1 Names Related to “Middle” (Среда, “Sreda”) and to the City’S Earli- Est Name, ﬁrst Appeared on Paper in an 11Th-Century Text

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Soﬁa

This article is about the capital of Bulgaria. For other uses, see Soﬁa (disambiguation). Warning: Page using Template:Infobox settlement with unknown parameter “pushpin_map_caption1” (this message is shown only in preview). Warning: Page using Template:Infobox settlement with unknown parameter “pushpin_map1” (this message is shown only in preview).

Sofia (/ˈsoʊfiə/ or /ˈsɒfiə/ or /soʊˈfiːə/;[9][10])(Bulgarian: София, Sofiya,[5][11]pronounced [ˈsɔfiə, ˈsɔfjə]) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. The city has a population of 1.26 million, while over 1.5 million people live in its functional urban area. The city is located at the foot of Vitosha Mountain in the western part of the country, within less than 50 kilometres (31 mi) drive from the Serbian border. Its location in the centre of the Balkan peninsula means that it is the midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, whereas the Aegean Sea is the closest to it.[12][13] Sofia has been an area of human habitation since at least 7000 BCE.[3] Being Bulgaria’s primate city, Sofia is a hometown of many of the major local universities, cultural institutions and commercial companies.[14] Sofia is The feast day of Saint Sofia on September 17 is the official public one of the top 10 best places for start-up business in the holiday of the city.[17] world, especially in IT technologies.[15] Sofia is Europe’s most affordable capital to visit as of 2013.[16] πόλις, “City of the Serdi”) and Triaditza (Τριάδιτζα, “Trinity”), were mentioned by Byzantine Greek sources or coins. The Slavic name Sredets (Срѣдецъ), which is 1 Names related to “middle” (среда, “sreda”) and to the city’s earliest name, first appeared on paper in an 11th-century text. The city was called Atralissa by the Arab traveler Idrisi For the longest time the city possessed[18] a Thracian and Strelisa, Stralitsa or Stralitsion by the Crusaders.[25] name, derived from the tribe Serdi, who were ei- ther of Thracian,[5][12] Celtic,[19] or mixed Thracian- Celtic origin.[20][21] The Serdi and the name of emperor Marcus Ulpius Traianus (53 – 117 AD) prompted the Romans to give the city the combinative name of Ulpia Serdica;[22][23] Ulpia is derived from an Umbrian cognate of the Latin word lupus, meaning “wolf.”[24] It seems that the first written mention of Serdica was made during his reign and the last mention was in the 19th century in a Bulgarian text (Сардакіи, Sardaki). During the Romans civitas Serdenisium was mentioned the “bright- est city of the Serdi” in official inscriptions. The city was The first seal of the city from 1878 which calls it Sredets major throughout the past ever since Antiquity, when Ro- man emperor Constantine the Great referred to it as “my [26] [18] The name Sofia comes from the Saint Sofia Church, as Rome”, and it nearly became his capital. opposed to the prevailing Slavic etymology among Bul- Other names given to Sofia, such as Serdonpolis (Σερδών garian cities and towns. It is ultimately derived from the

