Balabanov house

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This house, once owned by Hadzhi Panayot Lampsha, was built in the early 19th century at a corner, where several cobblestone streets meet. Badly damaged through the years, it was demolished and later rebuilt due to the documentation of Hristo Peev, an architect and patriot from Plovdiv, who documented it thus kept it for future generations.
  Nowadays the house is a multifunctional cultural centre where exhibitions, theatre performances, meetings and public events take place.
  The house can be accessed either through a big gate facing the street, or through a door opposite the gate and facing the garden. Inside there is a long entrance hall with a high ceiling, surrounded by what once served as a household and storage rooms.
  The staircase leads up to a spacious parlour (“hayet”) on the second floor. It includes a “stage” separated with wooden arches, a “hall” for the spectators and a “theatre circle” – the transformed kiosk at the end. Such layout provides a perfect venue for theatrical performances, creative meetings and various cultural events.
  With their restored antique furniture, fabrics and interior items, the surrounding rooms illustrate the city lifestyle of the mid 19th century.
  One of the first-floor rooms has hosted an exhibition of pictures by contemporary artists. Another room in the basement is also used as an exhibition hall. The large garden surrounded by high walls serves as a favourite venue for open-air events such as exhibitions, meetings and celebrations, typical of the Old Town.