Travel to Sofia pot

Download free ebooks at bookboon.comThe Bulgarian capital of Sofia is an ancient city that, since the severance from the Ottoman Empire in 1878, has developed from provincial town to cos

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Download free ebooks at bookboon.com

Translation:

All rights and copyright relating to the content of this

book are the property of Ventus Publishing ApS, and/or its

suppliers Content from this book, may not be reproduced

in any shape or form without prior written permission from

Ventus Publishing ApS.

Quoting this book is allowed when clear references are made,

in relation to reviews are allowed.

ISBN 978-87-7061-477-1

2nd edition

Pictures and illustrations in this book are reproduced according

to agreement with the following copyright owners

Stig Albeck

The stated prices and opening hours are indicative and may

have be subject to change after this book was published.

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The Bulgarian capital of Sofia is an ancient city

that, since the severance from the Ottoman

Empire in 1878, has developed from provincial

town to cosmopolitan city with a pleasant

atmosphere among the many sights, gardens and

parks, and fashionable shopping centres

welcoming visitors

Sofia’s countless beautiful buildings and structures

from centuries past stand side by side with ancient

churches and various buildings from not least the

Ottoman era Along with the imposing style of

building of the Bulgarian Communist era, this adds

an interesting architectural variety to Sofia’s

townscape

The surroundings of Sofia are characterized by

beautiful nature and relics of ancient culture The

Vitosha Mountains are located right outside the

city boundaries of Sofia and they, thus, offer a

possibility of experiencing near-wilderness

surroundings just a short trip from the big city

The Rila Monastery and the second-largest

Bulgarian city, Plovdiv, are both places that

demonstrate the culture and rich history of the

region

Have a great trip!

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Historical Overview

Sofia is located in western Bulgaria’s fertile flat

country and the agricultural potentialities have

attracted settlers and generally influenced the area

for thousands of years

The first permanent settlement is believed to have

been by the Thracian tribe Serdi that founded

Serdica Remains of Serdica have been discovered

in what is now the centre of Sofia

Despite many attacks, the Greek Thracians

managed to keep Serdica through centuries, at

least until the Romans settled here around AD 100

Serdica became a fortified principal town in the

province of Dacia

As was the case when Philip II of Macedon

destroyed Serdica in 339 BC, the town was

seriously ravaged after the attack of the Huns in

the 400s However, 200 years would pass before

an actual reconstruction took place This happened

during Byzantium’s Emperor Justinian’s rule in the

600s

In the end of the 600s, Bulgarian khan Asparuh

fought Byzantium and, following a victory in 681,

the first Bulgarian kingdom was established Pliska

was made capital and the newly established

territory covered parts of present Bulgaria

During the rule of khan Krum, King of Bulgaria in

803-814, great battles were fought against the

Byzantines and, in 809, Serdica was conquered

The town now became known as Sredets and part

of the Bulgarian kingdom Until 1018, Bulgarians

and armies of the Byzantine Emperor fought

continuously In 1018, Emperor Basil, also known

as the Killer of Bulgarians, conquered the

Bulgarian kingdom and, thus, also Sredets which now changed its name to the Byzantine Triaditsa

In 1186, the second Bulgarian kingdom was established when a rebellion arose against Byzantium in Veliko Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo now became the capital of the new kingdom The name Sofia first appeared in 1382 in a document from Tsar Shishman The name of the city refers

to the Hagia Sofia Church that can still be seen in Sofia today

In 1396, Bulgaria was conquered by Turks from Istanbul and this was the beginning of almost 500 years under foreign rule The Turks attempted to introduce their culture and traditions to the newly conquered area but constantly there was a Bulgarian resistance to the foreign power, not least from the monasteries south of Sofia

During the Turkish rule, the country developed financially; however, Sofia did not undergo the rapid growth that other later big cities in Europe experienced Thus, until Bulgaria’s emancipation, Sofia remained quite a small city

In the middle of the 1800s, the Bulgarian national resistance to the Ottomans had grown, which manifested itself in actual fighting Among the rebels gathering in monasteries in the mountains were Vasil Levski and Hristo Botev; two great heroes of the war of independence

Following unsuccessful attacks in 1876, forces from nearby Russia arrived in 1878 In company with the Bulgarians, the Russians fought against the

Ottomans, who had to withdraw from Bulgaria It was this year that Bulgaria became independent The following year, Sofia, which at the time had a population of 18,000 people, was made capital of Bulgaria This decision was the beginning of Sofia’s development into the megapolis that it is today

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The German prince, Alexander, was elected King

of Bulgaria in Sofia By early industrialization, the

city flourished The following decades, many

leadership replacements took place in Sofia

Alexander abdicated and Prince Ferdinand was

made King of Bulgaria and from 1895-1918

self-proclaimed Tsar Hereafter, Boris III attained

power From 1923, the country was governed by

the nationalist military rule That same year, a

Communist coup attempt lead by Georgi

Dimitrov failed and Dimitrov had to flee

The 1930s were affected by industrialization even

though agriculture still was of great importance to

Bulgarian society During World War II, Sofia was

destroyed by bombardments This created an even

more urgent housing shortage than previously

Georgi Dimitrov returned to Sofia as the new

leader of the new Communist democratic republic

At the same time as Bulgaria became one of

Eastern Europe’s great agricultural countries,

Bulgaria also developed industrially; especially

around Sofia where many new city quarters were

built in the decades following the war

In 1990, there was a change of the Bulgarian

political system Today, visitors can expect a green

and charming capital where attractions and sights

are within walking distance

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The Sofia Synagogue is designed by Austrian

Friedrich Grünanger in 1909 The synagogue is a

symbol of the Jews’ part in the establishment of the

capital of Sofia That is, the Jews played a quite

significant part in 1878 when the Turkish Ottomans

could have destroyed much more of the city during

their withdrawal than was actually the case

At the time of its construction, almost every fifth

inhabitant in Sofia was Jewish and the Sofia

Synagogue is the largest Sephardic synagogue in

Europe Inside, one can view an impressive brass

chandelier weighing 2.2 tons hanging from the

dome, among other things

2 Central Sofia Market Hall/ȄȓțȠȞȎșțȖ ȟȜȢȖȗȟȘȖ ȣȎșȖ

Bul Maria Luiza 28/ǎȀǸ ǙǭǽǵȌ ǘȀǵǴǭ Ȳ 28 Metro: Serdika/ǞǲǽǱǵǷǭ

The Central Sofia Market Hall, also known simply

as Halite/ǢǭǸǵǿǲ is Sofia’s great covered market The building was built in 1909 and inaugurated in

1911 Bulgarian Naum Torbov is the architect and the neo-renaissance halls are considered his best work Today, the halls are restored and appear as a combination of market and shopping mall where the old setting has been preserved

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The great Banya Bashi Mosque is built in 1576 by Ottoman master builder Hadzhi Mimar Sonah It

is built in a stately style of sultans with a large dome and minaret

The name Banya Bashi means ‘many baths’ and is derived from the neighbouring buildings which are the city’s historical natural thermal spas The mosque is still functioning

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4 Sofia Public Mineral

Baths/ȄȓțȠȞȎșțȎ ȚȖțȓȞȎșțȎ ȏȎțȭ

ul Triaditsa/ȀǸ ǟǽǵǭǱǵȃǭ

Metro: Serdika/ǞǲǽǱǵǷǭ

Sofia is blessed with several curative springs with

water temperatures of about 50 °C Sofia’s Public

Mineral Baths are built in an impressive Oriental

style and it is definitely Sofia’s most beautiful

historical bathing spa It was built in 1911-1913 as

‘The Turkish Bath’ and continued to work as

public baths until 1986

as the Party House/ǎǵǯȅǭ ǾǰǽǭǱǭ Ǻǭ ǷǻǹȀǺǵǾǿǵȄǲǾǷǭǿǭ ǼǭǽǿǵȌ, it was built in the 1950s A stately and grandiose style characterizes the building complex; this is due to the fact that the buildings were meant to represent the capabilities of the political system after World War

