National Palace of Culture (NDK)

The National Palace of Culture is designed to host a wide range of events such as international conferences, official meetings, conferences, symposiums, panel discussions, exhibitions, festivals, concerts, it located in the city center of Sofia and surrounded by a park area.

The initiative to build a large-scale cultural center in the capital of Bulgaria was led by the Sofia branch of the Communist Party of Bulgaria in the mid-1970s. Later, the Sofia Chapter of the Communist Party of Bulgaria. and Sofia City Council decided to renovate the post-World War II urban area and transform it into a modern space that is part of the main city center and offers stunning views of Mount Vitosha. Almost all European cities at the time had a multi-functional cultural center and the city of Sofia was using the Universiada Sports Arena for such purposes. The project to build the Palace of Culture was assigned to the famous architect Alexander Barov and construction engineer Bogdan Atanassov. Then the chief architect of Sofia Vladimir Romenski, as well as the Minister of Architecture Stefan Staynov and advisor GS. Milcho Braynov also participated. Architects Atanas Agura and Valentina Atanassova were assigned to design the surrounding space and park area.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the National Palace of Culture took place on May 25, 1978. Only those who directly built the building were allowed to attend. “Only about ten of us, no publicity, no communication. In the early hours of that sunny May morning, we all felt happy and proud to be in charge of building Bulgaria's largest and most modern cultural center,” recounts Gueorgi Yordanov. . The construction of the Palace of Culture required 335,000 cubic meters of concrete and 1.7 million tons of soil were dug up. About 10 thousand tons of metal construction were used, approximately the amount used to build the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Some people call the NDK the second Alexander Nevsky Cathedral because the two buildings are symbols of Sofia, they are similar in size and scale, and have both received great contributions from the public.

The official opening of the NDK National Palace of Culture took place on March 31, 1981 to mark the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Bulgarian state. NDK is built with modern facilities and equipment for concerts, exhibitions, conferences, seminars, theatre, dance and cinema. The National Palace of Culture has become a venue for public events, both nationally and internationally, with the participation of world-famous artists and superstars since its establishment.

The main building of the Palace of Culture is designed in an arch style with an area of ​​123,000 square meters, with 8 floors, 4 panoramic terraces and 3 underground floors. The National Palace of Culture has 13 halls and 15,000 square meters of exhibition area, commercial center and car park. The main hall can accommodate more than 3,000 people. There are 80 monumental works of art, typically the seven-meter-tall bronze sculpture "Sun" by sculptor Gueorgi Chapkanov with the concept of the "Sun" ceiling of the houses. Renaissance in Bulgaria. And in the central foyer of the Palace you can find the gilded sculpture "The Revival", also known as "Mother Bulgaria", by sculptor Dimitar Boykov, symbolizing welcome and the revival of the city of Sofia and another iconic work of art is the bird, interwoven with the rays of the Sun, representing our "flight" to knowledge and light. There are also 54 offices and conference rooms, 17,000 square meters of corridor suitable for exhibition space, along with five restaurants and catering companies.

In July 2005, the National Palace of Culture was announced by the International Congress Center Organization as the best convention center in the world of the year.

Every year, NDK organizes more than 300 events such as international conventions, political forums, business conferences, scientific symposiums, music and film festivals, concerts, dance performances, stage, exhibition and fair. With its size and popularity, the NDK National Palace of Culture welcomes many visitors to visit and attend the events held here.

Website : www.ndk.bg

Phone : (+359) 2 916 6300

Hours of Operation :

Sunday - Friday: 09:00 - 19:00

Saturday: 09:45 - 19:00