Varna will have a multifunctional culture center before 2019, when the city is expected to become the European capital of culture. The news were announced by the chairman of the Municipality council Borislav Gutsanov.

The new art center will replace the old harbour Varna-east and will be the analogue of the Australian Sidney Opera, said Gutsanov. Still, the project will not copy the architecture of one of the symbols of Australia. The concert hall is the key point of the make-over of the harbour complex into an attractive, culture center.

To complete the project, the municipality will announce an international competition, which will likely attract prominent architects from all over the world. The lack of a proper-size modern concert hall that is suitable for spectacles and music performances of various ranges is one of the serious problems for the people of art in Varna. It is also a major stopper of visits of foreign artists.