II Certainly, it is too one of the most beautiful examples of Communist architecture in Eastern Europe outside the former Soviet Union

In 1951, it was decided to build the Largo and, the following year, the site was cleared of buildings damaged during World War II The building of the central Party House was completed in 1955; at that time, graced with a red star on top In 1965, the ministerial building south of the Party House was completed and, the following year, the department store TZUM/ǣǠǙ was built north of the Party House

Originally, there was a statue of Lenin situated in the open space between the Largo buildings, known as the Independence Square (pl

Nezavisimost); however, since 2000, a statue of St Sofia has embellished the square

Today, the three Largo buildings are in use for different purposes The Party House is now employed as offices for the Bulgarian National Assembly, ǚǭǽǻǱǺǻ ǾȇǮǽǭǺǵǲ The building located south of the Party House houses both the President

of Bulgaria as well as an international hotel The department store TZUM is still located in the northern building, which also houses the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria, ǙǵǺǵǾǿǲǽǾǷǵȌǿ Ǿȇǯǲǿ

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This church is the oldest preserved building in

Sofia; it is built in the shape of a rotunda by the

Romans in the 300s It was not until the Middle

Ages that the building was made a church Inside

the Church of St George, there are a number of

frescos painted during several centuries; some are

painted as early as the 900s Next to the church,

remains of the Roman town Serdica can be seen

Today, the location houses a museum The church

can be somewhat difficult to find since it is

situated in the courtyard of a block

7 Church of St Petka Samardshiiska/ȄȨȞȘȐȎ ǿȐȓȠȎ ǽȓȠȘȎ ǿȎȚȎȞȒȔȖȗȟȘȎ

pl Nezavisimost/ǼǸ ǚǲǴǭǯǵǾǵǹǻǾǿ Metro: Serdika/ǞǲǽǱǵǷǭ

This little church is located in the middle of Sofia’s busy traffic One arrives at the church by a pedestrian subway, which means that it is actually easier than it looks to get to it

The church is named after Bulgarian saint St Petka

It is erected on the spot where a religious building was located as early as back in the Roman Period The present church contains excellent frescos from several centuries of the Middle Ages

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8 Church of Sveta Nedelja/ȄȨȞȘȐȎ

ǿȐȓȠȎ ǻȓȒȓșȭ

Pl Sveta Nedelja/ǜǸ Ǟǯǲǿǭ ǚǲǱǲǸȌ

The Church of Sveta Nedelja is built in the old

town centre of Sofia when the city was known as

Serdica In the Roman Period, a large structure,

measuring 100x50 metres in base, was situated

here; this building is believed to have been a civil

administration building

Down through the ages, several churches have

been located on this very spot The present, the

Church of Sveta Nedelja, is built in 1856-1863

Previously, the church was known as ‘The Church

of the Blessed King’, named after Serbian King

Stefan Uroš II Milutin ruling in the 1300s His

relics have been stored here in a wooden chest

since the 1700s

Today, the church is Sofia’s second most important

religious location after the Aleksander Nevski

Cathedral Among the Bulgarians buried here is

Joseph I, Bulgarian church leader in 1877-1915

9 Vitosha Boulevard /ǯȡșȓȐȎȞȒ ǰȖȠȜȦȎ

Vitosha Boulevard/ǎȀǸǲǯǭǽǱ Ǐǵǿǻȅǭ Metro: Serdika/ǞǲǽǱǵǷǭ

The central street, Vitosha Boulevard, runs south from Sofia’s town centre towards the silhouette of the Vitosha Mountains rising in the air, 7

kilometres outside the capital The street functions

as one of the main streets in Sofia with lots of cafés and shops; Vitosha Boulevard is actually one

of the most expensive shopping streets in Europe with many famous brands

Until the beginning of the 1900s, all but merely smaller buildings could be found on this long-stretching street but, in the time between World War I and II, several great, beautiful buildings arose side by side

