Bulgaria: Maria Luisa Doseva-Georgieva

Born in 1894 in Targovishte, Bulgaria, Maria Luisa Doseva-Georgieva is considered the first woman to practice architecture in Bulgaria. She was also the second woman to become a licensed architect in Bulgaria (the first woman was Elena Markova). Doseva-Georgieva held a diploma in Architecture from the Technical University of Darmstadt in Darmstadt, Germany (1917). She completed postgraduate training, earning a certification from the Ministry of Buildings and Public Works to practice architecture. Doseva-Georgieva married Minko Georgiev, (1918), an architect who participated in the establishment of the Bulgarian Society of Architecture and Engineering (BIAD). Doseva-Georgieva established an independent architectural firm in Burgas, Bulgaria (c. 1920), and then worked for the Regional Design Organization in Burgas (1947); she continued a career until her retirement (1973). She was named an honorary member of the Union of Architects in Bulgaria (1968). Doseva-Georgieva died in 1975 in Burgas.