Kordopulov House

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The Kordopulov (or Kordopulov's) House (Кордопулова къща) is a large Bulgarian National Revival house in the southwestern Bulgarian town of Melnik. It was built in 1754 specifically for wine production and was bought by the rich and known merchant Manol Kordopulov (or Manolis Kordopoulos). The house, possibly the largest of its kind and period, is located in the town's eastern part and consists of a ground floor that includes a wine cellar, a semi-basement for economic needs and a bay floor intended to be inhabited.

While the lower row of 12 windows is typically Bulgarian in style, the higher one is a mix of Venetian and Ottoman architecture and is made of Venetian glass, making the house unique in Bulgaria.

The characteristic Melnik wine cellar is dug into the rock to form a tunnel. The cellar can take 300 tons of wine, with the largest cask being able to take 12.5 tons alone. The corridors are relatively narrow and low at places and the cellar disposes of a ventilation system and special canals.

Two of the Kordopulov House's four floors are made of stone. Seven inner staircases connect the floors and garrets and the two wooden floors are covered with motley rugs.

Bulgarian revolutionary Yane Sandanski would use the house for shelter before World War I. The last of the Kordopulov family was killed in 1916 and the house passed to Agnesa, either a maid or a sister of a Kordopulov. She married Georgi Tsinstara and, although they had no children, they adopted their nephew Gavrail. He is in turn the father of Nikola Paspalev, the current owner. The Kordopulov House was renovated in 1974-1980 and is currently a private museum that is visited by 30,000 tourists a year.