Lyulin is the largest residential complex in the capital of Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

 -- Sofia

Sofia

Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...

. It is located in the western outskirts of city and is divided into 10 micro-regions. The complex has a population of 240,000 and is at the disposal of all kinds of public transport

Public transport

Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...

.

Lyulin is a relatively new district. The infrastructural work on the complex began in 1971 and the first condominium

Condominium

A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...

 was constructed in 1973. The complex is named after the nearby Lyulin Mountain

Lyulin Mountain

Lyulin is a range of hills in western Bulgaria, located several kilometres west of Sofia. The highest point is Dupevitsa Peak . The Buchino Pass divides the hills into two, a western and an eastern part...

. It is popular place to live, as transportation is good and the real estate is somewhat inexpensive. Sometimes, Lyulin is erroneously called ghetto

Ghetto

A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...

, as it is commonly associated with crime; however very often this attribution is wrong (the appropriate term would be suburb

Suburb

The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

).

Transportation

There are several bus

Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

 lines and tram

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

 line (8), two Trolleybus

Trolleybus

A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...

 lines (6 and 7), and recently—a subway

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

. Two main boulevards -- "Tsaritsa Yoanna", and "Slivnitsa" transect the district. The bus, tram, and the trolleys go only to the center. The subway has limited overall coverage, but is very effective for going to the downtown area, and the Mladost

Mladost

Mladost may refer to:Placenames*Mladost, Sofia, municipality of Sofia, Bulgaria*Mladost, Varna, municipality of Varna, BulgariaAssociation football clubs*NK Mladost 127, former name of the Croatian club HNK Suhopolje...

 district, the latter being in the opposite end of the city.

Housing

Lyulin is notorious for being a "concrete jungle" (according to Bulgarian standards). There are very few houses, and these are old and somewhat rural (there are still one or two shepherds grazing their cattle in some secluded parts of the West Park, and occasionally one can still see a horse-cart on a street); everywhere else it is packed with condominiums, mostly 8 and 13 floors. Most of these are in somewhat poor condition, but recently are being renowned on the citizen's expense (thermal insulation, air-conditioning, paint, etc.). There are many new condos, however, which offer much more comfort, but still, the old buildings are predominant. New blocks of flats are rarely taller than 6 or 8 storeys, come pre-insulated, and have underground garages (a feature that is recently recognized as necessity, as above-ground parking lots are congesting more and more) and maisonettes. The average apartment is small, some 80 sq meters (~850 sq feet), but the maisonettes are much larger.

Education & Health

There are 6 high schools, one elementary school, and a number of private educational centers, the latter usually studying foreign languages, mathematics, and Bulgarian language and literature. Most schools have indoor swimming pools. There are 2 state polyclinics—12th in Lyulin 9, and 26th in Lyulin 2—and "Mediva Center" in Lyulin 4, which is private.

Recreation & entertainment

In the outskirts of the district, towards the downtown is the large West Park; it is not very trim (can't be compared to New York's Central Park

Central Park

Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...

, for example), but is still extensively used for jogging

Jogging

Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...

, cycling

Cycling

Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...

 (including dirt-biking), outdoor table tennis

Table tennis

Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...

 and sometimes, even ATV

All-terrain vehicle

An all-terrain vehicle , also known as a quad, quad bike, three wheeler, or four wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...

. There is also "Lyulin Beach" (outdoor swimming pool with various recreational activities) and a small football stadium. The local theater is "ARENA Cinema" -- a large cinema complex.

Commerce

There is one large market-place, with numerous shops, selling various articles, and a number of super/hypermarkets (BILLA

Billa

This article is about the company. For the Indian movies see Billa starring Rajinikanth or Billa starring Ajith Kumar or Billa starring Prabhas....

, Technopolis, Technomarket

Technomarket

Technomarket is a Bulgarian retailer of consumer electronics that operates stores in Bulgaria, Kosovo, Serbia, the Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Slovakia, Montenegro and Romania....

, METRO, Labyrinth, Praktiker

Praktiker

Praktiker is a German hypermarket chain offering home improvement and do-it-yourself goods. It is based in Kirkel, Saarland, and opened its first store in 1978. Initially owned by ASKO, the chain became a division of Metro AG after the merger of ASKO with Metro Cash & Carry in 1995...

, etc.). Most of these supermarkets are dedicated to one particular trade niche (for example, BILLA is for food and Labyrinth is for furniture).

Crime

Lyulin is commonly associated with crime

Crime

Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...

. There has been a number of major crime-related incidents in the district, such as settlements between members of the organized crime

Organized crime

Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...

. On one occasion, two police officers were killed in a shootout with suspects. Also, a construction engineering

Construction engineering

Construction engineering is a professional discipline that deals with the designing, planning, construction, and management of infrastructures such as highways, bridges, airports, railroads, buildings, dams, and utilities. Construction Engineers are unique such that they are a cross between civil...

businessman was shot and killed while entering his condo. There is only one police department, which is poorly funded.