Closed due to the state of emergency imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic, for the past month cultural institutes in Bulgaria have been unable to welcome the public where they usually do – in their halls and other designated spaces. Many theatre and opera companies, as well as orchestras and groups, started recording and streaming plays, concerts and performances of theirs on social media. Some offer live streams. The National Palace of Culture in Sofia also closed doors and will become part of the country’s virtual cultural life at 9 PM on 20 April with a special screening of a film shot at the palace last year.

This is a time of crisis, the NPC cannot be opened, that is why we are trying to present to the public the art the palace has treasured, as well as everything we have produced, explains Borislav Velkov, chairman of the board of directors of the congress and cultural centre. The in-concert movie we shall screen “The four seasons’ was part of the latest edition of Cinemania where it stirred a great deal of interest. We are grateful to have been given permission and an opportunity to screen it again, and we are hoping that in this way we shall be able to join our colleagues from the other cultural institutes who are also presenting the best of their content. For myself I can say I am happy that at this moment we have more time to turn our attention to works that are really worthwhile, like this film.

In order to keep in contact with the public, the NPC launched a special campaign on social media. Under the motto “Time for communion with art”, the national cultural institute aims to reveal some of its emblematic architectural and interior design details, as well as historical facts connected with the NPC’s congress and cultural activities through the years. The National Palace of Culture, inaugurated in 1981 to mark 1,300 years since the founding of the Bulgarian state, has preserved, within its walls, a rich heritage in different forms of art – including woodcarving, ceramics and tapestry-making.

Most of these works are integrated into the architecture of the palace and the only way to come in contact with them is to visit or take part in the events taking place in its various halls, Borislav Velkov says. We believe that the NPC is a congress and cultural centre on the one hand, but on the other it is a gallery of sorts. Through the years we have tried to come up with different ways for people to be able to visit the palace as part of their strolls in the city, but because of our busy schedule and the multitude of events in recent years such a thing was difficult to organize.

Interestingly, part of the artistic design of the halls and spaces inside the building was actually done before it was finished and before the glazing was done. The reason for this was the short deadline and the ambition to open the palace on time. Even so, a truly talented generation of Bulgarian sculptors, artists, architects were commissioned to do the work, and they contributed so much to making the National Palace of Culture what it is today.

In 2021 the National Palace of Culture is to celebrate its 40^th anniversary. As Borislav Velkov says “it should be celebrated fittingly because the NPC is part of the country’s history, but also because it marked the start of a new age in the culture and congress industry”.

Photos: NPC, BGNES and Ani Petrova