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Sofia
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GeographySofia's development as a significant settlement owes much to its central position in the Balkans. It is situated in western Bulgaria, at the northern foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the Sofia Valley that is surrounded by mountains on all sides. The valley is the largest one in the country with territory of and average altitude of . Three mountain passes lead to the city, which have been key roads since antiquity, connecting the Adriatic Sea and Central Europe with the Black and Aegean Seas.
A number of low rivers cross the city, including the Vladaiska and the Perlovska. The Iskar River in its upper course flows near eastern Sofia. The city is known for its numerous mineral and thermal springs. Artificial and dam lakes were built in the last century.
It is located northwest of Plovdiv
, Bulgaria's second largest city, west of Burgas, west of Varna, Bulgaria's major port-cities on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast.
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Timeline
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29 Romans capture Sofia.
343 Council of Sofia establishes the primacy of Rome. The Pope becomes the leader of Christianity, and takes up residence in the Lateran.
447 Sofia destroyed by the Huns.
809 The Bulgars capture Sofia.
1376 Sredets, Bulgaria, is renamed Sofia
1382 The Ottomans take Sofia.
1925 The Communist St Nedelya Church assault claims the lives of 150 and injures 500 in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.
1944 Insurrection in Sofia.
1998 While en route from Adana to Ankara, a Turkish Airlines flight with a crew of 6 and 33 passengers is hijacked by a Kurdish militant, who orders the pilot to fly to Switzerland. The plane instead lands in Ankara after the pilot tricks the hijacker into thinking that he was landing in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia to refuel.
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Encyclopedia
GeographySofia's development as a significant settlement owes much to its central position in the Balkans. It is situated in western Bulgaria, at the northern foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the Sofia Valley that is surrounded by mountains on all sides. The valley is the largest one in the country with territory of and average altitude of . Three mountain passes lead to the city, which have been key roads since antiquity, connecting the Adriatic Sea and Central Europe with the Black and Aegean Seas.
A number of low rivers cross the city, including the Vladaiska and the Perlovska. The Iskar River in its upper course flows near eastern Sofia. The city is known for its numerous mineral and thermal springs. Artificial and dam lakes were built in the last century.
It is located northwest of Plovdiv
, Bulgaria's second largest city, west of Burgas, west of Varna, Bulgaria's major port-cities on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The city is situated at less than from the borders with three countries: from Kalotina on the Serbian border, from Gyueshevo on the frontier with the Republic of Macedonia and from the Greek border at Kulata.
Climate Sofia has a moderate continental climate with high temperature amplitudes. The hottest month is August while January is the coldest. Up to 1936 the average annual temperature was and since then it has risen with +0.5 °C (+1 °F). The city receives around annual precipitation with summer maximum and winter minimum. The temperatures in Sofia generally remain cooler than other parts of Bulgaria in summer, due to the high altitude of the valley in which it is situated. However temperatures can still reach up to 40 °C on occasions.
Climate table | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
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| Mean daily maximum temperature | 2.2 | 4.9 | 9.8 | 15.7 | 22.3 | 26.7 | 29.7 | 30.0 | 24.0 | 16.6 | 9.6 | 4.1 | 15.1 |
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| Mean minimum night time temperature | -4.9 | -2.9 | 0.3 | 4.8 | 9.0 | 12.1 | 13.8 | 13.4 | 10.4 | 5.7 | 1.2 | -2.7 | 5.0 |
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| Mean total rainfall | 28 | 31 | 38 | 51 | 73 | 75 | 63 | 51 | 38 | 35 | 48 | 40 | 571 |
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| Mean number of rain days | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 121 |
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HistoryAntiquitySofia was originally a Thracian settlement called Serdica, or Sardica, possibly named after the Thracian tribe Serdi. Around 500 BC another tribe settled in the region, the Odrysi, known as an ethnos with their own kingdom. For a short period during the 4th century BC, the city was ruled by Philip of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great.
Around AD 29, Serdica was conquered by the Romans. It became a municipium, or centre of an administrative region, during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98-117) and was renamed Ulpia Serdica.
