Karamitev” – Dimitrovgrad is a cultural institution with 60 years of history. It was created in 1953 by Decree of the State Council of Bulgaria. It is the only state theater in not a regional town.
The Theater of Dimitrovgrad passes through periods of difficulties and bloom, as in 1964 it was closed and the building remained as a second stage for the Theatre of Haskovo. In 1972 is again restored as a State Drama Theatre, in 1994 is transformed into an open State Theater Stage “Apostol Karamitev” – Dimitrovgrad. Since 2011 with a decree was turned into the Municipal Drama Theatre “Apostol Karamitev” – Dimitrovgrad.
The Municipal Theater “Apostol Karamitev” – Dimitrovgrad (BG)
The first chairs in the hall are the original first chairs of the Ivan Vazov National Theater. The theater was completely renovated in 2023.
Central Pedestrian Area
Current name: Central Pedestrian Area Original name: Central Pedestrian Area
City: Dimitrovgrad District: urban center Address: Bulgaria Blv
Year of construction: 1950 – 1954 Designer: Prof. Petar Tashev Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad Architectural style: typical “Stalinist period” architecture style.
Dimitrovgrad (BG). Area pedonale centrale.
The ensemble – Bulgaria Blvd, Dimitar Blagoev Blvd and Maritsa Park, is the backbone of the urban planning idea of Prof. Petar Tashev from 1950, which combines modernization of functional zones, housing construction among green areas, separating the work area from the other part of the city by green belt.
It is an architectural ensemble from the 1950’s, decorated in typical “Stalinist period” architecture style. Together with the adjacent park “Maritza”, it is a stately pedestrian zone that connects the North-South railway and the bus stations with the city administration building of the municipality and gradually transitions into park recreation area.
Penyo Penev Park
Current name: Penyo Penev Park Original name: Penyo Penev Park
City: Dimitrovgrad (BG) District: Dimitrovgrad / suburban area Address: Penyo Penev Park
Year of construction: 1961 Designer: designed to participate in the park’s world art exhibition Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad Architectural style: synthesis between nature and art
Visiting interior: yes
Dimitrovgrad (BG) Penyo Penev Park
Penyo Penev Memorial Park is originally built according to a project, aiming to participate in the world exhibition of park art in 1961. It is located on 36,5 hectares and is unique with its 92 species of ornamental trees and shrubs, and numerous stone moraines-citation books with poems by the poet, skillfully inscribed in the planned and volumetric composition of the park.
Dimitrovgrad (BG). Penyo Penev Park
Penyo Penev Park is an example of a synthesis between nature and art. Every single space, shape and element is very well thought out and positioned in the right place, creating a complete, artistically indivisible object.
Dimitrovgrad (BG) Penyo Penev Park
The park became a conscious space for cultural events – improvised literary readings, concerts, recitals, etc., and a representative place for all guests of the city.
Summer (open air) theatre
Current name: Summer (open air) theatre Original name: Summer (open air) theatre
City: Dimitrovgrad (BG) District: Vaptsarov park / suburban area Address: Vaptsarov park
Year of construction: 1955 Designer: n/a Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad Architectural style: Built according all the rules for an open air theatre and neoclassic Stalinist style.
Located in “Vaptsarov” Park, this “lost place” has been actively used and visited till the early ‘80s. Built according all the rules for an open air theatre, it has hosted a great number of concerts and plays. The Theatre is another example of a synthesis between nature and art. Every single space, shape and element was very well thought out and positioned in the right place, creating a complete, artistically indivisible object.
The Theatre used to be a conscious space for cultural events – concerts, plays, recitals, etc., and a representative place for all the local people and guests of the city.
Town hall
Current name: Town hall Original name: Town hall
City: Castrocaro Terme and Terra del Sole (FC) (ITA) District: Address: 81 Viale Guglielmo Marconi
Year of construction: 1934 – 1938 Designer: Engineer Annibale Pantoli and surveyor Osiride Bortolotti for the company Comm. Ettore Benini in Forli, heating system project by engineer Aldo Camerani Client: City of Castrocaro Terme and Terra del Sole Architectural style: Littorio eclecticism with hints of monumental Classicism and Rationalism
Visiting interior: yes Important features: building listed as cultural asset by the Superintendence for Architectural Heritage; wrought iron and marble decorations
Castrocaro and Terra del Sole Town Hall. Main facade.
