Konstantsalieva House

Veliko Tarnovo

Konstantsalieva House is a historic house museum located in the village of Arbanasi near Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. Built at the end of the 17th century, it originally belonged to the prominent Tafrili family before being acquired by Atanas Konstantsaliata, whose name the house now bears. The two-story building features a solid stone façade facing the street, with no bay windows, and is surrounded by stone walls enclosing its yard. Architecturally, the ground floor is constructed from rubble stone and housed functional spaces such as the kitchen, servant quarters, storage rooms, and stables. A cleverly concealed hiding place connects the ground and upper floors. The upper floor has a mixed construction with a massive street-facing wall and timber framing elsewhere. The central dining room connects to service rooms like the kitchen and pantry. Bedrooms and a living room are arranged around a corridor, and there is a special room designed for childbirth with a functional canopy bed and cradle. The house was heated by a complex system of built-in stoves, and defensive features include a fortified entrance with iron-studded wooden doors and an elevated firing opening. Today, the house operates as a museum exhibiting 19th-century Arbanasi lifestyle and domestic culture, providing visitors with an authentic glimpse into Bulgarian heritage and traditional architecture.