WELCOME! !

You are in Soia, the , capital city of the Republic . e of . In your hands “ – ”, you are holding the informa- tion guide Soia – european - destination, which will enable . you to get acquainted with the - – best of Soia and its sights. - You are looking for busi- . ness contacts? Open the pages of the business guide 7 000 , and you will ind the partner you need. - More than 7000 years have passed since the irst in , habitants settled at the foot of the Mountains, , near the numerous curative mineral springs, laying . the foundations of this ancient city. Wise were also , , the irst builders of our state, who after the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman domination decided the , city, bearing the name of the Goddess . , of Wisdom, Sophia, to be the capital of Bulgaria. , . Soia is a cosmopolitan city, a political, cultural and , economic centre of one of the oldest European states, - which has survived to this day. A crossroads of civiliza , tions, for centuries on end it has been a bridge between . the East and the West, between and Asia. The new political realities, the accession of – Bulgaria as a full-ledged member of the European . Union, hold out new economic opportunities and , ideal conditions for contacts and business. A grow- . ing number of leading world companies open ofices , in the capital city, attracted by the strategic location , and the low corporate taxes. Apart from the business opportunities, Soia is . 3 000 , , an attractive tourist destination. Hundreds of ho- , tels, some of which are part of world hotel chains, offer you cosiness and hospitality. More than 3000 . restaurants, cafés, bars, discotheques and places of - entertainment offer national and foreign cuisine and pleasant atmosphere. . 31 , Soia is a part of the European cultural and historic 23 , , 27 space and a centre of the cultural life in Bulgaria. . - There are 31 cinema halls, 23 theatres, an opera house, 27 museums and many art galleries. The bills – , , in Soia feature the names of world-famous musi- . . cians, singers, painters and artistes, among which many Bulgarian names. If you need further information or you are hesitat- , ing which hotel to choose, which restaurants and places of entertainment to visit or where to hold events in Bulgaria and ind the right loyal business - – partner, you need a guide or a tour operator. Do not . hesitate to contact the publishers of Soia – Ancient “ – and Young, DAKER EOOD or the editorial board ” – of the Tourism and Recreation magazine. It will “ ”. be our pleasure to assist you. . All this will make your stay in Soia an unforget- table and fruitful experience! ! Dimitar Kirekchiev Publisher

  Inscription in Saint Petka Samardjiiska “ Church ”

The first of us lied down in this earth seven thou- sand years ago. We were . Serds, Hellenes, Romans, , , , Slavs, Byzantines, Bulgar- , , ians. Every one of us has . left something in this city, , searching for the truth about ourselves and the . world. The pieces of stone, , , which you, our descendants , dig out of the earth, remem- , ber our footsteps and fates, , voices and swords. Many . of the inscriptions on them were written by us in praise of this most glorious city, , which no one can destroy. . The city above our bones - grows ever more beautiful - and powerful in the shade , of Vitosha, the mother of us . all. It was conceived from , her eternal flesh to become a spiritual link between the East and the West. From . her flesh and our mortal , dust that lies at your feet and blesses you. Let our . dead gods and our living deeds protect and multiply the happy days of Serdica – . Let every living – . man of the coming genera- , tions know that we, come , , , and go but the city stays. , Not we, the mortal broth- . , ers and sisters, but the city , was born once and forever, immortal as the Sun and , stars above, therefore salute to you and bow to it, the , Eternal! , !

  СОФИЯ sofiasofia ЕВРОПЕЙСКАЕВРОПЕЙСКА europeaneuropean ДЕСТИНАЦИЯДЕСТИНАЦИЯ destinationdestination

Съдържание contents

I. Най-доброто от София стр. 11 I. he best of Soia page 11 Забележителности в София стр. 11 he sights of the city page. 11 Витоша стр. 143 Vitosha page. 143 Софийска Света Гора стр. 159 Софийска Света Гора page. 159 Забавления стр. 169 Entertainments page. 169

II. Бизнес справочник стр. 177 II. Business page. 177 Партньори, на които Partners we can trust in! може да се доверим! III. Usefull information page. 469 III. Полезна информация стр. 469 IV. Alphabetical index IV. Азбучен указател of the irms page. 492 на фирмите стр. 492 Map of the centre of the city page. 510 Карта на централната част на София стр. 510

  Soia, the capital city of Bulgaria is situated in the middle of the Balkan Penin- . sula. It lies just south of the 42nd degree of latitude (N) 42- which traverses the whole (..), country. Its medieval name, . Sredets (deriving from “mid- dle”) relects its location – , on the . Soia is at an equal distance from the . Adriatic Sea and the Black , Sea, also from the capitals . of the neighbouring coun- tries: the capital of : – , the capital of – , – Athens, the capital – , of – Tirana, and the – , – . capital of – . - The climate here is moderate , continental, but as Soia is situated in a valley between , few mountains, its climate is slightly different from that of . the other cities - in Bulgaria. , If we look at the map of , Europe, we will ind that Soia is at the same latitude , as Dalmatia in Croatia, Nice . and Marseille in . A - , cursory inquiry at any airline , company shows Soia is at a 2 – 2,5 Soia 2–2.5 hour light from Bulgaria all European capitals. .

  I. . . .

Today your crown you’re bending - your forehead under the blue skies, and all the people in amazement and hope have cast a glance on you...

Grow up with faith in your fortune, get strong, oh Saint Soi a - behind you times are getting darker, eternity before you shines!

from March of the Capital Soi a Assen Raztsvetnikov

. . .

– , , .

, , , – , !

the฀best฀of฀sofia най-доброто฀от฀София 0  . 1700- . - .

Material and cultural traces of all epochs of civilization can be found within the territory of Soia. It takes long to get familiar with over 1700 sights that have been recognized and declared monuments of culture in the capital city of Bul- garia. The most remarkable of them are shown in the pages of this guide.

  Our cultural route : includes the following sights:

1. 33. 1. Alexander Battenberg Square p. 19 29. Boris’ Gardens p. 78 “ ” . 19 . 88 2. Banski Square p. 20 30. The Monument to the Soviet Army p. 82 2. “” . 20 34. 3. The St. George Rotunda p. 24 31. The St. St. Cyril and Methodius 3. “. ” . 24 . 90 National Library p. 84 4. . 26 35. 4. The Archaeological Museum at the . 92 Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) p. 26 32. The Union of Bulgarian Artists’ Gallery p. 86 5. “. ” . 30 36. 6. “” . 33 5. The St. Sophia Church p. 30 33. The National Academy of Fine Arts p. 88 . 94 6. The Fortress of Serdica p. 33 34. The National Gallery for Foreign Art p. 90 7. . 35 37. 8. “ ” . 36 “ ” . 96 7. The Central Market Hall p. 35 35. The Monument to Paisius of Hilendar p. 92 9. . 38 38. - 8. The p. 36 36. The National Opera and Ballet Theatre p. 94 10. . 40 “” . 98 9. The Lions Bridge p. 38 37. Georgi Sava 11. . 42 39. . 100 10. The Monument to p. 40 Street of Theatres p. 96 12. “ ” . 44 40. 38. Slaveykov Square – the Book-Market p. 98 13. - . 102 11. The Eagles Bridge p. 42 “. ” . 46 41. () . 104 12. The Monument to the Liberator p. 44 39. The Monument to John Atanasoff p. 100 42. 14. - 13. The St. Alexander Nevski 40. The Soia City Art Gallery p. 102 . 106 “. ” . 48 Memorial Church p. 46 41. The Bulgarian National Bank p. 104

15. . 50 43. . 108 14. The Crypt of the St. Alexander 42. The Presidency Building 16. - Nevski Memorial Church p. 48 of the Republic of Bulgaria p. 106 . 52 44.

17. () . 110 15. The National Assembly p. 50 43. The Council of Ministers ( ) . 54 45. “. ” . 112 16. The Mausoleum-Tomb of the Republic of Bulgaria p. 108

18. . 56 46. of Alexander Battenberg p. 52 44. The Central Department Store p. 110

19. “ ” . 58 17. The National Art Gallery 45. The St. Nedelya Church p. 112 - . 114 20. (former Royal Palace) p. 54 47. . 116 46. The Faculty of Theology and the () . 60 18. The Ethnographic Museum at the National Museum of Church History p. 114 48. – 21. Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) p. 56 “” . 118 47.The Courts of Justice p. 116 . 62 49. 19. The National Theatre p. 58 22. “. ” . 64 48.The () . 120 20. The Building of the State window display p. 118 23. . 66 50. Insurance Institute (DZI) p. 60 24. . 68 49.The National Palace of Culture (NDK) p. 120 . 122 21. The National Museum 50.The Monument to the Victims 25. 51. of Natural History p. 62 ( ) . 70 “ ” . 124 of the Communist Regime p. 122 22. The Russian Church of St. Nicholas p. 64 26. 52. . 126 51.The Earth and Man National Museum p. 124 () . 72 53. “” – 23. The Military Club p. 66 52.The Soia p. 126 27. . 128 24. The Monument 53.Pirotska Street – a sketch of old Soia p. 128 “. ” . 74 54. to the Unknown Warrior p. 68 28. 54.The St. Joseph Catholic Cathedral p. 130 “. ” . 130 25. The Bulgarian Patriarchate . . 76 55. “” . 132 (The Holy Synod) p. 70 55.Serdica Station p. 132 29. . 78 56. - – 26. The Bulgarian Academy 56.The new-old symbol – 30. . 82 “. ” . 134 of Sciences (BAS) p. 72 the Statue of St. Sophia p. 134 31. 57. 57.The National Museum of History, “. . ” . 84 – . 136 27. The St. Kliment Ohridski University of Soia p. 74 p. 136 32. 58. . 86 “ ” . 139 28. The Monument to St. Clement of Ohrid p. 76 58.The National Museum p. 139

  A - : , , , . , 550 . . 190 . . , ( ( ), , “”). 1890 ., – . , . : 640 ./. . ( ) 1977 . ( ) , – 75 20 . 1185 2. . , 40. - 1300 .

f you look at Soi a from a height mountains: Lyulin, Lozenska and Plana. centre of Soi a (below the you will see that Bulgaria’s capi- It has an altitude of 550 m above sea level. Banski Square garden). tal is protected by two big moun- The capital city occupies an area of 190 Until 1890, when the i rst I tains: on the north is Stara Plani- sq. km. fl ow measurement was na or the (a Unlike other European capital cities, made, the spring fl ow long range running from the west Soi a is not favoured with a big navigable rate had been 640 l/min. border as far as the Black Sea to the east) river. However, it is famed for something Ever since 1977 and on the south is Vitosha Mountain, else: since Roman times (and even earlier) (after a big which gives fresh and cool air in the sum- Soi a has been known for its healing min- earthquake) the warm mer heat. Between them is the sun-lit Soi a eral springs. There are over 40 of them water has gushed to Field. It is an ellipse-shaped valley, 75 x in the Soi a Field. The biggest spring, the the surface at a rate 20 km, with an area of 1185 sq. km. On the hub of mysticism, way of life and culture of 1300 l/min. west and east it is fl anked by three smaller of several Balkan civilizations is today’s

  It is only natural to expect that such a won- – der of nature (the Central Mineral Spring) will , attract settlers who can enjoy the benei ts from . - it. The earliest i ndings of a human settlement within the territory of Soi a are in today’s “”. Slatina District. Dating back to the New Stone Age, they are over 7000 years old. 7000 . This makes the capital of Bulgaria one of - . the oldest capitals in Europe. During archaeological excavations, the ruins “ . ” ( of a big settlement of a later epoch – the Stone- 1905 .), Copper Age – were uncovered under the yellow paving-blocks in Knyaz Alexander Battenberg - Square (specially ordered and brought from . “-” – Budapest in 1905). The i nding, which is of a 4500 , ‘younger age’ and is 4500 years old, is already , very close to the Central Spring – a natural 46,7 0 – source of warm water with a temperature of ! 46.7 C0 – it was really worth moving! Knyaz฀Alexander฀Battenberg฀Square 1. Площад฀•Княз฀Александър฀Батенберг•

Lozen mountain Female idol, neolith, Kurilo village , , .

