The architects behind the project were Lyubomir Bonev and Lyubomir Shinkov. Construction on “Gladstone” Street began on January 10 1960, with the idea of a new movie theater (later named “Komsomol”) with nine hundred comfortable and modern seats and a wide screen fourteen meters long to be built. The original design included a retractable roof which was meant to open during the hot summer months, but this architectural idea was never realized.
The official opening took place four years later, on September 5 1964. The first screening was of the film “Thirteen Days”.
At the time, it was the largest and most modern cinema in Plovdiv, with a hall offering 900 seats and a panoramic screen. This quickly turned it into a cultural place, hosting the premieres of the most popular films that drew the highest public interest, often accompanied by long queues for tickets. Some still remember waiting for hours just to get a pass. Mostly American and Western European films were shown.
After 1989, the cinema was renamed “Kosmos”. It continued operating until 1999, when it stopped all screenings. Later, the building took on a new function and, for a while, housed a nightclub and an arcade before being completely abandoned.
In 2010, during Slavcho Atanasov’s term, the municipal administration decided to dispose of the cinema and repurpose the property for the construction of a multi-story parking lot or a multifunctional hall.
In response, a group of active citizens and organizations, including the “Open Arts” Foundation and artnewscafe, launched an initiative to save the cinema. Due to strong public pressure, the cinema was saved in the summer of 2011, and its status was restored.
Immediately after its preservation, there were efforts to revive it. In 2011, it was included in the official program of the “Night of Museums and Galleries – Plovdiv” festival. From then on, until the festival’s final edition, the building was one of the key locations in the annual program.
In 2013, a volunteer initiative was launched to clean the building and restore its original architectural plans. Many active citizens and young architects, together with senior colleagues, invested significant voluntary labor and efforts, eventually forming the so-called “Kosmos Collective”. Among them were Maria Stoyanova, Hristo Ginev, Vladimir Gigov, Bistra Popova, and many others.
Numerous cultural events were also organized, as the concept of the “Kosmos Collective” was for the building, in its authentic form, to be an arts center.
Later, however, the “Kosmos Collective” and the owner of the property—the Municipality of Plovdiv—diverged in their intentions, leading to the cinema being completely locked and the building reaching its current state. Meanwhile, the rights of architect Lyubomir Shinkov passed to his younger colleague, architect Todor Abadzhiev. The municipality organized an architectural competition, won by designers Dimitar and Elena Baldzhievi. They found common ground with Abadzhiev in the interest of the future of “Kosmos” Cinema.
The reconstruction officially began just a few days ago. The project envisions transforming the building into a modern cultural complex with a hall seating 599 people for concerts and performances. The missing stairway railings will be restored, and two presentation spaces will be created in the foyer, along with a conference area.
There will be rooms for security, a ticket booth, and a cloakroom. A café with access to the external plaza spaces is also planned. An elevator for people with disabilities will be installed on the northern facade, and the sub-stage spaces will become storage for stage sets. Two emergency staircases are also included in the plans.
The new cultural venue in the city, housed in its old “Komsomol/Kosmos” shell, is expected to open in the summer of 2027.
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