It seems that the first written mention of Serdica was made by Ptolemy (around 100 AD).
Serdica (Sardica) expanded, as turrets, protective walls, public baths, administrative and cult buildings, a civic basilica, an amphitheatre - the City Council (Boulé), a large Forum, a big Circus (Theatre), etc. were built. When Emperor Diocletian divided the province of Dacia into Dacia Ripensis (at the banks of the Danube) and Dacia Mediterranea, Serdica became the capital of Dacia Mediterranea. The city subsequently expanded for a century and a half, it became a significant political and economical centre, moreso - it became one of the first roman cities where Christianity was recognized as an official religion. So it was only very natural that Constantine the Great called Serdica (Sardica) "My Rome".
Serdica was of moderate size, but magnificent as an urban concept of planning and architecture, with abundant amusements and an active social life. It flourished during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, when it was surrounded with great fortress walls whose remnants can still be seen today.
The city was destroyed by the Huns in 447 but was rebuilt by Justinian and for a while called Triaditsa.
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Middle AgesSofia first became part of the First Bulgarian Empire during the reign of Khan Krum in 809 after a long siege. Afterwards, it was known by the Bulgarian name Sredets and grew into an important fortress and administrative centre. After the fall of North-eastern Bulgaria under John I Tzimiskes' armies in 971, the Bulgarian Patriarch Damyan chose Sofia for his seat in the next year. After a number of unsuccessful sieges, the city fell to the Byzantine Empire in 1018, but once again was incorporated into the restored Bulgarian Empire at the time of Tsar Ivan Asen I.
From the 12th to the 14th century, Sofia was a thriving centre of trade and crafts. It is possible that it has been called by the common population Sofia (meaning "wisdom" in AncientGreek) about 1376 after the Church of St. Sofia. However, in different testimonies it was called both "Sofia" and "Sredets" until the end of the 19th century. In 1382 Sofia was seized by the Ottoman Empire in the course of the Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars - after a long siege the city was captured with treason. The new name - Sofia, replaced the old one - Sredets, after the liberation of the city from Turkish rule in 1878. Quite a time after 1878 there was a strong will, expressed by Bulgarian committees, to keep the name Sredets, but the Russian administration accepted Sofia.
Ottoman ruleAfter the campaign of Wladyslaw III of Poland in 1443 towards Sofia, the city's Christian elite was annihilated and became the capital of the Ottoman province (beylerbeylik) of Rumelia for more than 4 centuries, which encouraged many Turks to settle there. In the 16th century Sofia's urban layout and appearance began to exhibit a clear Ottoman style, with many mosques, fountains and hamams (bathhouses). During that time the town had a population of around 7,000 which rose to 55,000 by the mid 17th century.
The town was seized for several weeks by Bulgarian haiduks in 1599. In 1610 the Vatican established the See of Sofia for Catholics of Rumelia, which existed until 1715 when most Catholics had emigrated. In the 16th century there were 126 Jewish households, and there has been a synagogue in Sofia since 967.
End of Ottoman RuleSofia was taken by Russian forces on 4 January 1878, during the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78, and became the capital of the autonomous Principality of Bulgaria in 1879, which became the Kingdom of Bulgaria in 1908. It was proposed as a capital by Marin Drinov and was accepted as such on 3 April 1879. By the time of its liberation the population of the city was 11,649. For a few decades after the liberation the city experienced large population growth mainly from other regions of the country.
In 1925 the St Nedelya Church assault was carried out by the Bulgarian Communist Party which claimed the lives of 170 people and injured another 500.
During World War II, Sofia was bombed by Allied aircraft in late 1943 and early 1944, and was later occupied by the Soviet Union. As a consequence of the Russian occupation with the approval of the Allied countries USA, Great Britain, France, Bulgaria's government, which allied the country with Germany, was overthrown by a Communist revolution. Like Prague, Warsaw, Bucharest etc. Sofia became a capital of the Communist-ruled People's Republic (1944). The country did not lose territory, but lost vital and important connections with Bulgarian population abroad and all over the world. During that time the population of Sofia expanded at high rates, as a large emphasis was placed on the industrial development of the city - many new large factories and manufacturing plants were built in and around the city. That led to the creation of many new neighbourhoods and the expansion of the public transport network.