“ . ”. Knyaz Alexander Battenberg Square   2. Banski฀Square Площад฀„Бански“฀

, Archaeologists hold that the 13 . ... Thracian tribe of the Serds set- tled in the fertile land round the mineral spring in the 13th centu- . ry BC. In the course of centuries, the Thracian settlement became . a town. Its foundations lie below today’s centre of Soi a (stretch- ing from the Central Baths to ( St. Nedelya Square, Knyaz “. ”, Alexander Battenberg Square “ . ” and Moskovska Street). . ””). Remains of the ancient town 9 – bronze ornaments, ceramic “” artefacts and ruins – were found – 9 metres below the Sheraton Ho- , , . tel foundations. Archaeologists could even make out the name of the town on ancient coins and – . stone inscriptions – Serdica. The The Central Mineral Baths zation, the Odrysian kingdom Serds’ means of livelihood were were built in ‘national within the realms of which was , agriculture and livestock breed- romanticism’ style to architect . . , then Serdica. . ing, extraction of gold and iron. Momchilov’s design in 1911. 1911 . . Interesting evidence can be , ...! Yes, the ’ gold! After many years of use, „ “. found in the works of the ancient , The gold treasures (of Valchi its restoration still Greek poet Homer. During the Tran, Panagyurishte, Starosel, continues today. , . Trojan War depicted in the Iliad, (, , etc.) found in the Bulgarian At Banski Square. , the wine used for uplifting the ...), lands, their intransient beauty . “”, militant spirit of the Achaeans and exquisite workmanship are “”. was supplied by Thracians and , evidence of the existence of a praised with the words “black , highly advanced ancient civili- “ wine sweet like honey”. These

0  ”. facts, as well as the abundance , of gold and silver vessels meant , for drinking or pouring from one vessel into another, found , in the treasures, are evidence , of yet another ancient means of livelihood of our ancestors – – wine-growing. . Science also associates the two mythologized i gures – of the divine singer – Orpheus and the leader of the - greatest slave revolt in – , (74 – 71 . ...) Spartacus (74 – 71 B.C.) – with the ancient Thracian world.

  The฀St.฀George฀Rotunda฀–฀ 3. Sofia’s฀oldest฀preserved฀building Ротондата฀•Св.฀Георги•฀–฀ най-старата฀запазена฀сграда฀в฀София

29 . ... After a military march, the Romans i rst set foot in . Serdica in 29 B.C. The town lied at the crossroads of important routes. Its geographical situation was 45 . of strategic importance to the Roman Empire and . in 45 Serdica was already under its domination. , , , The town entered a new glorious period of growth, – which involved construction, town development, , , , , ... building of streets covered with l agstones, system of sewers, public baths, libraries and forums.

“. ” - The St. George Rotunda is the oldest preserved . 4 . building in Sofi a. It dates back to the 4th century. There is a dispute as to whether originally it , . had been Roman Baths, a sanctuary or a build- 6 . , ing with functions other than these. The central “ ” domed premises with a picturesque ancient , ‘Al Fresco’ layer and mediaeval mural paintings (). had been used as a Christian church (rotunda). 16 . e In the 16th century it was turned into a mosque ( 1878 .). 1999 ., , (used as such until 1878). After its restoration, . the temple has been operating again since 1999. It is located in the space between Sheraton Hotel “” . and the Presidency building.

Remains of a Roman street of Serdica in its original pavement. In the subway between the Presidency building and the Council of Ministers.

. .

  4. - The Romans held in the high- , est reverence Apollo, Asclepius, The฀Archaeological฀Museum฀at฀ , , Artemis, Dionysus and the . Three Nymphs. The power of the฀Bulgarian฀Academy฀of฀Sciences฀(BAS) the mineral water was identi- i ed with that of a lion. That is Археологическият฀музей฀при฀БАН . , why the hot water in the Ro- man baths spouted from the widely open mouths of marble . or bronze lion heads. The most With the arrival of the Roman diverse ornamentation of the . legions new… gods arrived, too. , baths – natural landscapes with The Thracians worshipped the l ying half-naked women, sea- - () Great Goddess-Mother (Kibela) – horses with cupids riding on – . and her son and husband, the Sun. their backs, dancing maenads, The hero ruler was born from , the Three Graces – offered -. -, their marriage. Later, i gures in , , relief to the eyes of visitors ex- relief were made, depicting the , hausted from military marches master of the Thracian heaven as .... and construction works. -. a Thracian equestrian-god. Those , deities were anonymous and pow- ! erful, and simply… gods.

The statue of the God of Medicine, Asclepius, between the fountains of the Central Spring. In Exarch Yosif Street, on the south-eastern side of the Central Baths.

. “ ”, .

  The Archaeological Muse- Constantine the Great um at BAS is housed in the (306 – 337 .) (306-337) was the Roman em- building of Buyuk Mosque peror who gave new brilliance (15C.) and was founded . to Serdica. As a capital city of more than one hundred the Interior Dacia province, years ago. Its fi rst exposi- , Serdica became the centre of tion was opened to visitors , important political, economic on May 18, 1905. . and cultural life. Coins with At 2 Saborna Street, oppo- images of emperors and gods site the Presidency build- , were minted; squares with ing. Opening hours: sum- marble fountains were built, mer (May – October) 10.00 , palaces and villas were put up – 18.00, winter (November ( (outside the fortress wall). – April) 10.00 – 17.00, ). The latest archaeological closed on Mondays. - i nd has presented Soi a with the remains of an impres- sive colloseum. In May 2004, . 2004 ., during excavation works for the construction of a hotel in . “”, Budapest Street, the workers came across a gladiator’s are- . na. Specialists coni rmed the (15 .) i nd, adding that the colloseum . , of Soi a is among the largest 18 1905 . -, preserved ones from the time of the Roman Empire. . . . “” 2, . : (. – .), 10 – 18 .; (. . – ), 10 – 17 . – .

, It is no accident that the i rst , big builder of Soi a, the Ro- man Emperor Marcus Ulpius (98 – 117 .), “- Traianus (98-117), called it ‘the ”. most brilliant town of the Serds’. He orientated the streets to the , four cardinal points, constructed , public buildings, baths, sanctuar- , , , ies, temples and began to build a fortress wall. The town retained . its name but a part of the emper- , or’s name was also added to it: – . Ulpia Serdica.

  Serdica gained fame and be- - came known even in the remot- est corners of the Great Empire. . It is no accident that in 343 AD, 343 ., after the introduction of Chris- , tianity, the Ecumenical Council of Serdica held its session here, with the participation of del- . egates from the entire Christian world. – “ However, a Bulgarian proverb ”... says: “Too much good does no good.” A similar fate befell that . nook of paradise in the Soi a . Plain. It all started with the Great migration of peoples. The Bal- kan Peninsula was invaded by (372 – 382 .) the Westgoths and in ten year’s . time (372-382 AD) Serdica was - repeatedly attacked by their 441 – 447 . troops. The Hun raids of 441- 447 were even more dreadful. A former cultural and political . centre, Serdica turned into a I military garrison. It was not until (483 – 565 .) the reign of Emperor Justinian I . (483-565) that the city restored its grandeur. The fortress walls, ruined in the attacks, were recon- . structed and new towers built.

The฀St.฀Sophia฀Church 5. Църквата฀•Света฀София•

0  The St. Sophia Church is an early “. ” – Byzantine three-nave basilica built in the 6th century over two earlier, 4th , 6 . The฀Fortress฀of฀Serdica฀ century churches. It was repeatedly 4 . ruined and restored, hit twice , 6. by earthquakes. It is one of the Крепостта฀•Сердика• oldest partially preserved . - architectural monuments. It is a necropolis church – . a lot of tombs, some of them with – unique mural paintings, have been 1000 . . found over an area of 1000 sq. m un- “. ” der the level of St. Sophia and round , it. The name of the church was prob- . , ably given to the town in the middle 14 . of the 14th century. In the 16th century . it was turned into a mosque. 16 . , In 1911 the church was restored. 1911 . At St. Alexander Nevski Square. “. ”.

Remains of the The Great migration of peo- wall and the north- ples continued during the 6th eastern round tower 6 7 . - and 7th centuries. The mother- of the Serdica – goddess of the European civi- Fortress. , lization, the River, did At the crossing not refuse shelter in its fertile of Serdica and valley to the new settlers, the streets. – . , Slavs. The last but hugest wave - of Slav settlers in the lands of Byzantium (at the time Ancient ( Rome had already been suc- ) ceeded by Byzantium) reached the sun-lit region of Serdica. . In the late 7th century, the 7 . , horse-mounted Proto-Bul- , garians arrived in their new “”. motherland, at the place where . the Danube River l ows into , the Black Sea. Led by “” Asparuh, waving a horsetail “”. , for a l ag, the new settlers

  agreed with Byzantium not to , i ght battles any more but to guard the northern border of . the empire. Together with the The฀Central฀Market฀Hall฀ Slav tribes to the north of Stara 7. Planina (the Balkan Range) Централните฀хали . 681. they founded their own state in 681. The i rst Bulgarian ruler was Khan Asparuh of the This solid stone building is (. 644 – . 700 .). family (ca. 644 – ca. 700). in the centre of Soi a for two The founder of the Bulgari- reasons – commercial and cul- . an state did not reach Serdica, The Central Market – . tural. The Central Market Hall , but in 809 his successor, the Hall façade. is one of the capital inhabit- (? – 814 .), great Khan (unknown The Central Market Hall ants’ favourite shopping places. 809 . – 814) arrived at the fortress hypermarket is located . , However, not many of them – walls because he had to de- in the block between Maria know that the ambition of the fend his state against the Byz- Luiza Blvd and Exarch Yosif, . . designer, architect N. Torbov, antine Emperor Nicephorus I. G. Washington and had been to make the imposing . Serdica became a Bulgarian Pirotska streets. building of the covered market , city and the emperor lost his , suggest the fame and grandeur . life. . of Mediaeval Bulgaria, of the “ ” palaces in Pliska and Preslav. – ‘National Romanticism’, this is how the champions of creating . (1911 .) . traditional Bulgarian architec- . , ture, the architect of the “ ” Central Market Hall (1911), N. Torbov, and his colleague, . “ ” . 1911 . P. Momchilov, dei ned their “ ”, . . style. In 1911, architect P. Mom- “. ” chilov designed the Central Min- “”. eral Baths, which contributed to “”. the harmony of Banski Square.

