Today, we are used to free screenings under the stars in various park locations in the city of the hills, and cinema has long been a part of our daily lives—a reliable choice whenever we want to enjoy intriguing stories on the big screen.
However, about a century ago, the situation was quite different, and cinema was only beginning to gain popularity in the country. In Bulgaria, it appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, and in Plovdiv, the first cinema hall to open its doors was “Excelsior”—in 1912. Later, it changed ownership, became “Hristo Botev” cinema, then was turned into a gambling house, and eventually, the next buyers kept only the facade of the former cinema, converting the building into a shopping center.
Most likely, the first open-air screening in the city under the hills also took place in the early 20th century. We know that it happened in the summer garden of the restaurant at the “Molle” Hotel, which for a long time was one of the most important locations in Plovdiv.
At “Knyaz Alexander Battenberg” Street 39, official receptions were held, banquets were organized for ministers and the most important foreign guests. It was also where, in 1920, the great writer Ivan Vazov arrived.
The building was constructed in 1910–1911 and was inaugurated with a lavish New Year’s celebration. The event became a real newspaper sensation not only because of its scale but also because in the building the first elevator in Plovdiv, the first independent central heating system, and the first electricity generator were installed.
After its completion, the building was rented by Dimitar Molle, who gave his surname to the hotel and restaurant. The hotel had more than 90 rooms, a spacious hall that housed one of the first cafés in the city; the drinks were impeccable, the beer fresh, the food first-class, and the waiters wore bow ties and moved gracefully around the tables. The furnishings were in the latest style.
In the inner courtyard, a roller-skating rink was built in the summer of 1920. And it was Kiril Petrov who opened a place where people could watch movies there, which soon turned into a cinema park.
For more than 40 years, the hotel held the top spot as the most prestigious accommodation in the city under the hills, until during socialism it was renamed “Republica” and, after 1989, gradually lost its splendor.
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