“Happy childhood”

    1. Register Number: 14

    2. Address: “Akatsia” Residential Complex, 24 Bulgaria Boulevard, Veliko Tarnovo 5000; Former Pioneer House / Current Municipal Children’s Complex

    3. Coordinates:

      43.079700, 25.620608

    4. Artist/Architect: Stoyan Kyumdjiev

    5. Type of Site: Monumental decoration

    6. Name: “Happy childhood”

    7. Other Names for the Monument: 

    8. Technique: Mosaic

    9. Materials Used: 

    10. Dating: 1978

    11. Monument Ownership: 

    12. Document Types:

    13. Cadastral Map Identifier:

    14. Regulation Plan Number :

    15. Affiliation to Other Cultural Monuments or Assemblages:

    16. Dimensions of the Monument (measurements): 

    17. Description – Analysis of the Type, Style & Iconography :
      The mosaic on the facade of the former Pioneer House, now the Municipal Children’s Complex in Veliko Tarnovo, is made of multicoloured natural stones, including river stones, as well as brick pieces cut to look like river stones of various sizes. The result is an intriguing arrangement, combining cut tesserae with inclusions of rounded stone and ceramic tesserae.

    18. Signature/Artist’s Initials: 

    19. Condition:
      The mosaic is not in a stable condition. Although the bedding layer is very strong (mortar with cement), the pure cement solution used to attach the tesserae to the bedding layer was weak, resulting in some tesserae detaching from the foundation. The draft sketch for the mosiac is visible on the bedding layer.

    20. Conservation / Restoration: No

    21. Preservation Regimes according to Bulgaria’s Cultural Heritage Act:
      In order to better preserve this work, it is important to: clean the surface; stabilize the surface and structure of the tesserae and the bedding layer; and fill in the gaps. In order to better present this work to the public, it is necessary to: provide for its regular maintanance and security; install lights for illumination; and add a plaque with the artist, title and year.

    22. Plans and Documentation Relating to Implementation: 

    23. Connection with the Environment: Favourable

    24. Primary Function of the Building: 

    25. Current Function of the Building: Municipal Children’s Complex

    26. Access: Public

    27. Observation Access: Unlimited

    28. Correspondence Between Initial Project Plan & Implementation:

    29. Comments/Other: