Sofia capital
Sofia capital city is located at the foot of Vitosha and Lyulin mountains. It was founded by the Serdi Thracian tribe in 8th - 7th century B.C. around the mineral spring which is in the center of the city. The Romans conquered the town in the 1st century and named it Serdica. By the 4th century, Serdica had become an important administrative centre of the Roman Empire and one of the favourite places for Emperor Constantine the Great. In 809, the Roman Serdica surrendered to the Bulgarian Khan Krum and was renamed to Sredets. The name Sofia was given after Saint Sophia Church in mid 14th century when Bulgarian fell under the Ottoman rule. After Bulgaria was liberated in 878, Sofia was proclaimed capital of Bulgaria on 3 April 1879.
Nowadays Sofia is a modern European city that apart from rich history can offer any contemporary entertainment. Its slogan “Grows but does not age” fully complies with its “busy” spirit. With a population of around 2 million people, Sofia is the major political, administrative, financial, IT, commercial, educational, science, cultural and medical centre of Bulgaria.
In Sofia you can enjoy extensive nightlife at high-class restaurants, cosy pubs, numerous bars and night clubs with live music. The city hosts many world-famous musical performances and has also won a reputation for a popular movie production destination due to high quality at reasonable costs. Actors like John Cusack, Patrick Swayze, Antonio Bandera’s, Alan Ford, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Steven Seagal, Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx have starred in movies made in Sofia.
It was not long ago when Sofia was known as the greenest European capital. Today, even after the extensive modern construction, it still remains friendly to its citizens in terms of vegetation. Borisova Gradina in the centre near Sofia University and Orlov most (Eagles’ Bridge), with its vast alleys and secluded glades, tennis courts and swimming pools, restaurants and cafés, kids playgrounds and fountains, Ariana lake which turns into an ice skating rink in winter, and Kokolandia extreme park, is one of the favourite parks both for adults and children. Southern, Western and Northern parks are the other big green areas in the city. Other green attraction is Vitosha Nature Park. Vitosha is a wonderful place for recreation, winter sports, hang- and paragliding, rock climbing, mountain biking and horse riding just 20 minutes from city centre.
History and culture lovers should not miss Boyana Church and Saint George Church in Sofia. Boyana Church, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, is considered one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of East European medieval art. Located on the outskirts of Sofia in Boyana district, Boyana Church consists of three buildings erected in different times but living in full harmony. The eastern part was built in the late 10th century, and then enlarged at the beginning of 13th century by Sebastocrator Kaloyan- the main benefactor of Boyana Church, who ordered a second two-storey building to be erected next to it. The third part of the church was built at the beginning of 19th century. Boyana Church is most famous for the frescoes painted in 1259 by the so called Boyana master and his team. These frescoes are typical for Tarnovo Artistic School which was the mainstream of the Bulgarian fine arts in 13th-14th century. You can combine a visit to Boyana Church with a tour at the national history museum located in Boyana district.
Saint George Church (the Rotunda) is the oldest entirely preserved building in Sofia. It was built in 3rd century A.D. as a pagan temple. Then in the first half of 4th century, at the time of Emperor Constantine the Great, this pagan temple was reconstructed into a baptystery. In the 6th century it was transformed into a church. During the middle ages, the relics of Saint Ivan Rilski, the most honored Bulgarian saint, were kept for a certain time in the Rotunda. Five layers of frescoes have been preserved in Saint George Church: the most ancient one dates back to 6th century; the second layer is from the end of 9th beginning of 10th century from the time of the First Bulgarian Kingdom; the third one is from the Byzantine period (end of 11th or the beginning of 12th century); the fourth layer – to the end of 14th century from the last days of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom; the fifth layer was made at the end of 16th century when the church was transformed into a mosque.
A good starting point for your walk around Sofia is Sveta Nedlya Square. Named after the cathedral there which is a popular place for wedding ceremonies, it is a kind of a religious centre of the city. The Theology Department of Sofia University is located nearby as well as Banya Bashi Mosque and the Synagogue. Sofia Synagogue is the second largest Sephardic (Spanish-Jewish) synagogue in Europe. Its building, over 100 years old, is one of the most beautiful monuments of culture in Sofia. Banya Bashi Mosque, the only mosque in Sofia dates back from mid 16th century. Its name literary means ‘many baths’ and is related to the fact that the mosque was built over natural thermal spas.
Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan is situated on the very Sveta Nedelya Square. In its backyard you can visit the beautiful Saint George Chuch (the Rotunda)- the oldest preserved building in Sofia. Spend some time also for visiting the small still functioning medieval church of Saint Petka of the Saddlers located in Sheraton Hotel / TZUM subway. Saint Petka Church is a monument of culture known for its frescoes from 14th, 15th, 17th and 19th century. Its name originates from the middle ages when Saint Petka was a patron of the saddlers who performed their rituals in the church. There is a popular hypothesis that the Bulgarian national hero Vassil Levski has been buried there.
Heading south from Sveta Nedelya Square you can enjoy the central shopping street in Sofia- Vitosha Boulevard that leads to the National Palace of Culture, the so called NDK, which is the most popular event centre of the city. The area around NDK with fountains, bagpipe musicians, enthusiastic skaters, numerous benches, nice cafes and an adjacent park is a wonderful place for meeting friends and staying in the open. Hilton Hotel is located nearby.
Heading east from Sheraton Hotel, you can see a number of places of interest following the yellow Viennese cobblestones that are a distinctive feature of Sofia. They cover the central city area including Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard starting from the Presidency building, passing by the Archeological Museum – the oldest museum in Bulgaria with most interesting collections of Thracian, Greek and Roman treasures, the central city store TZUM, the former Communist Party House with a typical Stalinist architecture and the stylish building of the National Bank. Next to the National Bank you can find the beautiful park of Ivan Vazov National Theater one of the most beautiful neo-baroque buildings in Sofia. This park is known for its beautiful fountains, street musicians and chess players. There you can see a number of exhibitions -near the fountains and also in the nearby Sofia Art Gallery, have an ice cream or a glass of beer with friends, or bring your kids to the playgrounds in the area. Following the yellow cobblestones, next comes the former Royal Palace, now home of the National Art Gallery and the National Ethnographic Museum; the National Museum of Natural History and the Russian church built at the beginning of the 20th century in a Russian Revival style. Next to the beautiful Russian Church is the Central Military Club- a popular venue for concerts, opera and theatre performances, exhibitions and formal ceremonies. Then you pass by the beautiful neoclassical buildings of the Italian and Austrian embassies and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The yellow cobblestone-paved boulevard finally reaches Narodno Sabranie Square with the Parliament building facing Radisson Blu Grand Hotel and the famous Tsar Osvoboditel (Tsar Liberator) monument erected in honour of Russian Emperor Alexander II who liberated Bulgaria from Ottoman rule. The magnificent golden domed St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral- one of the largest East Orthodox cathedrals in the world and a main tourist attraction in Sofia, is just behind the Parliament building. In its crypt you will find the marvelous Iconographic Museum. Hagia (Saint) Sophia Church, the second oldest church in the capital, dating back to the 6th century and the one after which Sofia city is named, is nearby the cathedral. Excavation and preservation works are currently undergoing there to open for visitors the 2nd century early Christian necropolis that is below Hagia Sophia. From Narodno Sabranie square you can see the impressive building of Sofia University and next to it you can visit Saints Cyril and Methodius National Library which houses the largest national book collection and is Bulgaria's oldest cultural institute.
Welcome to Sofia!