  The architect of the Banya Bashi Mosque was Kodja Mimar Sinan (1489-1588). He is supposed to have been a Bulgarian from Shiroka Laka, who was forced The฀Banya฀Bashi฀Mosque to adopt Islam. During the Ottoman oppression, one of the taxes imposed on the enslaved population was the 8. “blood money” – taking grown up boys for the army. Джамията฀•Баня฀баши• Converted to Islam and rigorously trained, they turned into the most dreaded elite warriors, the Enichars (Jannisseries). As fate had willed it, Sinan became ex- actly one of them. However, he started to build bridges “ ”, The Banya Bashi Mosque of his own will. After being noticed and recognized, he is both an operating Muslim became the fi rst architect of Sultan Selim. His great , temple and an architectural achievements in construction continued during the , monument created about 500 reign of four sultans. Architect Sinan built over 400 500 . years ago. From 1396 to 1878 buildings: 81 mosques, 33 palaces, 35 public baths, 1396 1878 . the Bulgarian lands were un- 26 libraries, 7 water-conduits, tombs, caravanserais, der the domination of a pow- fountains, etc.; beautiful monumental buildings in erful mediaeval empire – the Istanbul (the world-famous Suleymaniye Mosque), Ed- – . . Despite its irne (the Selimiye Mosque), in Sofi a, Ruse and . In , desperate resistance, Soi a did 1576 he fi nished building the Banya Bashi Mosque and not make an exception and immortalised his name for the coming generations. 1382 . in 1382 fell under Ottoman . domination. At Banski Square.

“ ” (1489 – 1588 .). , , . “” – . , - – . . , . , . . 400 : 81 , 33 , 35 , 26 , 7 , , -, . – ( – “”), ( “”), , , . 1576 . “ ” .

“”.

  9. The฀Lions฀Bridge Лъвов฀мост

The river below the bridge takes its source , from the Vitosha Mountains, runs nearly across the whole of Soi a plain and l ows into . the Iskar River. It is called the River. . During the Ottoman oppression the people in this part of the town called it ‘Kanla’ “” – . (bloody). Oral tradition has it that in , the 14th century the dead bodies of 14 . the Sredets Fortress defenders were thrown away here. And for many long years did the river . remind of their sacrii ce. . Later, the bridge at the -, then town outskirts was given the name ‘Sandakli “ ”. Kyupru’ because some of the executions of the So- i a citizens who had been . - sentenced to death took place here. From here on “”, the rebels could only con- – . tinue their path in ‘sandak’, i.e. in a cofi n. Several scores of champi- . ons of freedom and justice , met with eternity here. Com- pared to lions, today the heroes stand on eternal guard at the . peaceful Vladaya River.

„ “ . . - „ “. 1891 ., The Lions Bridge was built to the design of the Czech engineer V. Proshek over the foundations of the . previous Sharen (parti-coloured) Bridge. Its construction was completed in 1891, when the four imposing „ “ bronze lions were mounted. “The Lions Bridge is at the crossing of Maria Luiza and Slivnitsa boulevards. „ “ „“.

  10. The฀Monument฀to฀Vasil฀Levski Паметникът฀на฀Васил฀Левски

On a very cold day of Febru- () 1873 ary (the nineteenth) 1873, the . ( great Bulgarian revolutionary and 1895 . ) republican, Vasil Levski (Vasil - Ivanov Kunchev, 1837-1873), the , Deacon, the Apostle, was hanged ( , 1837 at this place (then at the outskirts – 1873 .), , . of Soi a). An ideologist of the . . . Bulgarian national revolution, , he was also the founder of the 13 . Internal Revolutionary Organisa- . tion. Using false names, disguise, , various catches and relying on his , , boundless valour and ingenuity, in . twelve year’s time he was able to , travel all over the conquered Bul- garian lands. He founded secret ” . revolutionary committees wherev- ” “”. , , er he went, preparing a rebellion. . The Turkish authorities used to . call him the Invisible and the Bul- , garians gave him a new , Levski, which means lion’s son – . or brother. Military search parties . were often close on him but could The monument to Vasil , never catch him. A mere accident Levski was unveiled in . and a little mistake took him to 1895. The 13-metre- . the gallows. His legacy of a ‘pure tall granite obelisk was “ and sacred republic’ remained. In built to the design of the ”. 1876, three years after his death, Czech architect A. V. , 1876 . the April Uprising prepared by Kolar. The bronze bas- . him broke out. The rebellion was relief was cast in . cruelly suppressed. The Great and was the work of the Powers in Europe were faced with sculptor Joseph Stra- “ ”, the so-called ‘Eastern Question’, hovsky. The stonework . which needed an urgent solution. was entrusted to the – 4 1878 . As a result, on January 4, 1878, Italian master Abramo , , exactly here, at this sacred place, Perucchetti. the citizens of Soi a welcomed , the Russian liberation troops led The obelisk is at the . by General Gurko. The Bulgarian crossing of Vasil Levski volunteer detachments were in and Madrid boulevards. – . their ranks, too.

0  The฀Eagles฀Bridge The heroic epos of the 11. Bulgarian folklore contains a Орлов฀мост , whole cycle of songs dedi- . cated to the people’s hero , Krali Marko. He was an awe- some figure and his physical – , strength equalled that of a The Bulgarian folklore also has the Bulgarian folklore. , , pagan god: huge of stature, songs about “eagle, a heroic , The Eagles Bridge was built . heavily armed, riding a horse bird”. That is why the rebels in “ – ”. () at the spot where the road at least as big as the Trojan the architectural composition . 1878 . from Tsarigrad (Istanbul) , horse. His horse jumped are represented as eagles. The , entered Soi a. In 1878, the , from a mountain over to an- Eagles Bridge was built in 1891, . convicts released from prison other, so Krali Marko always as the Lions Bridge, again to “ ” in Diyarbakir, Asia Minor, . - turned up where his help was the design of the Czech engineer 1891 ., , ( ). were welcomed in a stately needed. Most often he fought Proshek. The river below the – manner at that place. The . battles with the enslavers to bridge is called . . . . -, key ‘composition element’ in set the enslaved free. Thus . “ photos, reconstructions of the , a lot of songs such as the The Eagles Bridge is the ” convict-rebels, is the com- “ imbued with heroism ‘Three beginning of the Tsarigradsko ( – . mon heavy chain from the ”. Chain-Gangs’ remained in Shose Boulevard. . “ ”. .) . folklore songs.

  The฀Monument฀to฀the฀Tsar฀Liberator 12. Паметникът฀„Цар฀Освободител“

The Monument to the Tsar Lib- - The Russo-Turkish War erator was designed by Arnoldo of 1877-78 had already Zocchi of Florence. His works 1877 – 1878 . . ended. The Bulgarian state of art are also the Monument of appeared on the map of Liberty in Ruse, the Memorial Europe for the third time to Garibaldi in Bologna and the , thanks to the Great Powers. Monument to Columbus in Bue- Vasil Levski’s brothers-in- nos Aires. The total height of the . arms and later participants memorial in Sofi a, with scenes , - in the volunteer detach- from the Russo-Turkish War ments, called opalchentsi, under the wings of the goddess of took up the initiative of ex- victory Nike, is 16.5 m. – , pressing gratitude for their sovereignty to the Tsar At Narodno Sabranie Square. Liberator. It was not only . , them, but also their fore- fathers and ancestors that , - had been waiting for many ( ) long years (even centuries) - for Grandfather Ivan, the . Liberator, to arrive from Moscow; and by all means – , on horseback like the first . Bulgarian tsar, Khan As- “ ” paruh. In 1907, after an interna- . 475 000 , tional competition had been “” 1907 . 12- held and 475,000 gold levs , spent, the horse of Emperor Alexander II stepped on a . . 12-metre marble pedestal. , - , 16,5 . “ ”.

  The฀St.฀Alexander฀Nevski฀ 13. Memorial฀Church฀ Храм-паметникът฀ •Свети฀Александър฀Невски•

When it is calm and quiet, “ ” the bells of St. Alexander . . , 30 . . Nevski can be heard 30 km , - away from Soi a. This is be- . 12 cause the largest bell, which 8 11 weighs 12 tons, and the other (1904 – 1912 .). 50 . . eleven bells are mounted at , a height of 50 metres. Add- 3 – 12 “. ” ing to this the fact that St. 14 1924 . - Alexander Nevski Square 1953 . “. . ” , is the highest point of the capital city centre, one can . 7000 . get a better understanding of - the feeling of gratitude – the . imposing i ve-nave basilica in Neo-Byzantine style was “. ”. built as an expression of “ gratitude and for ‘peace to the souls of those who fell The architect of the building for the Liberation of Bul- was the St. Petersburg professor ”. - garia’. The memorial church A. N. Pomerantsev, in collabora- was given the name of the tion with Russian and Bulgar- great Russian prince and ian architects. The construction military commander Saint works took 8 years (1904-1912). Alexander of Neva (1220- The inauguration continued (1220 – 1263 .) – 1263), patron of the Russian for three days, from 12th Emperor Alexander II. It is to 14th September 1924. . revetted in white stone and In 1953, the its domes are gilded; the St. Alexander Nevski church , interior is richly decorated was proclaimed a patriarchal with unique mural paintings, cathedral. The temple, which can , , mosaics and icons, which are accommodate 7000 people, is the the work of the great artists largest on the Balkan Peninsula. . , . , I. Markvichka, A. Mitov and At St. Alexander Nevski Square. . . A. Vasnetsov.

  The฀Crypt฀of฀the฀St.฀Alexander฀ 14. Nevski฀Memorial฀Church Криптата฀на฀храм-паметника฀ •Свети฀Александър฀Невски•

, The basement (crypt) of the St. Alexander Nevski Ca- () “. thedral, as elsewhere in the ” world, had been designed as a vault. But a bright idea in 1965 . transformed it into a gallery for 1965 . mediaeval and national-revival Bulgarian art, a branch of the National Art Gallery. And with , good reason: even today the Bulgarian icon is one of our The branch of the National . – cultural symbols. Replicas of Art Gallery for Mediaeval Art these religious theme paintings has a collection of over 200 . on wood have departed as sou- icons dating from the 13th to venirs or symbols of patrons to the 19th century, 3 fragments , all the known continents. For of mural paintings, engrav- , example, the Bulgarian polar ings and other religious base on the Island of Living- antiques. ston in the Antarctic is deco- . , rated with the icon of St. John The entrance to the Crypt is of Rila – the heavenly patron on the left side of the main - of Bulgaria. entrance of the St. Alexander . The originals that can be Nevski Cathedral. Opening – seen in the crypt have been hours: Tuesday – Sunday, . shown in a number of exhibi- 10.30 – 18.00. , tions in Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, , Prague, Moscow, Copenhagen, , , Montreal etc. , , , Particular attention deserves , . the icon of St. George of Soi a, a young goldsmith who “ perished on the stake at this 200 13 19 ., 3 , ” – , square in 1515, because of . having refused to change his () - 1515 ., faith. “. . ”. : 10.30 . – 18 ., . .

  , “ ”, 1884 . . , (1890 1928 .) . 1990 ., 240 . 30 . .

“ ”.

The฀National฀Assembly 15. Народното฀събрание

In the early spring of 1879, 1879 . the Constituent National As- – sembly of the newly formed , Bulgarian parliament was in session in , the mediaeval capital of Bulgaria. . The Tarnovo Constitution was , adopted after heated and noisy (10.02 – 16.04.1879 .), debates, but in a very short . time (February 10 – April 16, 1879). The liberals prevailed and the foundations of a mod- ern capitalist state were laid: The building with the motto ‘Union Is Strength’ was built in 1884 after the design of the Viennese – , general suffrage, broad local architect of Bulgarian descent Konstantin Yovanovich. The parliament edifi ce acquired its present-day , self-government, unicameral appearance after two reconstructions and expansions (in 1890 and 1928). , parliament and constitutional According to the new Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria of 1990, the National Assembly monarchic rule. The Constitu- consists of 240 members. It has a rich library of over 30,000 volumes of legal and other literature. . ent Assembly also decided that Voting in the Plenary Hall is carried out through a computerized electronic system. the capital of the new Princi- pality of Bulgaria would be At Narodno Sabranie Square. . Soi a.

