The Building of Bulgaria’s National Assembly, Sofia

The Building of Bulgaria’s National Assembly, Sofia

The National Assembly serves as the sole legislative body and parliament of the Republic of Bulgaria. It was initially established in 1879 alongside the Tarnovo Constitution.

During the period of communist rule from 1946 to 1989, the National Assembly was largely seen as a mere rubber stamp for the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP). Its influence was limited to matters of lesser importance and significance to the communist regime, as the BCP had complete control over the selection and election processes within its political framework, effectively suppressing any opposition.

The National Assembly Building, utilized for parliamentary debates, holds great historical value and is considered a cultural monument. Situated in the heart of Sofia, it was designed in the Neo-Renaissance style by Konstantin Jovanović, an architect of Serbian-Bulgarian heritage who received his education in Vienna and Switzerland. Among his notable works is the Parliament of Serbia building.

Construction of the National Assembly Building took place between 1884 and 1886, led by Friederich Wilhelm Gustav Liebe, a young builder from Saxony who was only 22 years old at the start of the project. Originally, the building was painted in an off-white color, but it has been white since the latter part of the 20th century.

Notably, the National Assembly Building is depicted on the reverse side of the Bulgarian 20 leva banknote, which was issued in both 1999 and 2007.

Due to space constraints in the primary building located at Parliament Square, certain administrative offices of the National Assembly now occupy the former headquarters of the Bulgarian Communist Party, situated at the Largo edifices.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Sofia. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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The Building of Bulgaria’s National Assembly on Map

Sight Name: The Building of Bulgaria’s National Assembly
Sight Location: Sofia, Bulgaria (See walking tours in Sofia)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark

Walking Tours in Sofia, Bulgaria

Create Your Own Walk in Sofia

Create Your Own Walk in Sofia

Creating your own self-guided walk in Sofia is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Communist Era Landmarks Walk

Communist Era Landmarks Walk

In the not-so-distant past Bulgaria was part of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc. Today, this is one of the few countries where you can still find numerous relics of the Communist era manifested in monumental architectural landmarks. Concrete and metal were the main materials as a symbol of the industrialized nation, and the size was important too as a common architectural characteristic prescribed by...  view more

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 6.6 Km or 4.1 Miles
Sofia Introduction Walking Tour

Sofia Introduction Walking Tour

"Ever growing, never aging" This is the motto of Sofia, capital city of Bulgaria. Under different names, the area of Sofia has had a 7,000 year history. Organized settlements around the area's hot water springs existed as early as the third millennium BC. A Thracian state union there was raided by Philip II of Macedon in 339 BC.

The Celtic Serdi provided the name...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles

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Sofia Shopping: 15 Things To Memorize Bulgaria By

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