AdministrationThe city of Sofia is one of 28 Provinces of Bulgaria (not to be confused with Sofia Province, which surrounds but does not include the city). Besides the city of Sofia, the capital province encompasses three other cities and 34 villages, being split into a total of 24 municipalities. Each municipality has a head person who is elected by the municipal assembly. The head of the county is its mayor. The assembly members are chosen every four years. The current mayor of Sofia is Boyko Borisov.
Municipalities of Sofia City:
| Name | Unemployment (2004, %) | | (Sub)Urban/Town |
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| Bankya | 10.4 | 9,186 | Town | | Vitosha | 3.5 | 42,953 | Suburban | | Vrabnitsa | 4.6 | 47,417 | Urban | | Vazrazhdane | 5.3 | 47,794 | Urban | | Izgrev | 3.1 | 33,611 | Urban | | Ilinden | 4.5 | 37,256 | Urban | | Iskar | 3.9 | 69,896 | Urban | | Krasna polyana | 9.2 | 65,442 | Urban | | Krasno selo | 3.7 | 72,302 | Urban | | Kremikovtsi | 5.8 | 23,599 | Suburban | | Lozenets | 3.3 | 45,630 | Urban | | Lyulin | 5.4 | 120,897 | Urban | | Mladost | 4.2 | 110,852 | Urban | | Nadezhda | 3.8 | 77,000 | Urban | | Novi Iskar | 4.5 | 26,544 | Town | | Ovcha kupel | 3.8 | 47,380 | Urban | | Oborishte | 2.8 | 36,000 | Urban | | Pancharevo | 5.3 | 24,342 | Suburban | | Poduyane | 4.5 | 85,996 | Urban | | Serdika | 3.6 | 52,918 | Urban | | Slatina | 4.1 | 65,772 | Urban | | Studentski grad | 2.9 | 50,368 | Urban | | Sredets | 4.0 | 41,000 | Urban | | Triaditsa | 3.7 | 65,000 | Urban | | TOTAL | 4.5 | 1,299,155 | | |
Demographics
According to 1999 data, the whole Capital Municipality, with a population of 1,246,651 , had a population density of 917.8.
The ratio of women per 1,000 men was 1,114 and the rate of population ageing was 100.3. The birth rate per 1000 people was 7.9 and steadily declining in the last 15 years, the death rate reaching 12.2 and growing. The population was declining by 4.3 per cent. However, considerable immigration to the capital from poorer regions of the country, as well as urbanization, are the reasons Sofia's population is in practice increasing. 5.7 people of every one thousand were married (only heterosexual marriage is possible in Bulgaria) and the infant mortality rate was 11 dead babies per 1,000 born alive, down from 18.9 in 1980.
According to the 2001 census, Sofia's population is made up of 96% ethnic Bulgarians; among minority communities, nearly 18,000 (1.5%) officially identified themselves as Roma, 6,000 as Turkish, 3,000 as Russian, 1,700 as Armenian, and 1,200 as Greek.
The unemployment is significantly lower than in other parts of the country — 2.45% of the active population in 1999 and declining, compared to 7.25% for the whole of Bulgaria as of July 1, 2007 (also on the decrease). The large share of unemployed people with higher education, 27% as compared to 7% for the whole country, is a characteristic feature of the capital.
When Sofia was declared capital in 1879 it was the fifth-largest city in the country after Plovdiv, Ruse, Varna and Shumen. Plovdiv remained the most populous town in Bulgaria till 1892 when Sofia took the lead.
CultureMusic and nightlifeSofia has an extensive nightlife scene with many different night clubs, live venues, pubs, mehani (Bulgarian traditional taverns), and restaurants. The city has played host to many world star concerts including performances by, among others, Elton John, Depeche Mode, Iron Maiden, Ray Charles, Seal, Metallica, KISS, Marilyn Manson, Eros Ramazotti, DJ Tiesto, Korn, Judas Priest, Robin Gibb, Kylie Minogue, Rihanna and Dima Bilan.