0  16. The฀Tomb-Monument฀of฀ Prince฀Alexander฀Battenberg Гробницата-паметник฀ на฀княз฀Александър฀Батенберг

This is where the i rst monarch of the Third – Bulgarian Kingdom, Prince Alexander I Bat- . 36- tenberg, communicates with eternity. He died 05.09.1893 . , ? barely 36-years-old on September 5, 1893. - 1878 . Why a Prince and not a King? , After the Russo-Turkish War in 1878 a trea- ty was signed in Berlin under which the title . , of the Bulgarian ruler was to be Prince (Kn- ( ), yaz). Although the nearly reached Istanbul (San Stefano) during the war, the Berlin Treaty only ceded the northern half of . , the country and Soi a District as a territory of , the state. Thus the lands inhabited by Bulgar- . ians were divided in . , and Eastern Rumelia. National unii cation had not been achieved. Unrest and demonstrations . against the Great Powers’ decision for parti- tion of the Bulgarian lands followed and were . 6 led by the Bulgarian Secret Revolutionary 1885 . Committee based in . On September . 6, 1885, the Rumelian government in Plovdiv – was overthrown and the Unii cation declared. . As a result, the fertile Thracian lands were annexed to the Principality of Bulgaria. At (1857 – 1893 .), the time Prince Alexander I of Battenberg . (1857-1893), prince of Hesse and general of 1885 . the Bulgarian army, was legally elected to the . , 1886 . throne. The Unii cation of 1885 took place , with his consent and approval. In 1886 he – , . was dethroned and lived in until his death. However, his will was to be laid to rest - “ on Bulgarian soil here, in Soi a. ” 1897 ., . . . . . The Mausoleum-Tomb of Prince Alexander Battenberg was built in . “. ” 81. : 1897 after the design of the Swiss – , 10 17 . architect N. Meyer and was decorated . : 983-37-55. by Prof. H. Tachev.

  The฀National฀Art฀Gallery฀ (former฀Royal฀Palace) 17. Националната฀ художествена฀галерия฀ (бивш฀Царски฀дворец)

Vasil Levski’s dream Over 10,000 works of eminent – palace was the residence “ ” about a ‘pure and sacred Bulgarian masters are kept , of four Bulgarian mon- . republic’ remained just in the National Art Gallery , archs: Prince Alexander a dream. The brief trial 10 000 funds. The standing exposition . Battenberg, King Ferdi- against the man with the outlines the development nand I, King Boris III and . lion’s name took place . of the Bulgarian fi ne arts. King Simeon II. . in this building where he During the air-raids , , was sentenced to death, 1, Knyaz Alexander , over Sofia during World as it was the seat of the . Battenberg Square War II, the Royal Palace () administration (konak) of Opening hours: . was seriously damaged. . the Rumelian beys. When “ . Tuesday – Sunday, After its repair and re- the roar of the cannons ” 1. 10.30 – 17.30 , construction, the build- , stopped, the konak turned : ing housed the National into a Palace of the 10.30 17.30 ., (1948 .) Art Gallery (1948) and . Bulgarian monarchs. In . the Ethnographic Mu- 1881-1883 the building seum at the Bulgarian . , . , took on renaissance ap- (1954 .). Academy of Sciences . ., 1881 pearance after the design (1954). Archival films – 1883 . of the architects V. Rup- of the flashy palace life . pelmeyer, F, Grunanger, “” were “arrested” and clas- A. Kolar and others. The . sified.

  The฀Ethnographic฀Museum฀ 18. at฀the฀Bulgarian฀Academy฀ of฀Sciences฀(BAS) Етнографският฀музей฀при฀БАН

Two are the reasons for your The Ethnographic Museum was set not being able to see an old up in 1907 on the initiative of Prof. . house in the national revival Ivan Shishmanov, then Minister of , style in Soi a: i rst, the rapid Public Education. The air-raids and building up and expansion the resulting confl agration in March of the new capital after the 1944 destroyed the exposition. Years , , Liberation and second, the of collecting new exhibits followed. air-raids during the Second The Bulgarian people’s formation World War, which left its and ethnic development, its cultural centre badly damaged. So, if and life-style features and cultural . , you are only visiting Soi a and and historical relationships are are interested in the Bulgarian clearly illustrated. The museum is a tribe’s way of life and popular virgin crystal of the Bulgarian eth- customs over the centuries, nos, a multi-coloured mosaic of the , you should take a peep into Bulgarian spirit, which includes: the . the Ethnographic Museum. development of bee-keeping from the Compared with similar mu- time of the ancient Thracians and , seums in other world capital the Slavs down to this day, growing . cities, it is comparatively of roses and rose oil production with modest. However, Bulgaria an over 250-year-long tradition, , keeps the memory of its wine producing and its sunny areas; National Revival through its the parti-coloured national costumes : ethnographic and architectural from different regions of Bulgaria, – -, , reserves: the museum town of embroideries, wood-carving and – . , Melnik, , the museum fretwork from the three famous , , town of Koprivshtitsa, Tryav- schools – of Tryavna, 1907 . . , , – - na, Varosha Quarter in the and Debar; unique adornments, . 1944 . , , – . town of , Nesebar – the hand-woven carpets from Kotel and . . , – Old Town, Sozopol, Veliko Chiprovtsi. All these can be seen in , - , , Tarnovo – the Samovodska the National Ethnographic Museum - . – . Market. Among other things, at the Bulgarian Academy – , : , the stone street pavement in of Sciences. – , the ancient quarter of Veliko 250- , Tarnovo has been preserved 1, Knyaz Alexander Battenberg , , , since the time of the Second Square, the eastern wing of the – , , , , Bulgarian Kingdom and has former Royal Palace. Opening – . been ‘working’ l awlessly for hours: Tuesday – Sunday, summer “ . ” 1 – . “” . eight centuries. 10.00 – 17.00, winter 11.00 – 16.00. : – 10 17 .; – 11 16 ., – .

  19.

The฀Ivan฀Vazov฀ National฀Theatre Народният฀театър฀ „Иван฀Вазов“

, Orphic mysteries, maenad songs and dances, pleted in eight year’s time. The imposing baroque- , , religious rites, Dionysian festivals and feasts; mys- . , style building designed by the Viennese architects . , , , ticism, inspiration, deities, lights, admirers, great 8 . Felner and Helmer was inaugurated on January 3, , , , ! ovation, brilliance! – All this is depicted on the , 1907. Seasons of brilliance and ovation came one pediment of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre. Ital- “ ” after another. Unfortunately, on February 10, 1923 “ ”. ian masters called the sculpture group ‘Apollo and 03.01.1907 . the National Theatre building burnt down. Only “ the four Muses’. The brightest and divine places . , 10.02.1923 . the external walls remained. The state assigned the ”. - were gilded, even the cupid to Apollo’s right. . restoration to the architect M. Dulfer from Dres- . In 1888, a theatre of wood sprang up in this . den. Together with the royal court box, the audi- . place. The ground l oor together with the gallery torium had 1165 seats. From the very beginning, 1888 . seated 300-350. There were also 38 boxes care- . . , the theatre stage was revolving and with the most . , fully stuck all over with motley paper. The theatre 1165. , – advanced equipment for its time. On March 17, 300 – 350 . 38 , was called ‘Osnova’ (foundation) and was built - . 1929 the National Theatre was ofi cially inaugu- . up by a theatrical company of the same name. 17.03.1929 . rated again. There were two performances on the “” After building the Slavyanska Beseda theatre au- . gala day: the play Masons by P. Y. Todorov and . ditorium in 1891, the company moved there and : “” . . the opera Tsveta by Maestro Atanasov. Today, after “ ” changed its name. “” . , a new reconstruction in 1971-1975 (architect I. To- 1891 ., A National Assembly resolution of 1898 for 1971 –1975 . mov and team), there are two auditoriums: the big . deductions from the Soi a city lottery gave impe- (. . ), : one is with 800 seats and the chamber one, with 1898 ., tus to the building of the National Theatre. Under 800 , – 200. 200. It is interesting to know that the curtain in the , the special care of the then Minister of Education, , big auditorium was woven by Bulgarian carpet- . Prof. Ivan Shishmanov, the construction was com- 350 . weavers and weighs 350 kg.

  The National Theatre bears the name The architectural monument of culture of the patriarch of , was built in ‘modern’ style with Ivan Vazov. His best-known and most pronounced baroque infl uence in 1920. widely translated works are the novel ‘Under the Yoke’ and his immortal 3, Benkovski Street, volume of poetry opposite the Russian Church. ‘Epopee to the Forgotten’.

It is in Dyakon Ignatii Street, opposite the fountains in the .

. - “ 20. ”, “ ”. “ ”, The฀Building฀ . of฀the฀State฀ Insurance฀ Institute฀(DZI) Сградата฀ на฀Държавния฀ застрахователен฀ институт฀(ДЗИ)

The building of the Clerks Cooperative Insurance Company (today DZI) is a symbol of the common sense and enterprising spirit of the Bulgarian middle 1920 . “” ( ). . class before World War II. The sculptor I. Lazarov . , chiselled the i gures of Protection and Thrift and the . “ ” 3, , architects Fingov, Nichev and Yurukov created one . - . of the most beautiful buildings in Soi a.

0  In the encyclopaedia of 1936 . : the brothers Danchovi of “- 1936 we read: “Museum of (), Natural Science and His- tory (Royal), one of the , royal institutes of natural 1889 . science in Soi a, founded in 1889 and supported by . the personal funds of our king. It has very rich col- lections of the l ora and , fauna of Bulgaria, Thrace , - and , which can serve most satisfactorily for the study of the l ora . and fauna of these lands. - This museum is the richest - museum of natural science ”. and history in the Balkan – Peninsula.” , , Two monarchs, father and son, started, looked after and left us this unique . natural history collection. , Ferdinand I was a botany , and photography enthusi- , , ast, and King Boris III had a passion for hunting, hik- , ing and technical progress. He often drove his motor- . car himself, and sometimes personally drove steam The฀National฀Museum฀ . engines. , The big air-raid of Soi a 21. of฀Natural฀History฀at฀the฀BAS on March 30, 1944 serious- . ly damaged the museum. Националният฀ But it was soon recon- 30.03.1944 . structed. . Today, the National Mu- природонаучен฀музей฀при฀БАН . seum of Natural History is a branch of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Its collection is showcased in . 24 halls and stored in two The building of the National Museum of Natural 24 2 depositories. It comprises History is unique in Bulgaria. It was erected , 12 over 12,000 species and . 1937. in 1937 to the design of Victoria Vinarova, more than 1,000,000 speci- . , . especially for the royal museum. 1 000 000 ! mens! Among them is even , a piece from the Moon, a “ ” 1. 1, Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd. Opening hours: gift from the Apollo space : 10 – 18 ., . Monday – Sunday, 10:00 – 18:00 “”. mission.   22. The฀Russian฀Church฀of฀St.฀Nicholas฀ Руската฀църква฀•Свети฀Николай•

This golden jewel was entirely elaborated - by the makers of the memorial church of “. ” – , , St. Alexander Nevski: design, construction, , . icon painting, decoration. The St. Nicholas “. ” Church was completed and consecrated in 1914 . 1914. In the crypt lies a marble sarcophagus with the relics of another saint of Soi a, St. Sera- – . . phim the Wonderworker. Archbishop Seraphim Sobolev was born in and in the begin- ning of the 20th century was rector of the Vo- . ronezh Theological Academy. After the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917, fate 1917 . directed him to “a small, beautiful country”. “, ” – , So, he arrived in Bulgaria, which he had never . seen before. At a grand liturgy in 1925 on the occa- 1925 . – sion of the National Day of Bulgaria, March 3 , ( 3rd, Archbishop Seraphim (evidently led ) by providence) did something very strange. . Against the rules of the ceremony, he sud- , denly stepped aside from the other clergymen and blessed King Boris III and his entourage . -, of ministers. A month and a half later, the blessed statesmen miraculously escaped the massive bomb attack in St. Nedelya Church. “. ”. The Third Bulgarian Kingdom was saved. St. . Seraphim humbly carried on with his mission , through the years, helping in hopeless situa- tions too. He gave up the ghost in 1950. They . 1950 . called him St. Seraphim the Wonderworker… . The common people love him very much and . still write notes to him with requests for help. . And from the world beyond he responds with . goodness.

