House with Chimaeras

The House with Chimaeras is an Art Nouveau mansion designed in the early twentieth century by architect Vladislav Horodetsky, who used it partly to showcase then-novel concrete construction. Its exterior swarms with sculpted animals, mythical creatures, hunting scenes and marine life, from elephants and rhinoceroses to mermaids and eagles. Facing Bankova Street opposite the presidential offices, the building now serves official state functions. Passers-by admire the eccentric decoration from the pavement below.