10 Sofia Court House/ǿȨȒȓȏțȎ ȝȎșȎȠȎ

Vitosha Boulevard 2/ǎȀǸǲǯǭǽǱ Ǐǵǿǻȅǭ 2 www.vks.bg

The Sofia Court House is built in an imposing neo-classical style and is one of the more grandiose structures along the magnificent Vitosha Boulevard The courthouse was built in 1929-1940

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The National Archaeological Museum contains countless finds, not least from Bulgaria’s Thracian and Roman past Among the many objects are bronzes of the 700s, mosaics of the 500-600s as well as a Greek tombstone of the 500s from the ancient town of Apollonia; now

Sozopol/ǞǻǴǻǼǻǸ

The museum occupies the building of the former Grand Mosque, Bujuk Dzjamija/ǎȀȋǷ ǱǳǭǹǵȌ; the largest and oldest of the mosques built during Ottoman rule The building started around the year 1474 under Sultan Mehmed II

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The building of the Bulgarian National Bank in

Sofia houses a museum depicting the monetary

history of Bulgaria and that of the bank itself The

museum opened in 1999 in connection with the

This square is the largest in Sofia and several large

buildings and institutions surround it The square

is named after Alexander Joseph of Battenberg,

who was the first prince of modern Bulgaria He

reigned from 1879-1889

During Bulgaria’s Communist era lasting from

1944-1989, the square was named after the special

day of September 9th; the day of the Communist takeover Since the death of the head of state, Georgi Dimitrov, in 1949, his embalmed body was kept in a mausoleum here, at least until the year of

1999 when the mausoleum was pulled down

14 National Art Gallery/ǻȎȤȖȜțȎșțȎ ȣȡȒȜȔȓȟȠȐȓțȎ ȑȎșȓȞȖȭ

Prins Alexander Battenberg-pladsen/ǜǸǻȆǭǱ ǗǺȌǴ ǍǸǲǷǾǭǺǱȇǽ ǎǭǿǲǺǮǲǽǰ

The historical royal palace, also an attraction in itself, constitutes the perfect setting for the display

of interesting works of art

15 National Ethnographical Museum/ǳȠțȜȑȞȎȢȟȘȖ Țȡȕȓȗ

ul Moskovska 6A/ȀǸ ǙǻǾǷǻǯǾǷǭ Ȳ 6Ǎ http://ethnography.cc.bas.bg

Like the National Art Gallery, the Sofia National Ethnographical Museum is housed in the former

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royal palace Here, one can view an interesting

collection of Bulgarian arts and crafts f the latest

The Bulgarian National Museum of Natural

History is one of the largest of its kind in the

Balkans It was founded in 1889 and holds a large

collection of animal and mineral species

17 Russian Church of Sofia/Church

of St Nicholas the Maker/ǾȡȟȘȎȠȎ ȤȨȞȘȐȎ ǿȐȓȠȖ ǻȖȘȜșȎȗ ȅȡȒȜȠȐȜȞȓȤ

Miracle-Bul Zar Osvboditel 3/ǎȀǸ ǣǭǽ ǛǾǯǻǮǻǱǵǿǲǸ Ȳ 3

In keeping with tradition for such official Russian churches, the church is named after Russian ruler at the time of construction; Tsar Nicholas II of Russia The beautiful church is inspired by Muscovite Russian churches of the 1600s It has golden

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onion-shaped copulas and a typical motley exterior

The fact that the church is located in a small

garden makes the attraction even more appealing

and worth visiting

18 Central Military Club/ȄȓțȠȞȎșȓț

The edifice was built in 1895-1907 in a renaissance style, designed by Czech architect Antonín Koláő

