Do you want to spend time that delights both the eye and the soul? We’ve got an idea of what you’ll love! Take a closer look at the National Gallery of Art. Sofia has not one but two National Art Gallery buildings within walking distance along the yellow pavement, known as The Palace and Square 500. 

Square 500 is the National Gallery’s newest and largest building, which opened in 2015. It was originally conceived in 1880 to be the State Printing House, but after the historical events that followed, the concept underwent several changes until it was designated as a place for art. 28 halls on four levels exhibit 17,000 works of Bulgarian and foreign artists from the rich collection of the gallery, which counts more than 42,000 museum pieces. The exhibition includes emblematic works representing Bulgarian art of the mid-19th and 20th centuries, European art of the 15th-20th centuries, and examples from Asia, Africa, and America.

Both The Palace and Square 500 are important institutions for the memory of Bulgarian art. And if you want to take home a memento, both locations have shops for interesting souvenirs.