If you travel along the old road connecting the coastal towns of Chernomorets and Sozopol, you will come across an unusual sight- a house turned upside down with the roof on the ground and a small yellow VW Beetle on the roof. This is the latest attraction along the southern Black Sea coast which is now welcoming individual guests and groups of tourists who go there to fall into a state of…. disorientation.

This is so, because the two-storey building is turned upside down. It has several rooms which are furnished in an unusual manner. Here everything is turned upside down, even the smallest details are fastened to the ceiling. The house is owned by veterinarian Dr. Ana Chaneva. She came up with the idea to build the house during a trip to Thailand. Ana and her family visited a similar house on Phuket Island and were fascinated. “We decided that such a house would make the holidaymakers’ vacation more complete and they would be in a better mood”, the house’s owner said for Radio Bulgaria. 

However, designers faced a series of challenges when they started building the eccentric structure. “The problem was that we had to turn the whole structure so that it would hold steady on the roof. The floor space is only 9 square meters. In other words, a very small foundation support 300 square meters of space”, Dr. Ana Chaneva explained.

Construction began one and a half years ago and ended in just six months. Next came furnishing, where special attention was paid to every detail. The single-family house consists of a living room, kids room, bedroom and kitchen. Everything is hanging from the ceiling. “Our guests have a lot of fun. They make selfies and photos and ask questions about the house”, Dr. Ana Chaneva said and added:

“Interestingly, there are no butaphoric elements. Everything is original-washing machines, dishwashers, coffee machines, ovens, plates, glasses, everything is real and there is no plastic or styrofoam. The car on top of the roof is also real. That was another real challenge- how to fix it to the roof”, said Dr. Chaneva.

If you imagine the house upside down, it is as if the car owner has parked his car in front of the front door after work. The vehicle is parked in front of the house, but it is practically hanging over your heads. It is no coincidence that tourists call the attraction The Beetle house. However, the feeling of disorientation grabs you the moment you approach the building which sits on its roof. Inside, you can feel the cozy atmosphere.

“My husband is into antiques. That is why there are many interesting and valuable antiques in the house. For instance, there are many sextants-ancient instruments used in celestial navigation. In the past, there were no compasses and people used those devices to measure the angle between an astronomical object and the horizon for the purposes of navigation. We also have globes, musical instruments, etc. We placed a unique diving suit outside. We have tried to create and authentic home atmosphere. For example, the sextants are placed in the man cave. There is a table and two armchairs where men play chess, smoke cigars and drink whiskey. Sea maps are lined up, there are replica of hunting weapons…”

The Beetle house is among the most visited tourist attractions along the southern coastline this summer. Why? “Because everything here promotes a good mood and can make you laugh sincerely”, Dr. Ana Chaneva concluded.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov