site.btaMarch 31, 1981: National Palace of Culture Inaugurated in Sofia

On March 31, 1981, the National Palace of Culture (NDK) in Sofia was inaugurated. The building was meant to commemorate Bulgaria's 13th centenary. The building process took three years, between 1978 and 1981, and required more than 10,000 tonnes of steel.

Up until the fall of the communist regime in 1989, NDK was named after the late minister of culture and daughter of the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party, Todor Zhivkov.

NDK's first logo was a phoenix designed by Stefan Kanchev. Another image associated with the building is a stylized sun with rays that resemble ears of wheat. A bronze replica of that symbol can be seen above the main entrance of the building.

Since it was unveiled 45 years ago, NDK has hosted some of the biggest names in music and entertainment, such as Jose Carreras, Andrea Bocelli, Montserrat Caballe, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with Herbert von Karajan, Nigel Kennedy, Bob Dylan, Sting, Brian May, Mark Knopfler, Joe Cocker, Buena Vista Social Club, Nazareth, Paco de Lucia, James Brown, Concha Buika, Macy Grey, Emeli Sande, and many others.