“. ”. The Russian Church of St. Nicholas. . “ ” 3. 3, Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd.

  23. The฀Military฀Club Военният฀клуб

For long years the veterans - from the Russo-Turkish War lined up for parade in front of . the Military Club. Formed in , the detachments of those times, , dressed in glorious uniforms, discoloured or completely , - bleached, the ranks of the war hero-volunteers i led down to . the National Assembly building. The Military Club was built 1895 – 1900 . in the period 1895-1900 to . . . the design of the Czech archi- . tect A. V. Kolar. The interior decoration abounds in plaster , ornaments, composed by the . sculptor M. Vasilev and master . Greiss.

Experts determine the architectural style of the Military Club as Empire.

At the crossing of G. S. Rakovski St. and Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd.

“”.

“. . ” “ ”.

  The฀Monument฀to฀the฀Unknown฀Warrior 24. Паметникът฀на฀Незнайния฀войн

The symbol of the bronze The Monument to the Unknown - lion is associated with the Warrior consists of a tomb with a names of two great Bulgar- sarcophagus and 5 stone urns. It : - ians: prime minister Al- keeps the bones of soldiers from exander Stamboliiski and all parts of Bulgaria who died for the sculptor Prof. Andrey their motherland. The altar con- . . Nikolov. In 1923 Stambol- taining the eternal fi re rests 1923 . iiski’s government opened on four swords. a fund and started the con- The southern side of St. Sophia struction of a Monument to Church at St. Alexander Nevski the Unknown Warrior. The Square. . coup of June 1923 delayed the monument unveiling 1923 . until 1936. In the years after the 1936 . Second World War, the majestic lion and the altar were demounted and put 5 . away in storage. Only in . 1981, for the grand cel- 1981 ., 1300- ebrations of the 1300th an- niversary of the Bulgarian . , State the Monument to the Unknown Warrior was re- 4 . , stored and the altar lighted – . , again. The lion, although “. ”, , lying, emanates magnetic “. . ”. . strength and power.

  25. The฀Bulgarian฀Patriarchate฀(The฀Holy฀Synod) Българската฀патриаршия฀(Светият฀синод)

, Ilarion Makariopolski, Avksentii Veleshki and , Paisiy Plovdivski. Three , archbishops who restored the independence of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in 1870 in Con- (27 stantinople. Quite deserv- 1870 . ). edly, their mosaic portraits , are placed above the en- trance of the Holy Synod, the seat of the Bulgarian – Patriarch. .

The beautiful building in National Romanticism style was built in 1909 to the design of architect P. Momchilov. The decorative motifs on the façade are borrowed from the Bulgarian Mediaeval period.

In the southern part of St. Alexander Nevski Sq., opposite the Monument to the Unknown Warrior.

“ ” 1909 . . . . . . .

. “. . ”, .

0  The฀Bulgarian฀Academy฀of฀Sciences฀(BAS) 26. Българската฀академия฀на฀науките฀(БАН)

- The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is the oldest . city of Soi a, and in 1911 it acquired the ofi cial national institution in the Third Bulgarian State. status of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. . , It was founded before the , , , Today BAS comprises independent research , before the gaining of national independence, before , - institutes, laboratories, etc., as well as a community , . the restoration of statehood, in September 1869 in . of the academicians, correspondence members and 1869 . – . Brailla, . The i rst president of the Bulgar- - foreign members of the Academy. It is the larg- ian Literary Society was Prof. Marin Drinov. For , est national scientii c organization, carrying out . . . , the , owing to the concurrence of histori- - fundamental and applied research in the i eld of the , cal circumstances, for years on end the Bulgarian -, natural and mathematical sciences, and the social . Literary Society was a light and pillar of the Bul- , and humanitarian sciences, enjoying international , garian spirit. It developed as a scientii c and liter- . prestige. In cooperation with the Soviet Space Pro- – “ ” (1870 ., ary society, which had its own printed publication, , gram, the Bulgarian scientists sent two astronauts . “ ”). 1878 . Periodical Journal (1870, today Journal of BAS). – on spacel ights: the generals Georgi Ivanov (1979) – , 1911 In 1878 the Society was moved to the new capital (1979 .) and Alexander Alexandrov (1988). . (1988 .)

1892 ., . . 1926 . (. . . ). , . , . “ ”, . “15 ” 1.

The building of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences was erected in 1892 to the design of architect Meier. It was extended and reconstructed in 1926 (architects S. Ovcharov and Y. Yordanov). It houses the BAS Head- quarters, Central Library and Archives. Opposite the western wing of the Parliament building at Narodno Sabranie Sq., 1, 15-ti Noemvi St.

  The façade of Sofi a University with a series , of columns and stone plastics designed by L. Parushchik and I. Funev. ( . . ). At the crossing of Vasil Levski and Tsar Osvoboditel boulevards. “ ” “ ”.

27. The฀St.฀Kliment฀Ohridski฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀University฀of฀Sofia Софийският฀университет฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀•Св.฀Климент฀Охридски•

The bronze figures of two wealthy men, . The Frenchman J. Breanson won the 1906 – the brothers Hristo and Evlogi Georgievi, 1906 . . competition for design of , 70 for 70 years now stand dignified at the main . building. Upon improvements by N. La- . entrance of Sofia University. One can judge . , zarov and Y. Milanov, the construction of about their prosperous business and generos- 1924 ., the Rectorate went on from 1924 to 1934. , ity by the fact that they donated the money 1934 . The wings were built in the period 1941- , for the land and the central building of the 1941 – 1955 . 1955. The University complex was com- () . University (The Rectorate). The merchant pleted in 1982. - – brothers granted six million gold levs for the 1982 . Offices, laboratories and seminar rooms . education of the young people. , – – 324, lecture halls – 65, student capacity 1888-89 . Academic year 1888/89 was the i rst season 324, – 65, – 6000. – 6000. The University Library has . of Soi a University. The initiative and i rst step 800,000 volumes and 450 seats in the . were again taken by Prof. Ivan Shishmanov. 800 000 450 reading-rooms. . .

  28.

The฀Monument฀to฀St.฀Clement฀of฀Ohrid Паметникът฀на฀Св.฀Климент฀Охридски

Author of the The personality of Arch- Monument to (. 840 bishop Clement of Ohrid St. Clement of Ohrid – 916 .) (ca. 840 – 916) is intran- is the sculptor . sient. Disciple and collabo- Prof. Lyubomir rator of the Holy Brothers Dalchev. , Cyril and Methodius, today his name and work is held In the garden – , , in respect in many countries between the . – Russia, Serbia, Roma- University and the (? – 907 .), nia, etc. At the invitation National Assembly. - of Prince Boris I (? – 907), and later under the patron- – age of his son, King Simeon (864 – 927 .), . the Great (864-927), St. Clement founded the Ohrid – Literary School – the first , Bulgarian university, where 3500 he trained more than 3500 . . students. He wrote eulogies , and instructive texts, church , chants, translated liturgical . . . books in the new writing. . At the St. Pantheleimon “. ”, Monastery at the side of the Ohrid Lake, he founded the , first hospital in the Bulgar- ian lands. With their literary . . work, St. Clement of Ohrid , and the other disciples of - , Cyril and Methodius made 10 . the 10th century the Golden . Age of Bulgarian Culture. At the time Bulgaria was the third largest and most powerful state on the - . pean continent.

  Boris’฀Gardens Борисовата฀градина 29.

1882 . In 1882, the Palace assigned , the Swiss Daniel Neff to land- scape the bare i elds southeast of the Perlovska River as a park for the inhabitants of the capital . city. The gardener of Ferdi- , , nand I, Joseph Frei continued , his efforts by planting roses, shrubs, l owers and tracing – . alleys. Ariana Lake at the park – , entrance was made in 1889. 1889 . A place for happy sighs and , kisses for several generations of Soi anites. In the park there are . three stadiums (including the ( Vasil Levski National Stadium), a swimming-pool, bicycle track, “ ”), tennis courts, etc. An Alley , , - of Eminent Bulgarians. At an . elevated place is situated the . oldest astronomical observa- tory of the Bulgarian Academy - of Sciences (1894). Near it (1894 .). stands the 41-meter-tall obelisk 41- called The Common Grave. At , “ its foundations are buried the

”. bones of people who died in the antifascist resistance 1941-1944. During the pe- 1941 – 1944 . riod of communist rule, this , green civilization was called The Park of Freedom. Now “ ”. its name Boris’ Gardens has been restored, after the name of the monarch who did most , , for it. By a decree of 1934, Bust of King Boris III - . King Boris III founded the the Unifi er. Vitosha National Park. There “” ( the green culture l ourished 1934 .). into a green euphoria. .

  The entrance of Boris’ Gardens is part of the architectural ensemble of Orlov Most (Eagles Bridge). From Evlogi Georgiev Blvd. along the park extends all the way to the residential complexes Iztok, Dianabad and Vitosha.

In the Alley of Eminent Bulgarians stands the bust of Aleko Konstan- tinov, founder of the modern Bulgarian green culture. A satirist writer and passionate traveller. His most famous character is Bai Ganyo, with surname Balkanski. Aleko called himself Lucky Man, because he had the fortune to travel and describe the World Exhibitions in Paris, Prague and Chicago. He came back and narrated what he had seen in the wide world. In 1895 Aleko and the writer Ivan Vazov invited the inhabitants of Sofi a to conquer the highest peak of the Vitosha Mountains. More than 300 people responded to the initiative. Thus, August 27, 1895 became the starting date of organized mountain . Unfortunately, in a couple of years (on May 11, 1897) Aleko fell victim of political assassination. The Lucky Man was only 34 years old.

. . “ ” “ ” “”, “” “”.

- , - . - “ ”, . , , . . , 1895 . . 300 . 27 1895 . . , ( 11 1897 .) . 34 .

0  30. The฀Monument฀to฀the฀Soviet฀Army Паметникът฀на฀Съветската฀армия

. . “ ”, – , (1954). 09.09.1944 . - , . . “ ” ( ).

It was erected in honour of the Soviet Army, which on September 9, 1944 estab- An imposing sample of the so-called Socialist Real- lished a workers’ and peas- ism, authored by a team and built in 1954. ants’ government in Bulgaria.

In the garden where the Zoo used to be, with a view on Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd. (in the section between the Rectorate and Eagles Bridge).

