National Art Gallery

The palace was built immediately after the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule (1878) and the election of Sofia as the capital (1879).

The first Bulgarian prince Alexander I Battenberg (1879-1886) commissioned the Viennese architect Viktor Rumpelmeier (1830-1885) to rebuild the former Turkish inn. On December 26, 1882, the palace was officially opened. The stone foundations and part of the main facade have been preserved from the previous building. The new look includes a variety of architectural elements in the spirit of the time-honored mix of neo-styles. A new wing is being added on the northwest side. On the second floor there are the throne room, ballrooms, reception rooms, dining room and winter garden. On the lower floor are the offices of the palace services. According to contemporaries, the building acquired the charm of French palaces from the time of the Enlightenment. Today, the National Gallery is located in the central building and in this wing.

The second stage of construction was during the time of Prince Ferdinand I of Saxe-Coburg Gotha (1887-1918). According to a project by the Austrian architect Friedrich Grünanger (1856-1929), in 1894-1896, the three-story northeast building intended for the apartments of the princely family was built, with a library, study rooms, play and entertainment rooms, a dining room and a reception room, a covered entrance for carriages and two conservatories, guest apartments, staff quarters, elevator. This wing houses the National Ethnographic Museum.

After September 9, 1944, this most representative building in the capital became the seat of the Council of Ministers. In 1953, the state provided the former palace to the National Art Gallery and the National Ethnographic Museum.

The National Art Gallery is located in Sofia at 1 Knyaz Alexander I Square

The former Princely Palace and a converted Turkish inn. According to contemporaries, after the reconstruction, the building acquired the charm of French palaces from the time of the Enlightenment.

Source: https://nationalgallery.bg/