The relationship between the community and power during the Fascist regime significantly involved public architecture. Its task was to represent the State in the territory as both a guarantor and an intimidator. The ‘modernization’ idealized by fascism indeed included an essential connection with the containers of indoctrination, culture, and administrative relations. Schools, welfare offices, and municipalities were not strangers to this architectural renewal.
In Castrocaro and Terra del Sole, the construction of the new Town Hall began in 1934. The choice of the location for its erection sparked lively local rivalries that seemed to have no solution. Terra del Sole, which had held the seat for centuries, strongly opposed the requests from Castrocaro, which sought to obtain the new ‘recognition’ from the regime. The resolution of the bitter dispute is attributed to Mussolini himself, who, in agreement with the mayor Eden Venturi, indicated an area equidistant between the two centers, which were just over a kilometer apart.
Castrocaro and Terra del Sole Town Hall. Vintage image.
The building designed by engineer Pantoli and surveyor Osiride Bortolotti stands on a high ground upstream from the section of state road connecting the centre of Castrocaro Terme with that of Terra del Sole.The building has a rectangular floor plan measuring 33 x 16.35 metres and has the main façade facing the street. The building is arranged on two floors plus a basement. In the central part stands the 21-metre-high Littoria Tower at the top of which is a fake clock. Accessed by a flight of steps, the ground floor is occupied by a central atrium prolonged by a wide hall which features a monumental double staircase leading to the upper floor. Originally, the ground floor housed, among others, the wedding hall, the local military Office, Justice of Peace and medical officer’s bureau. The first floor housed other offices including the Cabinet of the Podesta, the Accounting Department and the technical office. The central part of the second floor is occupied by a large meeting room measuring 12 x 8 metres with access to the balcony above the decorative portico on the façade.
Castrocaro and Terra del Sole Town Hall. Monumental entrance and balcony.
The main entrance door is made of oak wood with chestnut wood frames, while between the atrium and the hall is a large glass door made of fine Douglas fir wood with semi-double glazing. The wrought iron decorations, marbles as well as wooden details of the central staircase were also chosen and designed by engineer Pantoli and surveyor Bortolotti, while the original heating system was entrusted to the engineer Aldo Camerani’s company from Forlì.
The construction of the new headquarters was an opportunity to replace the pre-existing furnishings, which the Podesta and the administration deemed too worn and with a variety of styles that did not suit the needs of the new premises.A special budget chapter was opened for these expenses and the supply was entrusted to the company Al mare dei mobili in Forlì. The company provided large desks with drawers, armchairs with leather upholstered seats and backrests, stools and reception armchairs upholstered in 20th-century style fabric, shelves and bookcases with frosted glass or wooden doors, as well as a ‘standing desk’ with a register holder currently kept at the Historical Archives.
Castrocaro and Terra del Sole Town Hall.
The work was completed with testing in 1938. Original project drawings and administrative documents relating to the awarding of contracts, inspections and tenders, together with some photographs of the time, are preserved and can be consulted in the Municipal Historical Archive.
Grand Hotel Castrocaro
Current name: Grand Hotel Castrocaro Original name: Grand Hotel delle Terme
City: Castrocaro Terme e Terre del Sole (FC) District: urban area Address: viale Guglielmo Marconi, n.14/16
Year of construction: 1939 – 1943 Designer: art director Tito Chini, designer Eng. Diego Corsani Client: General Inspectorate of State Property Agencies (Ispettorato Generale delle Aziende Patrimoniali dello Stato), Central Technical Office of the State Property Administration (Ufficio Tecnico Centrale del Demanio) Architectural style: Modernism with very strong references to Rationalism
Visiting interior: partly yes Significant elements: The building is listed by the Committee as a cultural property. Ceramic and marble decorations. Entrances facing the street and the thermal baths’ park; loggia terrace facing the park. Reception hall, central staircase. Light devices by the Venini company (Murano, Venice)
The main entrance of the Grand Hotel Castrocaro.
