National Academy of Arts

The National Academy of Arts is an institution of higher education in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It is the oldest and most renowned school of arts in the country.The National Academy of Arts was founded in 1896 by the noted artists and public figures Ivan Mrkvička, Anton Mitov, the Jewish sculptor Boris Schatz. . as well as men of letters Konstantin Velichkov and Ivan Shishmanov. The faculty also included Jaroslav Věšín.Nikola Marinov served as Chancellor in the National Academy of Arts in the period 1935-1937 and was a professor between 1921 and 1940.1,000 students are being educated at the academy in various art subjects, as well as 130 foreign students and 35 future doctors. The academy consists of two faculties, a Faculty of Fine Arts and a Faculty of Applied Arts, each offering a number of subjects.The National Academy of Arts edifice was built in 1906 after a project by Alexander Smirnov, the construction being guided by F. Schwanberg.