Congress Centre Sofia,National Palace of Culture

The National Palace of Culture - Congress Centre Sofia （NDK） is the largest multifunctional complex in Southeastern Europe.

The initiative to construct a large-scale cultural center in Bulgarias capital belongs to the leadership of the Sofia chapter of the Bulgarian Communist Party in the mid-1970s. 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.

The Palace was officially opened in 1981 to mark 1300 years since the founding of the Bulgarian state. It was designed to host a wide range of events such as international conventions， official meetings， conferences， symposia， discussion panels， exhibitions， festivals， concerts. The Palace is located in downtown Sofia and is surrounded by a park area.

The main building was designed by arch. Alexander Barov and his team of architects， and the design of the surrounding areas is the work of arch. Atanas Agura and team. The park area was designed by landscape architect Valentina Atanassova. Up until the changes in 1989， the Palace was named after the late Minister of Culture Lyudmila Zhivkova.

FACTS & FIGURES

◆123 000 sqm in area， it is an eight-storey building， with four panoramic terraces and three underground levels

◆300 parking spaces + an additional 40 for VIP parking

◆Over 300 events per annum with one million guests take place here annually

◆It houses 80 monumental works of art located in the halls and the foyers

◆Bulgarias most renowned concert venue for international artists

◆Producer of theater， concerts， exhibitions and the annual festivals Salon des Arts， Cinemania， New Years Music Fest

◆Home of the National Book Centre， The Feather （Peroto） Literary Club， Azaryan Theater and DNK Contemporary Dance and Performance Space