Kempinski Hotel Zografski
Encyclopedia
Kempinski Hotel Zografski is a 5-star hotel located in Lozenets
, near downtown Sofia
, Bulgaria
. It is one of the most luxurious hotels in the capital of Bulgaria. It has 442 guest rooms, 10 conference rooms, 4 restaurants, 2 bars and the only Japanese garden
in the Balkans
.
The hotel was built between 1974 and 1979 to the design of leading Japan
ese architect Kisho Kurokawa (1934–2007) in the upper-class neighbourhood Lozenets. In his design, Kurokawa implemented architectural details inspired by the Bulgarian National Revival
style of Koprivshtitsa
and Plovdiv
. The 21-storey hotel was built by Bulgarian company Tehnoeksportstroy and the Japanese Mitsubishi
.
Until it was acquired by German Bulgarian
entrepreneur Ivan Zografski and joined the Kempinski
chain in 1997, the hotel was called Vitosha
New Otani
and was part of that Japanese hotel group.
Kempinski Hotel Zografski's Japanese garden is a large-scale copy of the one at Hotel New Otani Tokyo
and features a Japanese-style house and lake.
Lozenets, Sofia
Lozenets is a district and residential area located in the southern parts of the City of Sofia. it has 45,630 inhabitants. It has many new buildings as well as many communist-era apartment blocks. The area is undergoing regeneration with areas experiencing intensive new construction. There are...
, near downtown Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. It is one of the most luxurious hotels in the capital of Bulgaria. It has 442 guest rooms, 10 conference rooms, 4 restaurants, 2 bars and the only Japanese garden
Japanese garden
, that is, gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, and at historical landmarks such as Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and old castles....
in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
.
The hotel was built between 1974 and 1979 to the design of leading Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese architect Kisho Kurokawa (1934–2007) in the upper-class neighbourhood Lozenets. In his design, Kurokawa implemented architectural details inspired by the Bulgarian National Revival
Bulgarian National Revival
The Bulgarian National Revival , sometimes called the Bulgarian Renaissance, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian people under Ottoman rule...
style of Koprivshtitsa
Koprivshtitsa
Koprivshtitsa is a historic town in Sofia Province, central Bulgaria, lying on the Topolnitsa River among the Sredna Gora mountains. It was one of the centres of the April Uprising in 1876 and is known for its authentic Bulgarian architecture and for its folk music festivals, making it a very...
and Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
. The 21-storey hotel was built by Bulgarian company Tehnoeksportstroy and the Japanese Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
.
Until it was acquired by German Bulgarian
Bulgarians in Germany
Bulgarians in Germany are one of the sizable communities of the Bulgarian diaspora in Western Europe. According to official data from 2007, Bulgarians in Germany numbered around 46,800, though unofficial estimates put that number at 80–100,000...
entrepreneur Ivan Zografski and joined the Kempinski
Kempinski
Kempinski Hotels S.A. is a luxury hotel group. Kempinski Hotels, the trading name for Kempinski Hotels S.A., is an independent Swiss delisted S.A., which is involved in a number of luxury hotel and hospitality related businesses, including conference, catering and hotel supplies.Kempinski Hotels...
chain in 1997, the hotel was called Vitosha
Vitosha
Vitosha is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the tourists symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Convenient bus lines and rope ways render the mountain easily accessible. Vitosha has the outlines of an enormous...
New Otani
New Otani
is a chain of hotels whose headquarters is in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.The company opened on January 18, 1963. The main hotel in Tokyo opened in 1964, to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics of that year. Upon its opening, the building was the tallest building in Tokyo until 1968 when the Kasumigaseki...
and was part of that Japanese hotel group.
Kempinski Hotel Zografski's Japanese garden is a large-scale copy of the one at Hotel New Otani Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and features a Japanese-style house and lake.