1 2 2 GEOGRAPHY

Egyptian Kemetic word sbÅ (), meaning “star, Vladayska and the Perlovska. The Iskar River in its up- door, teaching and wisdom” and attested first in the 20th per course flows near eastern Sofia. The city is known century BC in the tomb of Intef I.[27] [28][29][30] This was a for its 49 mineral and thermal springs. Artificial and tradition of collection of wise literature, shared between dam lakes were built in the twentieth century. The 1818 Mediterranean cultures, which was called sophia (σοφία) Sofia earthquake was a 6.0–7.2 Medvedev–Sponheuer– in Greek.[31] The earliest works where this latest name is Karnik Scale earthquake, the 1858 earthquake was an 6,6 registered are the duplicate of the Gospel of Serdica, in same scale earthquake though reaching up to 10 in parts a dialog between two salesmen from Dubrovnik around such as Boyana, this was followed by a 7–8 MSK Sofia 1359, in the 14th-century Vitosha Charter of Bulgarian earthquake in 1917 and finally by the 2012 Pernik earth- tsar Ivan Shishman and in a Ragusan merchant’s notes quake which was a 5.6 M (or 5.8 ML)[35] magnitude of 1376.[32] In these documents the city is called Sofia, earthquake. The 2014 Aegean Sea earthquake was also but at the same time the region and the city’s inhabi- noticed in the city. tants are still called Sredecheski (срѣдечьскои, “of Sre- Air pollution is a problem in Sofia due to its location in dets”), which continued until the 20th century. The city the Sofia valley, which is surrounded by mountains that became somehow popular to the Ottomans by the name reduce the ability of the air to self-clean. The air is -In 1879 there was a dispute about what polluted mostly by particulate matters and nitrogen ox .(صوفيا) Sofya the name of the new Bulgarian capital should be, when ides.[36] Sofia has the most polluted air of any capital in the citizens created a committee of famous people, in- the EU.[37] sisting for the Slavic name. Gradually, a compromise arose, officialisation of Sofia for the nationwide institutions, while legitimating the title Sredets for the administrative and church institutions, before the latter was aban- 2.1 Climate doned through the years.[33] The city’s name is pronounced by Bulgarians with a stress on the 'o', in contrast with the tendency of foreigners to place the stress on 'i'. The female given name “Sofia” is pronounced by Bulgarians with a stress on the 'i'.

2 Geography

Summer lightning storms over Soﬁa

Sofia has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with an average annual temperature of 10.6 °C (51.1 °F). Winters are cold and snowy. In the coldest days tem- The skyline of Sofia, Bulgaria, with the Vitosha mountain in peratures can drop below −15 °C (5 °F), most notably in the background during winter January. The lowest recorded temperature is −28.3 °C (−19 °F) (January 24, 1942).[38] Fog is not unusual, es- Sofia has an area of 492 km2, while Sofia City Province pecially in the beginning of the season. On average, Sofia has an area of 1344 km2.[34] Sofia’s development as a sig- receives a total snowfall of 97 cm (38.2 in) and 58 days with snow cover.[39][40] The snowiest recorded winter was nificant settlement owes much to its central position in the [41] Balkans. It is situated in western Bulgaria, at the northern 1995/1996 with a total snowfall of 171 cm (67.3 in). The record snow depth is 57 cm (22.4 in) (December 25, foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the Sofia Valley that is [42] surrounded by the Balkan mountains to the north. The 2001). valley has an average altitude of 550 metres (1,800 ft). Summers are warm and sunny. In summer, the city gen- Unlike most European capitals, Sofia does not have any erally remains slightly cooler than other parts of Bulgaria, large rivers or bridges, but is surrounded by comparatively due to its higher altitude. However, the city is also sub- high mountains on all sides. Three mountain passes lead jected to heat waves with high temperatures reaching or to the city, which have been key roads since antiquity, exceeding 35 °C (95 °F) in the hottest days, particularly Vitosha being the watershed between Black and Aegean in July and August. The highest recorded temperature is Seas. A number of low rivers cross the city, including the 41 °C (106 °F) (July 5, 2000 and July 24, 2007).[43][44] 3.1 Prehistory and antiquity 3

The hottest recorded summer was in 2012 with a daily average July temperature of 24.8 °C (76.6 °F).[45] Springs and autumns in Soﬁa are relatively short with vari- able and dynamic weather, intensive storms, sudden cold or heat waves. The city receives an average precipitation of 581.8 mm (22.91 in) a year, reaching its peak in late spring and early summer when thunderstorms are common. The wettest recorded year was 2014 with a total precipitation of 1,066.6 mm (41.99 in).[46]