Yalta Club and Chervilo are among the most popular clubs in Bulgaria. Yalta Club has hosted some of the most popular DJs: Pete Tong, Axwell, Steve Angello, Dimitri From Paris, Tom Novy and many others.
MuseumsSofia houses numerous museums, notably the National Historical Museum, the Bulgarian Natural History Museum, the Museum of Earth and Men, the Ethnographic Museum, the National Museum of Military History, the National Polytechnical Museum and the National Archaeological Museum. In addition, there are the Sofia City Art Gallery, the Bulgarian National Gallery of Arts, the Bulgarian National Gallery for Foreign Art as well as numerous private art galleries.
Places of special interestThe city also offers many places of special interest such as the Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Library (which houses the largest national book collection and is Bulgaria's oldest cultural institute), the Sofia State Library, the British Council, the Russian Cultural Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute, the Hungarian Institute, the Czech and the Slovak Cultural Institutes, the Italian Cultural Institute, the French Cultural Institute, Goethe Institut, Instituto Cervantes, and the Open Society Institute.
Families with children used to be able to enjoy Sofia Land, the nearly nine-acre amusement park adjacent to the Sofia Zoological Garden (founded in 1888). Unfortunately the park was closed in 2006.
Sofia currently enjoys a booming film industry as the filming ground of several international film productions. Vitosha Boulevard, also called Vitoshka — ranked as the world's 22nd most expensive commercial street — represents numerous fashion boutiques and luxury goods stores and features exhibitions by world fashion designers. Sofia's geographic location, situated in the foothills of the weekend retreat Vitosha mountain, further adds to the city's specific atmosphere.
Tourist attractionsSome of Sofia's popular tourist attractions include among others:
Churches
| Church | Description | Picture |
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| Church of St George | The Church of St George is a late Roman rotonda dated from 4th century situated in the courtyard of the Sheraton Sofia Hotel. It was constructed with red bricks and is considered the oldest building in Sofia. It is known for its Medieval frescoes in the central dome dating from 12-14th centuries. | | | Church of St Sophia | The early Byzantine Church of St Sophia was built in the 6th century on the place of an ancient Roman theatre and several earlier churches. During the Second Bulgarian Empire the structure served as the cathedral of the city but was later converted to a mosque by the Ottoman invaders. | | | Alexander Nevsky Cathedral | The gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built in the early 20th century in memory of the 200,000 Russian soldiers, who died in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878. It is the largest church in the Balkans and the second largest Orthodox cathedral in the world. The cathedral's gold-plated dome is 45 m high, with the bell tower reaching 50.52 m. | | | St Nedelya Church | St Nedelya is a medieval church that has suffered destruction through the ages and has been reconstructed many times. It was razed in the assault in 1925 that claimed over 150 victims. After the assault, the church was restored to its modern appearance. Today St Nedelya is a cathedral of the Sofia bishopric of the Bulgarian Patriarchate. | | | Church of St Petka | The tiny Church of St Petka of the Saddlers from the 14th century featuring some fine frescoes. It is a one-nave edifice dedicated to St Petka, a 11th century Bulgarian saint. | | | Russian Church | The Russian Church or the Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, built in 1914 is dedicated to the patron-saint of the Russian Tsar at the time Nicholas II. The construction was supervised by the architect A. Smirnov, who was building the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral nearby. | |
Museums and galleries
| Museum | Description | Picture |
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| National Historical Museum | The National Historical museums is among the largest museums in Eastern Europe and possess more than 650,000 artifacts. Ancient Thracian treasures, old armoury and weaponry, medieval church plates are among the most valuable objects in the collection. | | | National Archaeological Museum | The National Archaeological Museum occupies the largest and oldest former Ottoman mosque in the city built in 1474. It has a large collection of archaeological artifacts from all over the Balkans including some of the golden Thracian treasures. The museum is among Bulgaria's oldest and was inaugurated in 1905. | | | National Gallery of Foreign Art | The National Gallery of Foreign Art occupies an imposing 19th century building. The gallery's permanent exposition features European, Asian (Buddhist, Japanese and Indian) and African art, as well as separate contemporary art and engraving sections. | |
Miscellaneous places of culture
Outdoors sights
- Vitosha mountain, one of the symbols of Sofia, just a short drive or lift trip away, open year round. Ski and snowboard are popular in the winter, and hiking in the summer.
