May 23, 1879, official opening of Bulgarian National Bank

Few people know that the current building of the Bulgarian National Bank is not the first, but its third home. It was built between 1934 and 1939, as two of the most famous architects in Bulgaria at that time were invited - Ivan Vasilyov and Dimitar Tzolov. The foundation stone of the building was laid on October 20, 1935 in a small pit. A glass cylinder with wood oil, containing the order to construct the building, signed by the mayor of Sofia, all Ministers and the Management Board of the bank was built in it. Although security was undoubtedly a priority for the construction of the building of the central bank, it became the third architectural gem in Sofia at that time, after the buildings of the Courthouse and the Ministry of War. Besides the construction the architects coped brilliantly with another challenge - to form a complex of the new bank building and the located near Buyuk Mosque, built in the XV century. They rejected the idea to demolish the mosque, so built a connection to it and thus united two architectural works from two different eras. The building was declared a monument of culture in the 70s of last century. So far it has been preserved in its authentic form since 1939 and has not undergone any reconstruction just minor repairs.