Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Grotte de Glace
Sinquerim Beach Bastion
Port Tobacco Schoolhouse
Barracks / munitions storage.
Vloethemveld
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House building on the U.S.-Canadian border.
Could New Border Restrictions Literally Tear the Haskell Free Library Apart?
about 6 hours ago
Dug-out Dan poses for a picture.
The Curious History of New England’s Hermit Tourism
about 11 hours ago
The Big Well
This Kansas Town Advertised the World’s Largest Well. It Wasn’t.
1 day ago
Rats didn’t take over the city by being foolhardy.
Do New York City Rats Deserve Their Bad Rap?
2 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Romania Bucharest Solacoglu Inn

Solacoglu Inn

An abandoned pasta factory in the centre of Bucharest, once home to Bulgarian revolutionaries and a hub of crime.

Bucharest, Romania

Added By
Lana Velkov
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Neoclassicism Enthusiast/CC
  Neoclassicism Enthusiast/CC
  Alexandru Dumitru/CC
Solacula Inn as of October 2023   Lana Velkov / Atlas Obscura User
Plaque commemorating Liuben Caravelov   Lana Velkov / Atlas Obscura User
  Romanian bat/CC
1969 photo of the Solacolu Inn, by Mircea Veroiu   Neoclassicism Enthusiast/CC
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Along Calea Moşilor—where one can see many examples of Belle Epoque architecture—there once used to sit a merchant building in Neoclassical and Gothic Revival style which linked Bucharest's Inner Town to the bustling Obor Market. With tired palatial doors and a peeling facade in the present-day, the architectural gem whispers tales of prosperous bygone days. This is none other than the Solacoglu Inn (or Hanul Solacoglu in Romanian).

The structure is in bad condition today, almost in ruins. But when it was built in 1859, the Solacula Inn once had luxury carriages entering and exiting through its two large gates. The building's name and origin can be traced to the Solacoglu Brothers, merchants from the northern Bulgarian enclave of Svishtov who settled in the heart of Wallachia. During the War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in 1877, Bulgarians found refuge within these walls. It is mentioned in a commemorative plaque by the Bulgarian embassy of Bucharest that Liuben Karavelov, leader of the Bulgarian revolutionaries, lived in this inn on the eve of the Russian-Romanian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 together with many Bulgarian volunteers.

As a reflection of the shared aspirations that bound Romanians and Bulgarians as comrades, the quest for liberation against an empire that most countries opposed in this part of the Balkans is breathtakingly symbolic in this stunning building. Unfortunately, at the turn of the following century, the building's history is rather turbulent and ugly. In the 1990s, there was an endeavor to reclaim the building from the grasp of illegal inhabitants as well as to restore it. This did not happen, although the inn was then returned to the descendants of the Solacoglu families.

In 2007 though, the "tenants," who happened to be Roma families, were discovered to be carrying out criminal activities, especially prostitution, on the premises. This scandal consequentially led to their eviction. Today, the Solacolu Inn is in serious need of maintenance. It can be seen from the outside, but like many buildings in Bucharest, it is wrapped up and under future renovation or reconstruction. It makes for an emotional visit.

Related Tags

Abandoned Architecture History Crime
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights

Discover Romania's Medieval Castles & Culture.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Lana Velkov

Edited By

danbadiu

  • danbadiu

Published

September 21, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Solacoglu Inn
Bucharest
Romania
44.436389, 26.111389

Nearby Places

Cărturești Carusel Bookstore

Bucharest, Romania

miles away

Muzeul Micul Paris (Little Paris Museum)

Bucharest, Romania

miles away

Curtea Veche (Old Princely Court)

Bucharest, Romania

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bucharest

Bucharest

Romania

Places 17

Nearby Places

Cărturești Carusel Bookstore

Bucharest, Romania

miles away

Muzeul Micul Paris (Little Paris Museum)

Bucharest, Romania

miles away

Curtea Veche (Old Princely Court)

Bucharest, Romania

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bucharest

Bucharest

Romania

Places 17

Related Places

  • Remains of the flume supports

    Naples, Utah

    Dry Fork Flume Site

    This hiking trail is scattered with the remains of a failed attempt to provide water to farmers in Dry Fork Canyon.

  • Granary in Jankowo up close

    Jankowo, Poland

    Walter Gropius's 1906 Spichlerz

    A Bauhaus co-founder designed this quirky, abandoned granary.

  • Velha Goa, India

    The Arch of Conception

    One of the few surviving gates into Old Goa, the former capital of Portuguese India.

  • The world-famous Top of the Ocean Restaurant, recently open in 1947.

    Tacoma, Washington

    'Top of the Ocean' Monument

    This waterfront restaurant was the life of the party until a crime syndicate burned it to the ground.

  • Sanquhar Castle

    Sanquhar, Scotland

    Sanquhar Castle

    A 13th-century stronghold that has fallen into ruin.

  • Guiding sign near entrance

    Tucson, Arizona

    John Dillinger Courtroom

    A 1930’s courtroom where John Dillinger and his gang went before a judge.

  • Farrandsville Iron Furnace

    Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

    Farrandsville Iron Furnace

    This abandoned iron furnace was one of the first to use coke—a type of high-carbon fuel—to make iron.

  • Abandoned Intercontinental Hotel of Ponce.

    Ponce, Puerto Rico

    El Ponce

    The abandoned remains of this once-thriving hotel looms over the city, awaiting an uncertain future.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.