3 History

Main article: History of Soﬁa See also: Timeline of Soﬁa

3.1 Prehistory and antiquity

A restored city plan of Roman Serdica under Marcus Aurelius (161–180)

whereas others assume their mixed Thracian-Celtic origin or relation to the Sards. The earliest evidence of O: head of river-god Strymon R: trident Celtic presence in the Sofia area (Pernik) can be from This coin imitates Macedonian issue from 187–168 BC. It was the 3rd century BC.[63] Some clues lead to the conclu- struck by Serdi tribe as their own currency. sion that the area of the settlement was between TZUM, [60][64] Sofia has been an area of continuous human habita- Sheraton Hotel and the Presidency. In the 500s tion since at least the 8th millennium BC,[3] but others BC, the area became part of a Thracian tribal union, have inhabited the area 30,000 years ago.[54] The city called the Odrysian kingdom, when another Thracian has a history of nearly 7000 years and it is the sec- tribe appeared in the town, the Odrysses. For a short ond oldest city in Europe according to the city’s offi- period the Thracian rule was possibly interrupted by the Achaemenid Empire. In 339 BC Philip II of Macedon de- cial website and other sources, though the meaning of [54] the claim is unclear as in the world there were hardly stroyed and ravaged the town which was its first time. any cities at the time. In the context, certainly the ne- Around BC 29, Serdica was conquered by the Romans, olithic village in Slatina, dating to the 5th–6th millen- gradually becoming the most important Roman city of nium BC, is described.[55][55][56][57][58][59] However, the the region.[22][23] It became a municipium during the motto of the city is “grows, but does not age”. Remains reign of Emperor Trajan (98–117). Serdica expanded, from another neolithic settlement around the National as turrets, protective walls, public baths, administrative Art Gallery are traced to the 3rd–4th millennium BC, and cult buildings, a civic basilica, an amphitheatre, a which has been the traditional center of the city ever circus, the City Council (Boulé), a large forum, a big since and is not changed today.[60] The earliest tribes circus (theatre), etc. were built. Serdica was a signifi- who settled were the Thracians. According to some cant midway city on the Roman road Via Militaris, con- sources, it got first an official mention in the 7th/8th necting Singidunum and Byzantium. In the 3rd century, century BCE when the Serdi (Sardi) as a Thracian tribe it became the capital of Dacia Aureliana,[65] and when established a settlement.[5][57][61] Other sources suppose Emperor Diocletian divided the province of Dacia Aure- that the Serdi’s Celtic origin is convincingly evidenced liana into Dacia Ripensis (at the banks of the Danube) through linguistic and archeological clues but that their and Dacia Mediterranea, Serdica became the capital of presence is not evidenced before the 1st century BC,[62] the latter. Serdica’s citizens of Thracian descent were re- 4 3 HISTORY