- Borisova gradina, Sofia's main and oldest garden, the construction of which began in 1884.
Other places of interest
Economy
Sofia is the major economic center of Bulgaria and home to most major Bulgarian and international companies operating in Bulgaria. Sofia is also the country's financial hub, home to the Bulgarian National Bank, the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, the Financial Supervision Commission as well as the headquarters of all commercial banks operating in the country. Construction, trade and transport are other important sectors of the local economy. Increasingly, Sofia is becoming an outsourcing destination for multinational companies, among them IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Sony.
Fuelled by Bulgaria's sustained economic growth, the real estate market in Sofia has skyrocketed in recent years. Apartment prices have more than tripled since 2003, with a growth rate in excess of 30% in 2007 alone. The construction industry has exploded with the emergence of new residential and office buildings, hotels, business parks, shopping malls and logistics space. Unemployment is rather low at about 2.5% compared to the Bulgarian average of 6.25% and to levels in other European countries.
Transport and infrastructure With its developing infrastructure and strategic location, Sofia is an important centre for international railway and automobile routes. Three Trans-European Transport Corridors cross the city: 4, 8 and 10. All major types of transport (except water transport) are represented in the city. It is home to 8 railway stations
, the biggest of which is the Central Railway Station. Just next to it is the new Center Bus Station, the biggest and most modern of its kind in the country. A number of other Bus Stations allow interurban and international trips from different parts of the city. The Sofia Airport with its new second terminal, finished in 2006,
handled some 2.7 million passengers in 2007.
Public transport is relatively well-developed with bus, tram (153,6 km network) and trolley (97 km network) lines running in all areas of the city.
The Sofia underground became operational only in 1998 and is yet largely underdeveloped with one line and eight stations only. At present six new stations are under construction and will become operational in 2009.
The masterplan for the Sofia underground includes three lines with a total of 47 stations. In recent years privately operated vans serving fixed routes proved an efficient and popular means of transportation by being faster than public transport but cheaper than taxis. As of 2005 these vans numbered 368 and serviced 48 lines around the city and suburbs. There are some 6,000 licensed taxi cabs operating in the city and another 2,000 operating somewhat illegally.
Low fares in comparison with other European countries, make taxis affordable and popular among a big part of the city population.
With the extensive growth of private automobile ownership in the 1990s the number of cars registered in Sofia has exceeded 1,000,000 in the past five years. The Sofia municipality is known for the minor and cosmetic repairs and most streets are in a poor condition. Consequently the traffic (and air pollution) problems of the city have become more severe. The extension of the underground system might alleviate the city's traffic problems.
Sofia has a unique, very large combined heat and power (CHP) plant. Virtually the entire city (900,000 households and 5,900 companies) is centrally heated, using residual heat from electricity generation (3,000 MW) and gas- and oil-fired heating furnaces; total heat capacity is 4,640 MW. The heat distribution piping network is 900 km long and comprises 14,000 substations and 10,000 heated buildings.
Architecture Historical landmarksA number of ancient Roman and Byzantine buildings have been preserved in the city and its outskirts. Most notably, the 10th century Boyana Church (one of the UNESCO World Heritage protected sites), the Church of St. George, considered the oldest building in Sofia, and the early Byzantine Church of St Sophia.
A medieval monument of significant interest is The Church of St. Petka located in the very centre of the city providing a sharp contrast to the surrounding three Socialist Classicism edifices of the former Party House, TZUM, and Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan.
