Founded in 1904 by the artists from the '''' company, the theatre was initially called simply the National Theatre, but before being named after the prominent writer Ivan Vazov it also bore the name of
Krastyu Sarafov between 1952 and 1962. Vazov's play
The Outcasts was the first to be performed at the theatre when it opened. The theatre's
neoclassical building, designed by famous
Viennese theatre architects
Hermann Helmer and
Ferdinand Fellner, was finished in 1906 and opened on 3 January 1907. A theatrical school was established as part of the National Theatre in 1925. The building was extensively damaged by a fire in 1923 during an anniversary celebration, but was reconstructed in 1929 by German architect
Martin Dülfer. The
bombing of Sofia in World War II caused further damage to the building, but it was reconstructed in 1945. Another reconstruction followed in 1971–1975, and a
€100,000 restoration project was implemented in 2006. == Gallery ==