Velyan's House, Renaissance house museum in Bansko, Bulgaria

Velyan's House is a two-storey stone and wood house in Bansko, built in the 18th century as a fortified home. Its ground floor holds a cellar, a two-part hiding place with a stone stair to the fortified core, and a pen for animals; the upper floor has an open south-facing veranda (chardak), a wind lobby, and rooms with fireplaces. Small iron-barred windows and loopholes pierce the walls.

The house was built in the 18th century and belonged to the wealthy cotton merchant Ivan Hadzhiradonov, who went bankrupt and sold it to the municipality. In 1835 the municipality gave it to Velyan Ognev, a painter of the Debar school who had come to Bansko to paint the Church of the Holy Trinity. He rebuilt and painted it inside and out.

The walls inside display painted scenes from Istanbul and Venice that define different rooms. These images tell the story of distant cities that mattered greatly to the wealthy people who lived here.

The house can be reached on foot through the narrow streets of the old town and sits near other historic buildings. It is advisable to wear comfortable shoes, as the paths are paved and sometimes steep.

The building connects to a neighboring house through an underground tunnel, revealing the security concerns of wealthy merchants of that time. These hidden passages allowed residents to move between properties without using the street.