ferred to as Illyrians[54] probably because it was at some chose Sofia for his seat in the next year and the capital time the capital of Eastern Illyria (Second Illyria).[66] For of Bulgaria was first moved to Sredets.[72] In the second future emperors Serdica was their residence form where half of 10th century the city was ruled by Komit Nikola they ruled Rome. and his sons, popular as "Komitopuli". One of them is Samuil, who became an Emperor of Bulgaria in 997. Af- ter a number of unsuccessful sieges, the city fell to the Byzantine Empire in 1018, but once again was incorporated into the restored Bulgarian Empire at the time of Tsar Ivan Asen I. In 1382, Sofia was seized by the Ottoman Empire in the course of the Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars after a long siege. Around 1393 it became the seat of newly established Sanjak of Sofia.[73] The city was occupied by Hungarian forces for a short time in 1443. After the failed crusade of Władysław III of Poland in 1443 towards Sofia, the city’s Christian elite was annihilated and the city became the capital of the The fortification of Serdica Ottoman province (beylerbeylik) of Rumelia for more than four centuries. In the 16th century, Sofia’s urban Roman emperors Aurelian (215–275)[67] and Galerius layout and appearance began to exhibit a clear Ottoman (260–311)[68] were from Serdica. The city subsequently style. expanded for a century and a half, it became a significant political and economical centre, more so — it became one of the first Roman cities where Christianity was recognized as an official religion (under Galerius). The Edict of Toleration by Galerius was issued in 311 in Serdica by the Roman emperor Galerius, officially ending the Diocletianic persecution of Christianity. The Edict im- plicitly granted Christianity the status of "religio licita", a worship recognized and accepted by the Roman Em- pire. It was the first edict legalizing Christianity, preced- ing the Edict of Milan by two years. For Constantine the Great it was 'Sardica mea Roma est' (Serdica is my Rome). He considered making Serdica the capital of the Byzantine Empire instead of Constantinople.[69] which was already not dissimilar to a tetrarchic capital of the Sofia in mid-19th-century Roman Empire.[70] In 343 AD, the Council of Sardica was held in the city, in a church located where the cur- There were fountains, hamams (bathhouses), prominent rent 6th century Church of Saint Sophia was later built. churches such as Saint Sofia were converted into mosques The city was destroyed in the 447 invasion of the Huns and in total there were 11 big and over 100 small mosques and the city laid in ruins for a century[54] It was rebuilt by by the 17th century,[74] of which only the Banya Bashi Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. During the reign of Jus- remains as a mosque today. During that time the town tinian it flourished, being surrounded with great fortress had a population of around 7,000. walls whose remnants can still be seen today. The town was seized for several weeks by Bulgarian hajduks in 1599. In 1610 the Vatican established the See of Sofia for Catholics of Rumelia, which existed un- 3.2 Middle Ages, Renaissance and early til 1715 when most Catholics had emigrated.[75] The town modern history was the center of Sofia Eyalet (1826–1864). 4). Nedelya Petkova created the first Bulgarian school for women in The city first became part of the First Bulgarian Em- the city. The Ottomans hanged in Sofia the most honored pire during the reign of Khan Krum in 809, after a long Bulgarian revolutionary of all time Levski in 1873. siege.[71] Afterwаrds, it grew into an important fortress and administrative centre when Khan Omurtag made it a center of Sredets province (Sredetski komitat, Средецки 3.3 Modern and contemporary history комитат). After the conquest of the Bulgarian capital Preslav by Sviatoslav I of Kiev and John I Tzimiskes' During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, Suleiman armies in 970–971, the Bulgarian Patriarch Damyan Pasha threatened to burn the city, until the foreign coun- 5

formations of Bulgaria into the People’s Republic of Bul- garia in 1946 and into the Republic of Bulgaria in 1990 marked signiﬁcant changes in the city’s appearance. The population of Soﬁa expanded rapidly due to migration from the country. Whole new residential areas were built in the outskirts of the city, like Druzhba, Mladost and Lyulin. The Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum, where Dimitrov’s body had been preserved in a similar way to the Lenin mausoleum, was detonated in 1999.

4 Cityscape

The allied bombing of Soﬁa in World War II of Soﬁa in 1944

cils Leandre Legay, Vito Positano, Rabbi Gabriel Al- mosnino and Josef Valdhart interceded for the city to be saved. However this saving did not apply to the Bulgarian citizens who faced executions.[76] Sofia was liberated (see Battle of Sofia) from Ottoman rule by Russian forces under Gen. Iosif Gurko on 4 January 1878. It was proposed as a capital by Marin Drinov and was accepted as such on 3 April 1879. By the time of its liberation the population Diurnal view, including the Largo, the Alexander Nevsky Cathe- of the city was 11,649.[77] dral, the National Assembly, Sofia University, the building of BNT, Lake Ariana and Borisova gradina. Most mosques in Sofia perished in that war, seven of them destroyed in one night in December 1878 when a thun- derstorm masked the noise of the explosions arranged by Russian military engineers.”.[78][79] For a few decades after the liberation, Sofia experienced large population growth, mainly from other regions Bul- garia. In 1900 the first electric bulb in the city was turned on.[80] In the Second Balkan War Bulgaria was warring alone against five neighboring countries and the Romanian Army entered Vrazhdebna in 1913, then a village seven miles (11 kilometres) from Sofia, now a suburb,[81] which Nocturnal view of the city. prompted Bulgaria to capitulate. During World War II in Bulgaria, Bulgaria declared war on the US and UK on In Sofia there are 607,473 dwellings and 101,696 build- 13 December 1941 and in late 1943 and early 1944 US ings. According to modern records 39,551 dwellings and UK aircraft bombed Sofia. As a consequence of the were constructed until 1949, 119,943 between 1950 and bombings around 2000 people were killed and thousands 1969, 287,191 between 1970 and 1989, 57,916 in the 90s of buildings were destroyed or damaged including the and 102,623 between 2000 and 2011. Until 1949, 13,114 Capital Library and thousands of books. In 1944 Sofia buildings were constructed and between 10,000–20,000 and the rest of Bulgaria was occupied by the Soviet Red in each following decade.[82] Sofia’s architecture com- Army and within days of the Soviet invasion Bulgaria de- bines a wide range of architectural styles, some of which clared war on Nazi Germany. are aesthetically incompatible. These vary from Chris- In 1925 a terrorist act of ultra-leftists failed their at- tian Roman architecture and medieval Bulgar fortresses tempted assassination of the king but resulted in the de- to Neoclassicism and prefabricated Socialist-era apart- struction of a church and many victims. It took 20 ment blocks. A number of ancient Roman, Byzantine and years to 1945 when the communist Fatherland Front took medieval Bulgarian buildings are preserved in the centre power and executed several thousand people. The trans- of the city. These include the 4th century Rotunda of St. 6 5 GOVERNMENT AND LAW

