On 12 October 2026, a celebration marking the 45th anniversary of the founding of the ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ National Endowment Fund took place in the Ballroom of the National Gallery.
The event was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture.
Bisera Yosifova, Executive Director of NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’, announced the donation to the National Gallery made by the Fund on its anniversary. The donation, which she presented to the Gallery’s Director, Aneliya Nikolaeva, included two portraits by Nikola Mihaylov (1876–1960) and an artwork by Bencho Obreshkov. One of the portraits depicts Dr Mishaykov, Tsar Ferdinand’s personal physician; the other is a portrait of Mihaylov’s wife.
Over the years, NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ has made other donations to the Gallery: the first being a work gifted to the Fund by the renowned British sculptor, Henry Moore. On 11 May 1981, he donated his bronze sculpture, ‘Helmet Head No. 6’, to Bulgaria, at a commemoration of the 13-century anniversary of the Bulgarian state. It is now kept at the National Gallery and is on display in its permanent exhibition at Kvadrat 500.
On the anniversary, Assoc. Prof. Plamen Slavov, Dr Habil. Hist., Deputy Minister of Culture, read a congratulatory address on behalf of Evtim Miloshev, Minister of Culture and Chair of the Management Council of NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’. ‘The contribution of NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ to the preservation of cultural and historical heritage and the promotion of Bulgarian culture, both in the country and around the world, is particularly valuable. Its support for significant cultural and educational projects, as well as its partnership with international organisations, is testimony to the Fund’s sustainable mission and its significant place in the nation’s public life.’—stated the Minister’s address to the Fund.
Bisera Yosifova also presented the ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ Honorary Crest to individuals and organisations that have contributed to the activities of NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’, in recognition of the anniversary of its establishment. The recipients included the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), Prof. Aksiniya Džurova, Prof. Valeri Stefanov (Director of the St Kliment Ohridski University Press), the Vapreki Foundation, and the National Gallery.
The event was attended by members of the Fund’s Management Council and former directors of the Fund, as well as government ministers, leaders of partner institutions, representatives of organisations supported by the Fund over the years, and journalists.
During the celebration, Vaklina Raycheva, a harpist at the Stefan Makedonski National Music Theatre, performed a selection of pieces, including: Chaconne (Theme and Variations), by George Frideric Handel; a Prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach; a Waltz by Johannes Brahms; Spanish Rhythms, by Andrea Guerra; Romeo and Juliet, by Nino Rota; two pieces by George Gershwin; the Charade Waltz, by Henry Mancini; an excerpt from West Side Story, by Leonard Bernstein; Memory, by Andrew Lloyd Webber; and various film scores.
To mark the anniversary, the event’s host Vasil Binev, also read a special congratulatory address to NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ on behalf of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Iliana Iotova.
‘Culture, spirituality, and our ancestral memory constitute a wealth that we inherit, accompanied by the responsible task of preserving it and passing it on. It is precisely this nationwide objective that the ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ National Endowment Fund set for itself 45 years ago.’
‘For over four decades, the Fund has pursued the mission of preserving, supporting, and developing our native Bulgarian culture. A single donation can save a literary writing or a work of art, while the organisation’s overall activity demonstrates how an individual’s gesture contributes to our shared future.’—stated the congratulatory address to the Fund.
On its 45th anniversary, NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ received congratulatory addresses from various institutions and organisations with which it has collaborated over the years. These include: the Ministry of Education and Science; the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy; the Sts Cyril and Methodius International Foundation; the Earth and Man National Museum; the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; the National Palace of Culture; the National Academy of Art; the Global Libraries – Bulgaria Foundation; the Ivan Dujčev Centre for Slavo-Byzantine Studies; the National Association of Stenographers, Typists, and Computer Operators; the Bulgarian Red Cross; the Vitosha District of Sofia Municipality; and the Municipality of Samokov.
Photographer: Stefan Markov
NEF ’13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ Archives