The gallery was established in 1934 and moved to the palace in 1946, after the abolition of the monarchy. The National Art Gallery is situated at an altitude of 556 m. The National Art Gallery had been planned for many years and between 1934 and 1941, Bulgaria’s first female architect Victoria Angelova’s design was built to house both a renaissance and contemporary art collection. The building was finished and opened in 1942, but was completely lost in a 1944 bombing.
Source: Wikipedia
