Palace of Culture and Sports

The object is a complex of twenty-two identification units, intended for congress, cultural, sports and commercial activities. The entire site was designed for the period 1966-1987. by the design team of the Territorial Design Organization - Varna, after a national competition. Two second prizes were awarded. It was decided to work on the proposal of arch. Varuzhan Keham Manuyan (b. 1927). The working project was prepared by a team of designers headed by the prominent Varna architect Stefan Kolev Kolchev (b. 1931). The team also includes arch. Zhechko Marinov Cholakov (1926-1999), arch. Dimitar Kirilov Stoyanov (1926-2007) and arch. Virginia Ivanova Popova (b. 1931), who preserve the basic idea of arch. Manoyan. The unique construction for its time was the work of engineer Petko Stoyanov Milev (born 1931), engineer Hristo Ivanov Kolev (born 1936) and engineer D. Dochev. The revolutionary stage part is the work of a team led by engineer Hristo Kirchev (son-in-law of architect Zh. Cholakov and the first democratic mayor of Varna municipality).

The object is a multifunctional hall, called the "Congress" hall, together with the adjacent lobbies, communication areas and surrounding space, it was designed and built in the period 1966-1968. In the period 1986-1987 the second main building was built. It includes three new sports halls with the possibility of unification - the "Youth" halls and a hall for dance and performing arts - the "Choreography" hall. The "Congress" hall has been reconstructed, which now has 3,000 seats, new artistic lighting, boxes for journalists and simultaneous translation, air conditioning, an information board, a recovery center, etc. Thanks to the qualities of the authors and regardless of the difference in time for the realization of the two stages of the object, the result is a high-quality compositional solution, characterized by completeness and completeness.

Original construction documentation in full has been preserved for the object. There are archival photos from the beginning of construction until now.

In historical terms, the complex has a very high value characteristic. Sports, congress and cultural events of world, national and local importance have been held there. The historical data is stored and classified in the archives of the administration of the complex.

The concept, building structure and plan scheme of all objects were revolutionary for their time. The Congress Hall is the first in Eastern Europe and one of the first in the world, the roof of which has a suspended cable-stayed structure.

With its plastic-artistic image, the high quality of the overall volume-spatial composition and the complex implementation of the immediate surrounding environment, the complex acquires very high value qualities for the environment in which it is located. In terms of urban planning, the complex is an essential element of one of the most the bright and successive urban planning compositions of the city of Varna, including the Higher Naval School, the Palace of Culture and Sports and the pantheon in the Sea Garden.

Functionally, the object has been preserved in maximum authenticity, to the level of its original functions. Precisely as such, it has a significant economic potential and is successfully included in the cultural-tourist and sports investment system of the city of Varna.

The object is extremely popular on a regional, national and international level. Since its creation, the Palace of Culture and Sports - Varna has become one of the symbols of the city, both as an architectural and construction element, and in terms of meaning.