  The Monument to St. St. Cyril and Methodius and the National Library of the same name. Started in 1878 The฀St.฀St.฀Cyril฀and฀ as Sofi a Public Library, today it is the largest national library in Bulgaria, with universal stock, depository of 31. Methodius฀National฀Library manuscript documentary heritage from the 11th – 19th centuries, archives of the Bulgarian national printed products, centre of the national bibliography, meth- odological centre of the libraries in the country, and a Народната฀библиотека฀ research institute of library science, bibliography and science information. The stock of the National Li- •Св.฀Св.฀Кирил฀и฀Методий• brary contains about 4.5 million library items: books, manuscripts, patents, offi cial publications, standards, periodicals, microfi lms, etc. The modern building was inaugurated in 1946. It was designed by I. Vasilyov and D. Tsolov. Sculptor of the monument V. Ginovski.

On the northern side of Sofi a University, in the garden at the crossing of Vasil Levski Blvd. and Shipka St.

“. . ” . 1878 . , - , - 11-19 ., , , - - , . 4,5 – , , , , , , . 1946 ., . . . . . , . “ ” . “”.

- , “, One of the most beautiful Bulgarian hymns, March , l owers into garlands and decorate the portraits of ”, Ahead, Oh, Revived People, glorii es the Holy Cyril and Methodius, who built Bulgaria in the foun- , , Brothers Cyril and Methodius, the First Teachers, 9 . - dations of the Euro-Christian civilization already in - . the inventors of the Slavonic-Bulgarian script. And , the 9th century. Having created the Slavonic-Bulgar- , , - May 24th, the Day of Letters, is one of the brightest , ian script, the Slavic Apostles succeeded in . - Bulgarian holidays. The greatest number of homony- convincing the Vatican that every nation had the right , mous schools in Bulgaria bear the names of Cyril and , of public worship in their mother tongue, as a result . Methodius as a symbol of knowledge and progress. ( of which Old Bulgarian was recognized as the third , , On May 24th we, the Bulgarians, wreathe spring ). ofi cial language in Europe (after Greek and Latin).

  The฀Union฀of฀Bulgarian฀ Artists’฀Gallery 32. Галерията฀на฀Съюза฀ на฀българските฀художници

Collectors and art connois- seurs often shop here. The . gallery is on four stories and , the i fth l oor is the seat of the . Union of Bulgarian Artists. 1970 ., The building was completed . . in 1970, to the designs of . . . Arch. I. Kovalov and Eng. I. Nikolov. The exhibition Bookshops, stores for 3000 2 . space is over 3000 sq. m. paints, brushes and canvases, café, restau- , , , , rant, spacious exhibi- , , – tion halls – a favourite place for the contempo- . rary Bulgarian artists.

. “” 6. 6, Shipka St.

  The฀National฀Academy฀of฀Fine฀Arts 33. Националната฀художествена฀฀академия

It is noisy only in the basement of the National – Academy of Fine Arts: there is the bistro of young . , talents. Up in the halls reigns silence and concen- , trated drawing, painting and sculpting, as in every , . temple where art is born.

The National Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1886 as State Art School. It occupies this building since 1906. Its fi rst rector was the Bul- garian artist of Czech descent Prof. Ivan Markvi- chka, corresponding member of BAS. At 1, Shipka St., opposite the National Library.

1886 . . 1906 . . , , . . , . . “” 1, .

  Under the copper roof of Photos: The National Gallery for Buddha, India 4 Foreign Art one can ad- mire and dive in the depths 1 Indian art European art 5 of different cultures, philos- ophies and aesthetic views India Christian art East European art throughout the world. 2 6 You can feel the centu- Japanese art African art ries old massages of the rich 3 7 - SOFIA, BULGARIA collections of Indian sculp 20TH ANNNIVERSARY ture and miniatures, of the - THE UNIVESSAL LANGUAGE OF MASTERPIECES OF WORLD ART IN THE CENTRE OF SOFIA unique collection of Chris tian art of the “Golden” Goa Sanya Tsaneva 4 /India/, Southeast Asian art, genuine prints of Japanese The NationaL Gallery life in Bulgaria – a woodcuts, African sculpture from different countries and for Foreign Art opened lofty venture, promot- tribes on the continent, Pre -Columbian America. European its doors for the pub- ing cultural exchange art of the 19th an 20th centuries and contemporary art give lic on November 5th and understanding be- to the Gallery an image of its own and outline its unique “ 1985. It answered the tween the peoples in territory”. You can feel the aesthetic massages of giants necessity of such an the world. As a result of art as Giovanni Boltrafio, Eugene Delacroix, Auguste institution in Bulgaria, of dedicated efforts Renoir, Henri Matisse, Jules Pascin, Gustave Courbet, Sal- a state, which grew up the modest collection vador Dali, Corneliu Baba, Pablo Picasso, Francisco Goya, and developed through of foreign art through August Rodin, Renato Gotuzo, Henri Matisse, Maurisse Bri- the centuries as a real the years grew into in anshon etc. Along with them one can follow the efimerity and still acting cross to unique art treasury. of the artiicial borders in road of civilizations, That admirable idea Europe through the works knowledge and cul- of governmental in- of Repin, Kandinski, Serov, ture. stitutions for planned Petrov-Vodkin, Shvabin- After the liberation collecting work in- ski, Vinsent Hlojnik, Albin of Bulgaria in the early spired noble gestures. Brunovski, Viktor Vazarelli 1 years of the last century Well known person- 3 and many other masters of and the penetration of alities, artists, collec- European art. town civilization in the life of the country, the government tors, Bulgarians living at home and abroad and institutions There is a special,unique and the public started eagerly to build up a classical scen- from different countries presented valuable donations. The hall where are exhibited the ery of an European capital with its own emblematic state, new collections acquired a new house – the old State Print- works of Nikolai Roerich. governmental and cultural institutions – museums, libraries, ing House, built by the Viennese architect Schwanberger The Gallery is already a theatres and civil buildings. towards the end of the 19th century, 5 well known and highly es- During that period, along with the grow- soon after The Liberation of Bulgaria. teemed host of visiting ex- ing power and the newly acquired independ- Damaged by bombs in 1944, in the be- hibitions from the most prominent museums, galleries and ency, close and active connections with ginning of the 80th, the building was collections in the world. Europe, were laid the foundations of the reconstructed, the interior was reno- Here there inhabit less familiar and unexplored National Museum. In its halls were exposed vated and the spaces were arranged domains of the history of art. The Museum, with its cos- some unfortunately now missing collec- by the most prominent Bulgarian archi- mopolitan aesthetics ranks among some of the great cent- tions and possessions of th e sovereigns, tects, artists and specialists. For every ers of art not only in Bulgaria but in the world as well. It donations and a number of masterpieces of painting, drawing and sculpture an represent a cosmic coexistence between famous artists and foreign and European art, masterpieces of aesthetically reined environment has anonymous masters, various trends, aesthetic views, na- Bulgarian art. Later they became a part of been created, emphasizing the mer- tional traditions and cultural experiences ranging through the exposition of the National Art Gallery. its of each work and thus showing the the centuries from the Far East to Europe, Africa and Until the beginning of the 80th a separate different cultures in an atmosphere of America. The soul and the collection of foreign art was just a dream striking variety and harmony. The gal- spirit are penetrated by for Bulgarian cultural life. As a result of lery is emanating the spirit of one an irresistible and fasci- the oficial policy to activate international of those sanctuaries of art, which pre- nating world of sculptures, cultural links on November the 5th.,1985, serve the creations of generations of paintings and drawings, of was oficially opened The National Gal- artists, where both art connoisseurs and the dramatic and poetic, lery for Foreign Art. Now it majestically the curious and inquisitive visitors can of faith and suffering, my- rises on Alexander Nevski square- one of be initiated into the secrets of art and thologies and beliefs. All the most beautiful and representative in beauty. All museums more or less em- these sacred creations of Soia. body the aesthetic tastes of their time the human spirit are shel- The Gallery is an offspring of tradition- and founders, which are also inevitably tered and speak the same al spiritual values and a policy geared to 2 predetermined and limited by the cur- 6 language – the universal 7 the enrich the active and varied cultural rent art market. language of art.

0  The฀Monument฀to฀Paisius฀of฀Hilendar 35. Паметникът฀на฀Паисий฀Хилендарски

, The spiritual power, which , gave impetus to the National Revival belonged to the (1722 – 1773 .). monk Paisius of Hilendar (1722-1773). How topical , sound even today the words 1762 . written in 1762 in his im- “ ” mortal Slavonic-Bulgarian – ”, ! History: “Oh, foolish and ignorant people! Why are you ashamed to call yourselves Author of the Monument ?...” Bulgarians, and do not read to Paisius of Hilendar is , in your native language?” the sculptor M. Simeonov. With his ideas of education, , spiritual growth and politi- The monument cal independence, Paisius of is situated in the Hilendar set the beginning green area at , of the Revival of the Bulgar- St. Alexander Nevski Sq., ian people and the national northeast of the . liberation ideology. memorial church.

. .

. “. . ”, -.

  - “ ”, -, . 1950 . . . . 1270 . “” “. . ”.

The฀National฀Opera฀ 36. and฀Ballet฀Theatre Националният฀театър฀ за฀опера฀и฀балет

Sufi ce it to mention four names to present the Soi a : Opera: Raina Kabaivanska, , , Ghena Dimitrova, Boris , Christoff, Nikolai Gyaurov. . So many other native talents have stepped on the world ! stage! The beginning of profes- A peculiar architectural combination of Alexander Stamboliiski House-Monument, with the stately bronze sional ballet art in Bulgaria fi gure of the Agrarian prime minister, and the National Opera and Ballet Theatre. The building was complet- was set in 1927. Among ed in 1950 to the design of architect L. Parashkevanov. The opera hall has three balconies and seats 1270. 1927 . the i rst ballet-masters was . . A. Petrov. At the crossing of Vrabcha and G. S. Rakovski Streets. ! Applause!

  Georgi฀Sava฀Rakovski฀ Street฀of฀Theatres 37. Театралната฀улица฀ •Георги฀Сава฀Раковски•

In the daytime, a “caterpil- lar” of cars and trolleybuses . crawls along the street. In the evenings, however, it grows . quiet and becomes the Street , of Fairytales. Tales for young , . and old, sad tales, funny tales, cautionary tales. Soi anites come to see them every night : in the theatres in this street: , The Military Theatre, Tears “ ”, “199” and Laughter Drama Theatre, ( Theatre 199 (called so because ), it has so many seats), The ( Central Puppet Theatre (at the ( Sophia Church), the Monu- “. . . ”), crossing with Gurko St.), then Rakovski Street, viewed from “”, “. ”), ment to Prime Minister Stefan – the Theatre Academy with its the garden in front of the - Stambolov (in the garden op- , School Theatre, opposite it in Military Club. In the . ( posite the Military Club), – the crossing on the left – Aleko foreground, the Monument – and three literary museums: Konstantinov State Theatre of to Stefan Stambolov. . ) - – of Ivan Vazov, behind the “ ”. Satire. ( National Theatre, of . On G. S. Rakovski St. you The theatres in G. S. Rakovski . “. .” ), . . P. Y. Yavorov, and of “. . ” should not miss the Monument St. are located in the section , Petko and Pencho Slaveykov to the national poet Ivan Va- between Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd. . “ ” in the section after Slaveykov zov (in the garden behind St. and Slaveykov Square. . “”. “”. Square.

