Joseph Vondrak Professional High School

The first principal of the high school, Joseph Vondrak, laid the foundation stone the current building in 1906. The Carpentry School, as it was known in Ruse, became popular beyond the country with its awards from the international exhibitions:

1906 - "Grand Prix" and Gold Medal at the London Exhibition

1935 - "Grand Prix" and Gold Medal at the Bari Exhibition in Italy

Gold medals and honorary diplomas at the exhibitions in Liège and Thessaloniki.

The students made the well-known room in white for the royal palace in Euxinograd, furniture of international wood veneers from the late 30's, the mahogany bedroom, the rooms of ash tree, rhizomes and walnut and the rosewood canteen - a masterpiece made in 1920. The front door of Holy Trinity church (1930), the bishop’s throne (1932) and the iconostasis of the Holy Mother of God church in Ruse were all carved in the early 40's of XX c.

These successes were achieved under the expert guidance of the school's principal Joseph Vondrak, a Czech specialist in furniture manufacturing. He was born on 5th October 1862 in Bechyně. Vondrak specialized in furniture production in Linz, Austria and worked as an assistant-master in well-known carpentry factories in Vienna.

In 1895 the carpentry department moved from Knyazhevo to Ruse and Joseph Vondrak was appointed as its expert manager, who also taught practical classes and special drawing.

Vondrak is the founder of Modern Carpentry magazine. At the end of his career, he donated 20,000 BGN to establish the Joseph Vondrak Fund, from which the most successful projects implemented in Bulgarian national style could be awarded.