Sofia Opera

In 1921, the ruling agricultural party bought a large plot of land in the center of Sofia for the construction of a farmhouse. The young architect Lazar Parashkevanov prepared the building project. In 1923, the agricultural government was overthrown and the construction failed.

After 9 September 1944, left-wing members of the agricultural party maintained the communist regime. Again, the construction of the farm was proceeding and Lazar Parashkevanov faced a difficult problem. According to the initial project, the monumental entrance of the building was facing Dondukov Boulevard. There have been new buildings built over the years. The architect took a sensational decision. Despite the leveling, he turned the building to 180 degrees and placed the central façade on the small “Vrabcha” street. In the spring of 1947 the main stone of the building was laid.

After the autumn of 1947, the Communist Party fully mastered power in the country. Soon after, there had been changes in the farmhouse. The architect was ordered to rebuild the building into an opera. Lazar Parashkevanov was forced to demolish the already built parts of the building. For a very short time, he reworked his project according to the difficult requirements to create optimal acoustics.

The Sofia Opera was opened in 1953. The famous conductor Hermann Abendroth was invited to the solemn concert. He congratulated Lazar Parashkevanov. According to his assessment, after the Milan La Scala, the Sofia Opera has the best acoustics in Europe.