  Slaveykov฀Square฀–฀ 38. the฀Book-Market Площадът-книжарница฀ •Славейков•

In the Old Bulgar- , ian literature there is a “ ”, poem called Alphabeti- . cal Prayer. The acrostic contains the whole al- , phabet, and the stanzas . praise the zeal for read- , . “” ing. Ten centuries after, Slaveykov Square is the embodiment of this text. . , Only the alphabets are , of the different lan- . guages.

The square with the sculpture of the Slaveykovs, – father and son. Two poets and public fi gures, . , who left a trace in Bulgarian literature. . In the background, Sofi a City Library. – .

At the crossing of G. S. Rakovski St. “. . ” and Graf N. P. Ignatiev St. “ . . ”.

  39. The฀Monument฀to฀John฀Atanasoff Паметникът฀на฀Джон฀Атанасов

– The daughter of Lord Byron, Lady Augus- , . ta Ada Lovelace, was a brilliant mathemati- cian. She invented some of the basic prin- ( ciples of the perforated cards programming DA). (the programming language ADA is called after her). 1801 . The mechanical looms of the Frenchman - , Joseph Marie Jacquard after 1801 operated . with greater speed and precision thanks to the perforated cards invented by him. Giving due credit to the great French physicist Blaise Pas- cal and his i rst version of a computing ma- 1642 ., chine created in 1642, we take a leap in time . and across the Atlantic Ocean. , To acquire its present-day form and power, the computer became a product of the typi- cal American competition and collaboration : , of several scientists of genius: Aiken, John , , , , Atanasoff, Berry, Mauchly, Eckert and von . Neumann. John Atanasoff was an American professor . of physics and mathematics of Bulgarian de- -, scent. As a lecturer at State College, Iowa, 1937 – 1938 . in 1937-38 he contemplated the invention of , . an electronic computer, instead of a mechan- The Monument to John Atanasoff was ical. With his assistant Clifford Berry, he 4 ceremoniously unveiled on October 4, 2003, – “” started working on the first electronic com- 2003 ., 100- on the occasion of the 100th anniversary (“Atanasoff – Berry Computer“). puter, (Atanasoff–Berry Computer). . of the birth of our great compatriot. , The two inventive concepts underlying the , – development of this machine were the use of , Quite relevantly, the memorial vacuum electronic lamps and the introduc- is raised in front of the main entrance (0 1). , tion of the dual code (0, 1). Congratulations, , of the Ministry of Communications, ! professor! . “” 2. 2 Gurko St.

00 0 The฀Sofia฀City฀Art฀Gallery 40. Софийската฀градска฀ художествена฀галерия

1944 . Until 1944 this was a . noisy nightlife place as the building accommodated the City Casino. But the . air-raids and the subse- quent socialist revolution “” brought quiet in the halls. . Since 1973-77 the building 1973 – 1977 . houses the City Art . Gallery.

The total area of the three halls of Sofi a City Art Gallery is 1092 sq. m. Its collections contain mainly works by Bulgarian art- ists: 3168 paintings, 675 sculp- tures and 2711 graphics and drawings.

1, Gurko St., in the southern corner of the City Garden. In the late 19th century, the oldest 1092 . . public garden in Sofi a had an : 3168 , original town clock – exactly at 675 2711 . 12:00 noon a cannon was fi red for the clocks around the city to . “” 1, . be set to the correct time. 19 . - – 12 . .

0 0 The฀Bulgarian฀National฀Bank฀(BNB) Българската฀народна฀банка฀(БНБ) 41.

The headquarters of the . ors. His stone figure stands – , Bulgarian currency – the The façade and the firmly on a column lev – has four above-ground sculpture of St. Nicholas. in the front façade. . and three underground “. ”. . As an institution, the floors. Quite naturally, it is On the , Bulgarian National Bank a strong solid structure. This south-western side of was founded several months . was the task of the team of Knyaz A. Battenberg before Sofia became capital architects I. Vasilyov and D. Square. “ . ”. of the Principality of Bul- – . -. Tsolov between 1934 and garia. It was instituted by 1934 1939 . 1939. The financial opera- . a decree of the interim tions at the Bulgarian Na- governor Prince Dondukov- tional Bank are under the -, Korsakov of January 1879. guardianship of St. Nicho- 1879 . The present-day building is “. ” – las, the heavenly patron of the third headquarters of , bankers, merchants and sail- . the Bulgarian lev.

0 0 42. The฀Presidency฀Building฀ of฀the฀Republic฀of฀Bulgaria Президентството฀ на฀Република฀България

The guards in front of the Presidency wear uniforms on the model of those worn by the rebels in the April 1876 . – 1876 Uprising, the grandi- , ose revolt for independence, . glorified by Ivan Vazov in , many of his works. We may - say we are standing in front . of the most official building - in the state. Only the most -. successful, honoured and -! responsible have access to it! Here the President signs The Presidency build- ( ) , (or not) the new laws passed ing is part of the Largo . by Parliament. Under the architectural complex, , Constitution, the President is constructed in the 1950s. Commander-in-Chief of the The main entrance of the . Bulgarian Army. At solemn Presidency is on ceremonies in the Coat-of- Knyaz A. Battenberg Sq. , Arms Hall, the President and the administration awards high state distinc- is at 2 Knyaz . tions. The highest Bulgarian A. M. Dondukov- - order is Stara Planina (Bal- Korsakov Blvd. “ ”. kan Range).

“”, 50- 20 . . “ . ”, – . “ . ” 2.

0 0 43. The฀Council฀of฀Ministers฀ of฀the฀Republic฀of฀Bulgaria Министерският฀съвет฀ на฀Република฀България

This part of the city . was in ruins after the air-raids. It took several “ . ” 1. . years of voluntary work by Sofianites to clear the ruins and prepare the The Council of Ministers terrain for new construc- of the Republic of Bulgaria. tion. Then the state lead- 1, Knyaz ers decided “The centre A. M. Dondukov-Korsakov Blvd. . of Sofia must be laid out as an architectural , “ ensemble, reflecting the upsurge of our building and culture, express- , ing the grandeur of the epoch”. The epoch was , the Cold War era. The building of the Council ”. of Ministers is part of . the Largo architectural complex, constructed in the 1950s. “”, 50- In 2004, this state 20 . institution celebrated its 2004 . 125th anniversary. On July 5, 1879, by Decree 125- . No 1 of Prince Alexander 5 1879 . 1 Battenberg the i rst Bul- . garian government was appointed – the cabinet – of Todor Burmov. In the . 125 past 125 years, the coun- try has been governed by 89 89 governments with 621 . 621 ministers.

0 0 The stately building of TsUM closes the Largo architectural complex on the northwest.

2, Maria Luiza Blvd.

“” “” .

. “ ” 2.

The฀Central฀Department฀Store฀(TsUM) 44. Централният฀универсален฀магазин฀(ЦУМ)

60- In the mid-1960s it was - the largest and most fash- - . ionable store in Sofia. On the radio even an adver- “, tising song was played, , ”, “TsUM, TsUM, TsUM”, in contrast to the general elevated official tone of the . emissions.

0  45. The฀St.฀Nedelya฀Church Църквата฀•Света฀Неделя•

1751 ., Since 1751, when St. “. Nedelya Church was built, ”, it contains the relics of the 14 . 14th century Serbian King , Stefan Uros II Milutin, can- . onized as a saint. Therefore, “ ”. it is also called Holy King Church. The wood-carved 1865 ., iconostasis was made in 1865, and the icons were painted . by the Revival artist Stanislav 16 1925 . Dospevski. “. ” , On April 16, 1925 St. Nedelya Church was destroyed by the infamous bomb attempt at King Boris , III and his government, 150 – which killed 150 people, , among whom MPs and gen- . erals. The church was re- 1931 ., stored in 1931, after a design by architects I. Vasilyov and . . . D. Tsolov.

. The restored temple.

The square is named after – “ ”. the church, Sveta Nedelya.

  The building of the Fac- ulty of Theology and the The฀Faculty฀of฀Theology฀ - National Museum of Church History and Arheology was 46. and฀the฀National฀Museum฀of฀ constructed in 1908-1914 1908 – 1914 . after a design by the Aus- . . trian architect F. Grunanger. Church฀History฀and฀Arheology The façade is composed of glazed tiles and medallions of distinguished clerics. The Богословският฀факултет฀и฀Националният฀ . museum collection compris- 10 es more than 10,000 items, църковен฀историко- 000 , including two original tran- scripts of Paisiy’s History - археологически฀музей – the Samokov and Tarnovo . transcripts.

One of the most beautiful façades in Sofi a is the façade of the Faculty of Theology of Sofi a University. In the southern part of Sveta Nedelya Square.

- . . “ ”.

  The฀Courts฀of฀Justice 47. Съдебната฀палата

. Stateliness and respect. Here the lions serve the law. .

8 The Courts of Justice was built in the span of eight (1928 – 1936 .), . years (1928-1936) after designs by N. Lazarov and . . P. Koichev. The bronze lions were sculpted by , – Lyubomir Dalchev, the interior murals were painted , – by Dechko Uzunov and the stained glasses by . . Ivan Penkov. All of them great Bulgarian artists.

. “” 2. 2, Vitosha Blvd.

  The architectural complex of Vitosha Blvd. (in the section from the Courts of Justice to the National Palace of Culture) comprises about 50 buildings, serving pragmatism. Shops on the ground fl oors, and 3 to 5 stories above occupied by offi ces and apartments. With few exceptions, they were built in the years between the two world wars.

. “” ( ) 50 , . , – 3 5 , , . , . The฀Vitosha฀Boulevard฀window฀display 48. Търговската฀витрина฀–฀булевард฀•Витоша•

– , The local population, the Shoppes have a hu- – “ - morous folk song, “Nothing is taller than the , - ”, . ., Vitosha Mountains, nothing is deeper than the - , Iskar River”, i.e. their mountain is the high- - . est in the world, and their river is deeper than , the seas. As far as shopping and luxury shop “” “- windows are concerned, in Soi a “nothing is ”. taller” than Vitosha Boulevard.

  49.

The฀National฀Palace฀of฀Culture฀(NDK)฀ Националният฀дворец฀на฀културата฀(НДК)

The National Palace of Culture in Sofi a: so far the largest congress centre in the Balkans, awarded the world prize in 2005.

Bulgaria Square-garden, where NPC rises, is located in the block between Vitosha, Bulgaria, Fritof Nansen and Patriarch Evtimiy boulevards.

– : - , 2005 .

- “”, , “”, ””,” ” “ ”.

The National Palace of Culture was built 11- stairs inside, one should be prepared for 1300- on the occasion of the 1300th anniversary . an 11-kilometre tour. 1981 . of the Bulgarian State in 1981. It consists of The construction of the National Palace , three buildings, connected by an underground of Culture was carried out in a record time - . 12 passage. It houses 12 halls that seat a total – 2 10 . 2 years and 10 months. To complete the 10 730 , , of 10,730, elevators, 22 escalators, foyers, , project in time, 20,000 engineers, technicians 22 , , , restaurants, sweet shops, day bars and night- 20 000 , and builders worked on day and night shifts. , , clubs, discotheque, bank, post ofi ce, print- . , , The team of architects, designers, sculptors , , , , er’s, and has an underground garage of nearly , and artists, who did the interior decoration, 1000 , 1500 1000 cells and a parking lot for 1500 cars. If , numbered 110. Chief designer of the National . one should decide to walk all corridors and 110 . Palace of Culture was architect A. Barov. , . . .