In Castrocaro, the therapeutic use of waters and mud baths boasts ancient origins. On June 1st, 1851, the first thermal establishment officially opened, and it was placed in an already existing building that was readapted according to hygienic and typological criteria considered innovative at the time. The first centre of the current establishment was built only thanks to 1884. The financial disaster and the preponderance of shares held by the INA (National Insurance Institute) led the government to liquidate the Società delle Terme, still private owned (Royal Decree, Law no. 1665 of 09/07/1936), and to proceed with the statehood of the assets constituting the Castrocaro Thermal Baths Company. The Ispettorato Generale delle Aziende Patrimoniali dello Stato (General Inspectorate of State Property Agencies), although it had entrusted the design of the New Thermal Baths Complex to the Central Technical Office of the State Property, in the person of Chief Engineer Diego Corsani, considered it advisable to match the technical figure with an artistic consultant, who could deal specifically with the internal and external decorations, the fitting out and furnishing of the newly built premises, with particular attention to the direction of the architectural part. It was chosen Tito Chini, artistic director of the Chini Furnaces in Borgo San Lorenzo (Florence). The government plan that was promptly drawn up (1936-1937) envisaged the construction of three buildings: the Bathing Establishment, the Grand Hotel, and the Amusement Hall.
Grand Hotel Castrocaro. Facing via Roma.
An official visit to the building site by Benito Mussolini took place in June 1939. On which occasion he decided to double the size of the park and transform the Thermal Baths Pension into a luxurious Grand Hotel. The Grand Hotel was already planned to consist of two wings arranged in an L-shape, the shorter of which was at a tangent to the Thermal Establishment, and the longer one, which ended in a semi-circular shape, adhering to the Strada Nazionale, forming a true urban backdrop. In November 1939, with the additional title of ‘Artistic Consultant of the Forlì Property Valuation Office’, Tito Chini imposed new designs and modifications on the original Grand Hotel project of 1937: in particular, an additional floor was added to the building, the splendid terrace-loggia overlooking the park, the water tower, and the design of a new corner header with entrance, positioned at the crossroads of Via Nazionale and Via Conti (at the time known as Via Del Ponte).
Grand Hotel Terme (Castrocaro). Postcard from the 1960s.
The construction of the new building, which began in 1939 amidst numerous difficulties due to the conditions of the foundation soil, excessively clay-rich and saturated with water, resumed at the beginning of 1940 and with the use of materials that were already employed in the now completed Festival Halls and Baths Establishment: travertine and terracotta from local kilns, traditional building systems, reinforced concrete when strictly necessary. The differentiation of the façades was resolved by the use of chrome and ceramic cladding towards the park (east façade), and of a more monumental type towards the pre-existing urban building, in contrast with Palazzo Piancastelli, also restored and modernised by Chini himself in those years. The construction continued until the last months of 1943, when the events of the war forced a halt to the works in progress, resulting in the dismissal of all the workers and Chini himself. At that time, the outer shell of the Grand Hotel had been defined, as well as the representative rooms on the ground floor necessary for the Regime, the ‘special’ flat for the Head of the Government (on the third floor), and some rooms on the first level, among the 160 potential ones.
Grand Grand Hotel Terme (Castrocaro). Postcard from the 1960s.
Of the original fittings, and in particular of what had been planned for the special flat for the Head of Government (referred to as the “Ammobiliamento Duse”), there remain some images and the detailed project reports by Chini himself, in which all details and relative provenances were noted down. From the Venini company of Murano (Venice), already extensively honoured in the Festival Hall, came the basket chandeliers, table lamps, ashtrays, and glassware. The colours of the flat ranged from the dark green of the felt floor in the entrance hall to the pale blue of the tableware underlays, the jade green of the crystals of the toilette set, the sage green, salmon and dark brown of the ornaments. The paintings hanging on the walls included several sacred prints, two prints by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, fresco decorations and some paintings by Chini himself.
