Victoria Angelova

Victoria Angelova
Viktoria Vinarova, ca. 1920
Born	Bulgarian: Виктория Ангелова (1902-11-20)20 November 1902 Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
Died	27 December 1947(1947-12-27) (aged 45) Sofia, Bulgaria
Nationality	Bulgarian
Other names	Victoria Angelova Vinarov
Occupation	architect
Years active	1926-1947
Spouse(s)	Boris Vinarov (married in 1933)

Victoria Angelova Vinarova (sometimes written Viktoria Angelova, Bulgarian: Виктория Ангелова-Винарова, 1902–1947) was the first female architect of Bulgaria. She is credited with having built the first modern, national art gallery in the Balkans.

Victoria Angelova was born on 20 November 1902 in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria to Vasil Angelov, a merchant who had been educated in England. He named his daughter after Queen Victoria in homage. She graduated from the Vienna University of Technology and the Dresden Polytechnic. At the age of 24, she returned to Sofia and was working as an intern at the Ministry of Public Works when she won a contest for her first major commission. In 1933, Angelova married a fellow architect, Boris Vinarov and they set up a practice in Sofia.

Angelova worked during a period when most public projects were awarded after competitions which were open nationally. She designed buildings throughout the country, but is primarily known for those in Sofia. She was awarded the Order of Civil Merit for her architectural contributions to the country. In 1944, the couple's home was bombed and they lost many of their personal effects, including their architectural drawings. They evacuated to Turnovo, where Angelova became ill with a severe case of pneumonia. Believing she had recovered, they returned to Sophia in 1946, but Angelova relapsed and died on 27 December 1947. Her husband died three months later.

The ministry held a contest in 1926 for designs of a new office building for the Ministry of Public Buildings, Roads and Public Works. Although Angelova won the contest, she was required to have the experienced architects Georgi Ovcharov () and Yordan Yordanov (Bulgarian: Йордан Йорданов) oversee her work. The building covered an entire city block known as "Slaveykov Square" and was bounded by "GS Rakovski", "William Gladstone" and "Han Krum " streets. Construction began in 1928 and was completed four years later.

The design was Neoclassical and featured towering marble columns and mosaic floor tiles. Flanking the entrance were two statues, one female figure representing architecture and one male figure representing construction, as well as three stone heads in altorilievo adorning the doorways. The sculptures were completed by Mikhail Ivanov, Stephen Peychev and Cyril Shivarov (). The wide corridors and high ceilings are offset by stained glass designed by Haralampy Tachev () and made in Munich by F. Seiler. Today it houses the Metropolitan Library and the "Renaissance Theater" on one side and several doctors' and dentists' offices on the other.