Post-liberation and CommunismAfter the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in 1878 and the establishment of an autonomous Bulgarian monarchy with its capital in Sofia, Knyaz Alexander Battenberg invited architects from Austria-Hungary to shape the new capital's architectural appearance.
Among the architects invited to work in Bulgaria were Friedrich Grünanger, Adolf Václav Kolár, Viktor Rumpelmayer and others, who designed the most important public buildings needed by the newly-reestablished Bulgarian government, as well as numerous houses for the country's elite. Later, many foreign-educated Bulgarian architects also contributed.
The architecture of Sofia's centre is thus a combination of Neo-Baroque, Neo-Rococo, Neo-Renaissance and Neoclassicism, with the Vienna Secession also later playing an important part, but it is mostly typically Central European.
Among the most important buildings constructed in Sofia in the period are the former royal palace, today housing the National Art Gallery and the National Ethnographic Museum (1882); the Ivan Vazov National Theatre (1907); the former royal printing office, today the National Gallery for Foreign Art; the National Assembly of Bulgaria (1886), the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1893), etc.
After the Second World War and the establishment of a Communist government in Bulgaria in 1944, the architectural line was substantially altered. Socialist Classicism public buildings emerged in the centre, but as the city grew outwards, the new neighbourhoods were dominated by many Communist-era tower blocks (panelki) and examples of Brutalist architecture.
After the abolishment of Communism in 1989, Sofia has witnessed the construction of whole business districts and neighbourhoods, as well as modern skryscraper-like glass-fronted office buildings, but also top-class residential neighbourhoods.
EducationThere are 16 universities in Sofia. The Saint Clement of Ohrid University of Sofia is often regarded as the most prestigious university of Bulgaria, being founded in 1888 and having an incoming class of 14,000 students each year. Other important universities include the National Academy of Arts, the Technical University of Sofia, the University for National and World Economics, Sofia Medical University, the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, the University of Forestry and New Bulgarian University.
Furthermore, institutions of national significance, such as the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library are located in Sofia. The American College of Sofia, founded in 1860 and often regarded as the oldest American academic institution outside the United States provides secondary education to some of Bulgaria's brightest students.
Sport
Being the country's capital, Sofia is also the centre of Bulgaria's sporting activities, with a large number of sports clubs based in the city. These include most of Bulgaria's primary football teams, such as CSKA, Levski, Lokomotiv Sofia and Slavia, as well as formerly great clubs like Akademik, Spartak Sofia and Septemvri
. The capital's dominance in the sport is reflected in the fact that Sofia-based teams, including dissolved clubs like A.S. 23
, have been Bulgarian football champions on all but thirteen occasions since the national league was formed in 1923.
Although football is arguably the most popular sport in the city, as well as the whole country, sports such as basketball and volleyball also have strong traditions in Sofia. The most notable basketball team in the capital is Lukoil Academic, who were twice European Champions Cup finalists.
While no major volleyball teams exist at club level (excluding multiple times champion and Volleyball Champions League participant Levski Sikonko), Bulgaria has always been among the world's top nations at the sport. The Bulgarian Volleyball Federation is the world's second-oldest, and it was an exhibition tournament organised by them in Sofia that in 1957 convinced the IOC to include volleyball as an olympic sport.
Tennis is another sport gaining popularity in Sofia. Currently there are some ten Tennis court complexes within the city including the one founded by former WTA top-ten athlete Magdalena Maleeva.
While rugby is a minor sport in Bulgaria, and certainly not a spectator sport, there are several rugby clubs in Sofia for aficionados of the game.
Most other sports, especially individual sports like boxing, wrestling, archery, etc. can also be practiced at the sports complex of the NSA or at that of any of the sports clubs mentioned above. This is because, during the communist era, all sports clubs concentrated on all-round sporting development.
Sofia applied to host the Winter Olympic Games in 1992 and in 1994, coming 2nd and 3rd respectively. The city was also an applicant for the 2014 Winter Olympics, but was not selected as candidate. In addition, Sofia hosted Eurobasket 1957 and the 1961 and 1977 Summer Universiades, as well as the 1983 and 1989 winter editions | |
