The name and the history of Sarafska House are closely linked with the Jewish family the Aries, whose forefather was born in Vienna and set led in Samokov in 1793.The wealth and splendor of this enterprising family were reflected in their houses and in the construction of the Synagogue at a time when no significant public buildings existed in the country and the exterior glamour of the house was still a novelty.

The so-called Big Sarafska house was not preserved. In it there was a lounge with a wood carved balcony where a musical band used to sit and the walls were painted with exotic landscapes of bays with palm trees, and with the silhouettes of faraway cites. There were four more houses built in the 1850s and 1860s but the only existing one inherited the name Sarafska.

Out of its splendor only the wood-carved ceilings and some of the ornamental decoration in the lounge have been preserved in the original. The furnishing has been collected specially for the restored house, which is a monument of culture.

Used text and photos of „Samokov Guide“-Authors: Nina Hristovskа, Nevena Mitreva, Desislava Kanazirova, Lyubomir Nikolov.