At first glance, The Plovdiv Excelsior Mall seems like nothing out of the ordinary – a half-empty shopping center home to a few run-of-the-mill shops and an artisanal ice cream parlor. But its grand size and stature might tip you off to the fact that it has a more interesting history than is readily apparent.
It was, in fact, once the majestic Cinema Excelsior, completed in 1911 at the hands of an ambitious Italian entrepreneur named Edmondo Vaccaro. Built in Parisian-esque style and splendor, the cinema was expected to be a success, but only a few years after its construction, World War I broke out, leaving Italy and Bulgaria on opposite sides of the conflict. When Vaccaro returned to the city in 1919, the burgeoning paradise he had once envisioned was no more. He ended up selling his beloved cinema in 1923.
The building remained a theater (later named Hristo Botev) for some time, but it gradually went into a decline, becoming first a gambling house and then a shopping mall. Though some of its former grandeur remains today, and the original name of Excelsior has returned, much of its charm has been lost in time.
Adding to the building’s allure, ancient ruins were unearthed in the basement floor of the Excelsior.
