Central Military Club

The Central Military Club in Sofia is among the masterpieces of the Bulgarian early 20th-century architecture, which still adorns the city center of Bulgaria’s capital city. It is one of the earliest monumental buildings erected after 1878 – the year of the re-establishment of the Bulgarian state after centuries of Ottoman government in 1878. The edifice was initially known as the Officer’s Club and its halls were used for receptions, festivities, balls and various events of the nascent capital’s elite, a larger part of which belonged exactly to the military class.

The foundation stone of the edifice was laid in 1895. The Military Club was designed by Czech architect Antonín Kolář in the Neo-Renaissance style and finished by Bulgarian architect Nikola Lazarov in 1907. It consists of two wings and tree monumental towers, whose facades are entirely covered by rich plastic decoration: elegant terraces, elaborate columns, windows adorned by triangular frontons etc. – a rich Renaissance palette of Neo-Classic architectural elements.

The lot and the funding was provided by the Sofia Officers’ Assembly. A stone from the battlefield at Slivnitsa from the Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885-1886) was laid in the foundations.

Today the Central Military Club is a multi-purpose monument of culture building in the centre of Sofia. It serves the Bulgarian Army and is administered by the Executive Agency of Military Clubs and Information.

The building of the Military Club features a unique concert hall with capacity of up to 450 spectators. It boasts remarkable acoustics and rich plastic decoration of skillfully created plaster casts of various architectural elements. The hall is lighted by graceful chandeliers, bought from Vienna. It radiates a feeling of style and aristocratic refinement. Its stage has seen a series of famous musicians, singers and actors.

The Central Military Club houses the Central Library of the Army, which possesses more than 120 thousand of volumes.

The 2010 world chess championship match between Viswanathan Anand of India and Vaselin Topalov of Bulgaria was held in this building.