0  The memorial was built in 1999, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the fall of the communist regime in Bulgaria. In Bulgaria Square-garden, in the green area northwest of the main entrance of the National Palace of Culture.

1999 ., 10- . - “”, , .

The฀Monument฀to฀the฀Victims฀ 50. of฀the฀Communist฀Regime Паметникът฀на฀жертвите฀ на฀комунистическия฀режим

, - A chapel, where two or three persons can go , It is a reminder of the camp-prisoners, , 30- in at a time, and about 30-metre-long wall of , the political prisoners, . . black marble, with thousands of names in i ne . their misfortunate families and relatives. : print. The inscription reads: Let the memory of the innocently shed blood . burn our hearts like an eternal fi re. ! Bow, Bulgaria! ! Let the past never recur!

In this wall the suffering of our people , , Lord, rest the soles of . is built in. . your martyrs. This memorial is raised in memory of our . Give onto them Your Justice. , compatriots, , Accept them as our patrons, holy and : victims of the communist terror: the killed, – immortal – , the missing. . ! Now and forever. Amen! .

  The฀Earth฀and฀Man฀National฀Museum 51. Националният฀музей฀•Земята฀и฀хората•

, Of the eight million population in 2006 – 2006 ., Bulgaria has about two million emigrants. . , Interestingly, in the there is a word for this voluntary-compul- - sory life situation, gurbet, going abroad to – . make a living. The twentieth century saw – three large waves of emigration – during the 20- , Great Depression in the 1920s, post World , War Two, and after the fall of the Berlin , . Wall to this day. Most of these people dream to return to their humble Motherland and – they do so, whether personally, through do- , nor gestures or their children. .

The building of the Earth and Man National Museum.

4, Blvd. Opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 - 18:00

Such an act incited the founding of “ ”. the Earth and Man National Museum. 1985 . In 1985 Ilia Delev from Brazil donated to Bulgaria a fantastic collection of over – 700 . 700 giant crystals. Two hundred other donors added to the exposition and the “ ”. 200 , state allotted a building from the former – military arsenal, a monument of culture . “ ” 4. of 1898. Upon restoration and adaptation : 1898 . , 4000 . . of 4000 sq. m of exhibition area and the – , arrangement of 18,000 exhibits, on June 10 18 . 18 000 , 19 1987 . 19, 1987 Sofia acquired one of the larg- - ! est mineralogical museums in the world! “”- The “king” exhibit is a 1420 kg piece of , – 1420 . native bismuth, as big as a limousine. It ! is worth seeing!

  52. The฀Sofia฀Synagogue Софийската฀синагога

Very grand and beautiful, The Sofi a Synagogue. , - built in Spanish-Mauritanian style in 1905-1909, after a It is located behind the Cen- 1905 – 1909 ., design of the Viennese archi- tral Market Hall, at the cross- . . . tect F. Grunanger. Renovated ing of Exarch Josif St. and G. – 20 . in the late 20th century. Washington St. in the old part With the direct interven- of the city. tion of the National As- , 1943 . sembly and King Boris III, . in 1943 Bulgaria succeeded - in rescuing from the Holo- , – 50 000 caust most of its , over . 50,000. . ” ” . “. ”, .

  53. Pirotska฀Street฀–฀a฀sketch฀of฀old฀Sofia Улица฀•Пиротска•฀–฀етюд฀от฀стара฀София

The architectural complex The street on the southern of Pirotska Street. side of the Central Market “”. Hall is called Pirotska. The Going via the subway at the 200 i rst 200 metres of it are a Central Market Hall, the pe- . pedestrian area. Here it has destrian area extends to the preserved the atmosphere garden of Banski Square. , 19 of old Soi a, of the turn of 20 . – the 20th century. A shop- , ping street with buildings in “” the Neoclassic and Modern “”. “”. styles.

, . ””.

  The฀St.฀Joseph฀Catholic฀Cathedral฀ 54. Католическата฀катедрала฀•Св.฀Йосиф•

21 2006 . On May 21, 2006 the Vatican Secretary of State, , Cardinal Angelo Solano , inaugurated the newly built St. Joseph Catholic Cathe- dral in Sofia on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI. The “. ”, foundation stone of the tem- V. ple was consecrated person- ally by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Bulgaria , in 2002. The new cathedral was 2002 . raised at the site of the old one (of the same name), destroyed by the air-raids ( ), in 1944. The cathedral seats 350 and its total capacity is 1000 people. It is 23 1944 . m long, 15 m wide and 350 19 m high. The height of the bell tower, con- 1000 . taining 4 electronic 23 ., – 15 . bells, is 33 m. – 19 . The St. Joseph Catholic Cathedral of , Soi a is impressive 4 with its , 33 . stateliness and grandeur. “. ” It is locat- ed at 125, Knyaz . Boris I St.

0  Serdica฀Metro฀Station 55. Метростанция฀•Сердика•

“” Serdica Metro Station is part of the Open Subway “ architectural complex in ” (1969 .). front of TsUM (1969).

“ ”, At Sveta Nedelya Square, . in the centre of Sofi a.

1968 . In the end of 1968 the administrative preliminar- ies for the construction of started at the . level of Council of Minis- ters. Construction began in 1980 . 1980. At the outset of the , new millennium, Sofia (its ( 50 . population having grown 300 000 from 300,000 to 1,300,000 1 300 000 ) - in the last 50 years) finally acquired the capital letter “”, . M, symbol of the Metro. At present the underground 8 , has only 8 stations west- wards, but substantially relieves the traffic to the “”, residential complexes of “ ”, “” Ilinden, Zapaden Park, “”. Lyulin and Obelya. At the moment the sections “” from Serdica Station to the “” Rectorate of Sofia Uni- , . “ versity, Dragan Tsankov ” “”. Blvd. and Interpred are under construction. So, in a foreseeable future Sofia Metro will run to the big “”, residential complexes of “”, “” Iztok, Izgrev, Darvenitsa “”. and Mladost.

  , Sofia’s motto, inscribed , : on its Coat of Arms, reads: The฀new-old฀symbol฀–฀ ”, ”. “It Grows But Does Not , Age”. Indeed, on week- the฀Statue฀of฀St.฀Sophia 56. days the capital grows from a million and three Старият-нов฀символ฀–฀ hundred thousand to two – , million people with those who work in Sofia but live статуята฀•Света฀София• , - outside it, business travel- , , lers, guests from the coun- . try, tourists. Sofia is used , to such bustle, because for centuries on end it has been at the crossroads Author of the St. Sophia , between the Mediterranean sculpture composition is . and the Caucasus, between Prof. G. Chapkanov. , the Bosporus and Berlin. “. ”, Here, in front of the Stat- Above the Serdica Metro ue of St. Sophia we end Station and the ancient city our tour of cultural land- of Serdica. marks of the capital city of . Bulgaria. If you ever come again and it happens to be “. ” 17 September 17, you could . . . , enjoy the celebrations of the Day of Sofia – the Day of Martyr Sophia (Gr. “” – wisdom) and her daughters . Faith, Hope and Love. , .

  The National Museum of History in Boyana, set up in 1973. It is since recently (2000) that the National Museum of History has been housed in one of the wings (Home 1) of the Boyana Residence. The chronological scope of its exposition covers exhibits from the ancient to the modern , which makes it one of the most signifi cant national treasuries. The halls, which welcome about 400,000 visitors a year, show the unique gold fi nds, brilliant works of art from the end of the 2nd – 1st millennium BC: gold and silver treasures from Borovo, Letnitsa, Rogozen, etc. The museum has a wonderful park with a view of Vitosha Mountain.

1351 Sofi a, Boyana Residence, Home 1 Tel.: 955 4290, 955 4280, fax: 955 7602 Opening hours: Monday – Sunday, 9.30 – 18.30 57. The฀National฀Museum฀ of฀History,฀Boyana Националният฀ исторически฀музей฀–฀Бояна

Christianity was ofi cially adopted in Bulgaria 864 . in 864 during the dramatic reign of Khan, later – . 1973 . (2000 .), , - Prince Boris I (unknown – 907). This Bulgarian ( 1) “” . (? – 907 .). ruler had to kill (by beheading) 56 aristocratic - ( ) families called boyars, as they did not accept , - . 56 , . the new god. He also had to dethrone and blind , 400 000 , . his i rst-born son, Vladimir, who did not accept , 2-1 Christianity, either. Prince Boris strongly desired . . – , , . , to unite Bulgaria and make it a part of Europe, . . and succeeded in doing so. After a people’s convention he gave the throne to his second son, 1351 , “”, 1, .: 955 4290, 955 4280, : 955 7602 . Simeon the Great (864-927), then retired to a : 9.30 –18.30, – (864 – 927 .), monastery again.

  . At that time Serdica adopted the Slavonic name Sredets, i.e. a town in the middle of the – .. Balkan Peninsula. The new name was widely . accepted because it described very precisely the The฀Boyana฀Church฀ , geographical situation of the town. 58. . Years of l ourishing and decline and of new National฀Museum , battles with the followed. . 1018 In 1018 Bulgaria fell under Byzantine domina- 1186 . . tion, which lasted until 1186. The new rulers Националният฀музей฀•Боянска฀църква• of Sredets changed its name to Triaditsa ( , (probably after the name of the church One of the great cul- – ). dedicated to Aghia Triada – Holy Trinity). tural and historical sights of , Bulgaria, which makes us , part of the world civiliza- tion, is within the territory of today’s Boyana Quarter – . of Soi a. This is the Boyana . Church with its unique 1259 . mural paintings. It was built , in 1259 by Sebastocrator Kaloyan during the reign (1257 – 1277 .). of Constantine Tikh Assen – (1257-1277). It consists of “. ” (11 .), three parts: a cross-domed church, St. Nicholas (11th “. ” century), a two-storey fam- 1882 . ily tomb with a chapel, St. , Pantheleimon, and an exten- sion from 1882. Although . closer scrutiny reveals traces . of inscriptions on the swords , of St. Theodor and St. , Demetrius, which are sup- , posed to be the names of the . icon-painters, these works have remained anonymous. , World art experts call their author the Master of Boyana “” . and his works of art are re- ferred to as the ‘wonder’ of , the village of Boyana. This 240 is because he painted 240 – images, predecessors of the , famous Italian Renaissance, 1979 . in a humble looking build- ing, and in 1979 the Bulgar- ian church was registered , on the UNESCO World “ ” Heritage List, alongside the “ St. Peter Basilica in Rome, ”. Notre Dame de Paris, etc.

  14 . In the middle of the 14th century, ( a monastery (probably founded by King Ivan Alexander around 1345 .), 1345) not far from there in the – , Vitosha Mountain, the monastery of Dragalevtsi, received a charter (? –1395 .). from the Bulgarian King Ivan , Shishman (? –1395). In that docu- The Dormition of the , ment, the town in the middle of the Mother of God monastery . Balkans was already called Soia. of Dragalevtsi, also called Thus, godparents of today’s capi- Royal Monastery and the tal of Bulgaria became King Ivan Holy Virgin of Vitosha. , ( Shishman, wisdom (Sophia, from – . ‘’) oí, Greek for “wisdom”) and In the forests of Vitosha above the ancient Christian basilica of the Dragalevtsi Quarter. . the same name in the city centre.

“ ”, “ ” “ The Boyana Church ”. and the renaissance , images of Kaloyan “”. and Desislava of 1259. It is situated amidst a small park in the Boyana Quarter, at 3 Boyansko Ezero St. 1259 . , . “ ” 3.

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