Kaliopa's House

The building which houses the Museum of Urban Lifestyle (at 2 Tsar Ferdinand Str.) was built by Usta (Master) Yordan around 1862-1866. It then housed the Prussian Consulate in Ruschuk set up in the autumn of 1853 and headed by Consul Moritz Kalish who remained in this position until the beginning of the war in 1877. The house belonged to the council's beautiful wife Katherine, called by the local residents Kaliopa.

According to popular folklore, governor of the Danubian Vilayet, Midhat Pasha was in love with her and tryed to find a way to bestow the house to her without provoking local gossip. Thus, the Pasha organized a pigeon-shooting competition for the ladies of Ruschuk. The weapons were loaded with blank cartridges and when it was Kaliopa's turn, a hidden Turkish soldier shot the pigeons for her. This way, Midhat Pasha's mistress gained in public the house, in which they continued to meet secretly.

In 1881, Stefan Kamburov a local businessman, bought the house from Katerina Kalish and commissioned the Austrian artist Karl Showersberg to paint frescoes on the walls and ceilings of the second floor. Stefan Kamburov originally came from Turnovo and had been a tradesman in Tsarigrad where he actively fought in the struggle for religious independence. He also took part in the first Bulgarian church assembly in Tsarigrad on February, 23, 1871.