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19 Ivan Vazov National

Theatre/ǻȎȞȜȒȓț ȀȓȎȠȨȞ ǶȐȎț ǰȎȕȜȐ

pl Djakon Ignatij 5/ǼǸ ǑȌǷǻǺ ǕǰǺǭǿǵǶ Ȳ 5

www.nationaltheatre.bg

Beautifully located facing the City Garden lies the

elegant Ivan Vazov National Theatre The theatre

was founded in 1904 and the neo-classical building

completed in 1906 Today, it is one of the most

famous architectural landmarks of Sofia

In 1923, the theatre was extensively damaged by a

fire and not until the year of 1929 was the building

reconstructed by German architect Martin Dülfer

The theatre is named after the author Ivan Vazov,

who laid the foundations of modern Bulgarian

literature The Ivan Vazov National Theatre holds

many stages and the largest stage seats about 750

Sofia Art Gallery is located in the central City

Garden The gallery has alternating exhibitions of

different art forms Holding thousands of works, the museum has one of the most abundant and rich collections in Bulgaria, and it is, normally, parts of this collection that are displayed

With its many fountains and flower gardens, the City Garden is the most beautiful garden in the centre of Sofia The park oozes tranquillity and many locals come here to play chess, among other pastimes

21 Ivan Vazov Museum/Țȡȕȓȗ țȎ ǶȐȎț ǰȎȕȜȐ

ul Ivan Vazov/ȀǸ ǕǯǭǺ ǏǭǴǻǯ www.slovo.bg/vazovmuseum Metro: Kl Okhridski/ǗǸ.ǛȂǽǵǱǾǷǵ (future station)

Ivan Vazov is one of the most noted and treasured Bulgarian authors Especially, his short story Pod igoto/ǜǻǱ ǵǰǻǿǻ, dealing with life around the time of the revolt against the Turkish Ottoman Empire, is widely famous The museum is situated

on the very location where Vazov lived from 1895

to the end of his life The interior has remained practically untouched since that time

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The equestrian monument of Russian Emperor Alexander II is situated on the square in front of the National Assembly of Bulgaria The

foundation stone was laid in 1901, in 1903, the monument was completed, and, finally, in 1907, it was officially inaugurated

The monument was erected in honour of the tsar who liberated Bulgaria by defeating the Turkish Ottomans during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-

1878 Following this victory, Bulgaria could finally re-establish itself as an independent state

The statue is partly made of black granite from the Vitosha Mountains located just south of Sofia

Also, bronze parts adorn the monument; the bronze is from Rumania in memory and honour of the many Rumanian soldiers who died during the war The bas-relief depicts a group of Bulgarian and Russian soldiers under the command of Greek Goddess of Victory, Nike, her sword raised high

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The National Assembly is the Bulgarian parliament

The history of the parliament dates as far back as

1879 The current composition is formed on the

basis of Bulgaria’s constitution from 1991 The

parliament building is constructed in

neo-renaissance style in the years 1884-1886, designed

by Bulgarian architect Konstantin Jovanoviý

24 Bulgarian Academy of Sciences/ǯȨșȑȎȞȟȘȎ ȎȘȎȒȓȚȖȭ țȎ țȎȡȘȖȠȓ

ul 15 novembri 1/ȀǸ 15 Ǻǻǲǹǯǽǵ Ȳ1 www.bas.bg

Metro: Kl Okhridski/ǗǸ.ǛȂǽǵǱǾǷǵ (future station)

The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is founded in

1869 and is an institute of education primarily specializing in engineering, natural, and mathematical sciences

The academy was founded as a literary Bulgarian society in Rumania since Bulgaria, at that time, was under Ottoman occupation Immediately

following Bulgaria’s emancipation in 1878, the seat

of the society was moved to Sofia from Rumanian town BrĈila and, since 1893, the society has been housed in the present building, erected for this exact purpose Since then, the academy has developed considerably

Tiêu đề	A Visit to Sofia/Coфия
Tác giả	Stig Albeck, Ventus Publishing ApS
Trường học	Unknown University or School
Chuyên ngành	Tourism / Geography
Thể loại	Essay
Năm xuất bản	2010
Thành phố	Sofia

Định dạng
Số trang	43
Dung lượng	4,97 MB