The Idea to have a National Palace of Culture

The initiative to construct a large-scale cultural center in Bulgaria's capital belongs to the leadership of the Sofia chapter of the Bulgarian Communist Party in the mid-1970's. The actual first steps to implement the idea were taken in 1975 and included defining the scope of work, carrying out a feasibility study and developing the design for the project. At the time this part of downtown Sofia was not well developed and chaotic. Shortly after the WWII bombings of the Bulgarian capital, a dozen makeshift buildings were haphazardly erected on that terrain, alongside the existing coal freight train station, old military barracks and hundreds of hectares of barren land. That is why the Bulgarian Communist Party Sofia chapter and the Sofia Municipal Council decided to improve this urban area and turn it into a modern space that is part of the main city center and that offers a grand view to the Vitosha Mountain.

The terrain was initially earmarked for a new opera house. An international competition had been announced for the opera house design and construction, with the participation of local and international architects. The jury was chaired by the then head of the Culture Commission Pavel Matev. However, the Commission did not select a winner and the competition fell through. After heated discussion a unanimous decision was reached that the space would be most appropriate for a multifunctional cultural center. Almost all European cities at the time had similar centers.

The project was entrusted to the renowned architect Alexander Barov and the civil engineer Bogdan Atanassov. Then chief architect of Sofia Vladimir Romenski, as well as the minister of architecture Stefan Staynov and consultant Prof. Milcho Braynov also contributed. Architects Atanas Agura and Valentina Atanassova were entrusted with the task to design the surrounding space and park area.

Constructing the National Palace of Culture

The ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the National Palace of Culture took place on May 25th 1978. Only the people directly involved with the construction attended the ceremony. "There were only about ten of us, no public, no media. In the early hours of that sunny morning in May we were all feeling happy and proud to be responsible for the construction of the largest and most modern center of Bulgarian culture," recounts Gueorgi Yordanov.

The National Palace of Culture (NDK) was opened in 1981, with fanfare and remarks by the head of state himself Todor Zhivkov. Up until the changes in 1989, the Palace was named after the late Minister of Culture Lyudmila Zhivkova. Volunteer work and financial contributions from many Sofians were invested in the construction of the Palace.

Its construction took 335 000 cubic meters of concrete, and 1,7 million tones of earth were dug out. Around 10 thousand tones of metal constructions were used, which is approximately the same quantity used for the construction of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Some referred to NDK as the second Alexander Nevski Cathedral. Both buildings are symbols of Sofia, they are similar in terms of size and scale, and the Bulgarian public made its contribution to the construction of both.

The main challenge with the construction of NDK was the lack of enough construction workers. That is why the construction works brought to the Bulgarian capital thousands of citizens from Cyprus, Yugoslavia, Vietnam and other countries who took part in its construction.

The Opening

In the 80s the NDK complex turned into the long-anticipated shrine of culture and key venue for public events, both national and international. World renowned artist and superstars started being featured at the Palace, attracting the greats with its state-of-the-art facilities and equipment for concerts, exhibitions, conventions, seminars, theater, dance and cinema.

Symbols

The Phoenix, with its feathers streaming outward like the Sun's rays has always been one of the emblematic images associated with the National Palace of Culture. The Phoenix trademark is the work of the late Bulgarian graphic designer Stefan Kanchev.

Another symbolic image associated with the Palace is the seven meter-high bronze 'Sun' sculpture and can be found right over the main entrance of the building. It is the work of the sculptor Gueorgi Chapkanov and reminds of the old Bulgarian Revival houses' 'Sun' ceilings.

And in the central foyer of the Palace you can find the gold-plated sculpture of "The Revival", or also known as "Mother Bulgaria", by sculptor Dimitar Boykov, which symbolizes welcoming and revived city of Sofia. Another symbolic piece of art to be found in the interior of the building is the bird, interwoven into the Sun's rays, representing our 'flight' towards knowledge and light.

Prominent guests

Visiting artists and performers include Jose Carreras, Andrea Bocelli, Il Divo, Montserrat Caballe, Nigel Kennedy, Bolshoi Theater, St. Petersburg Symphonic Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with Herbert von Karajan, Konzertgebouw.

Visiting jazz, pop and rock artists include: Bob Dylan, Jethro Tull, Sting, Michael Bolton, Chuck Corea, Mark Knopfler, Status Quo, Joe Cocker, Kansas, Billy Cobham, Buena Vista Social Club, John Maclaughlin, Dream Theater, Mariza, Nazareth, Paco de Lucia, James Brown, TOTO, John Lord, Al Di Meola, Macy Grey, Bella Fleck, Mario Biondi, Gipsy Kings and many more.