The heavy artillery of Sofia’s cultural life. The National Palace of Culture was built upon the idea of Lyudmila Zhivkova, the daughter of Bulgaria’s longest-serving communist, as part of the celebrations of the 1300th anniversary since the foundation of Bulgaria. Opened in 1981, the massive building became the largest cultural and convention center in the country. The National Palace of Culture is valuable not only for its architectural heritage and beautiful adjacent park, occupied by skaters, youngsters and old citizens, but also for its current hospitality for important cultural events, such as Kinomania and Sofia Film Fest movie festivals. There are many concert and theatre spaces, a new National book centre with a 24/7 bookstore and a bar. In 2018 this building welcomed the Bulgarian presidency of the European Union.

#soSofia tip: Check their website for more information, everyday there is a different happening in NDK.