George, the walls of the Serdica fortress and the partially 4.1 Green areas preserved Amphitheatre of Serdica. After the Liberation War, knyaz Alexander Battenberg invited architects from Austria–Hungary to shape the new capital’s architectural appearance.[83] Among the architects invited to work in Bulgaria were Friedrich Grünanger, Adolf Václav Kolář, and Viktor Rumpelmayer, who designed the most important public buildings needed by the newly reestablished Bulgarian government, as well as numerous houses for the country’s elite.[83] Later, many foreign-educated Bulgarian architects also contributed. The architecture of Sofia’s centre is thus a combination of Neo-Baroque, Neo-Rococo, Neo-Renaissance and Neoclassicism, with the Vienna Se- cession also later playing an important part, but it is Borisova gradina mostly typically Central European. The city has an extensive green belt. Some of the neigh- After World War II and the establishment of a bourhoods constructed after 2000 are densely built-up Communist government in Bulgaria in 1944, the archi- and often lack green spaces. There are four princi- tectural style was substantially altered. Stalinist Gothic pal parks – Borisova gradina in the city centre and the public buildings emerged in the centre, notably the spa- Southern, Western and Northern parks. Several smaller cious government complex around The Largo, Vasil Lev- parks, among which the Zaimov Park, City Garden and ski Stadium, the Cyril and Methodius National Library the Doctors’ Garden, are located in central Sofia. The and others. As the city grew outwards, the then-new Vitosha Nature Park (the oldest national park in the neighbourhoods were dominated by many concrete tower Balkans)[84] includes most of Vitosha mountain and cov- blocks, prefabricated panel apartment buildings and ex- ers an area of 266 square kilometres (103 sq mi),[85] with amples of Brutalist architecture. They still make Sofia’s roughly half of it lying within the municipality of Sofia. housing very high compared to post-Western block coun- Vitosha Mountain is a popular hiking destination due to tries, its proximity and ease of access via car and public trans- After the abolition of Communism in 1989, Sofia wit- port. Two functioning cable cars provide year long access nessed the construction of whole business districts and from the outskirts of the city. The mountain offers favor- neighbourhoods, as well as modern skryscraper-like able skiing conditions during the winter when multiple ski glass-fronted office buildings, but also top-class residen- slopes of various difficulty are made available. Access to tial neighbourhoods. The 126-metre (413 ft) Capital Fort the ski slopes is regulated, they are maintained daily and Business Center will be the first skyscraper in Bulgaria, health and safety personnel is available to assist in case with 36 floors. However, the end of the old administra- of injury. Skiing passes typically allow unlimited access tion and centrally planned system also paved the way for to the ski slopes, cable cars and other transport facilities. chaotic and unrestrained construction, which continues Skiing equipment can be rented and skiing lessons are today. available.

• Architectural styles in Sofia 5 Government and law • The 4th century St. George Rotunda (the oldest building) behind some remains of Serdica Sofia as a capital is the location of all Bulgarian state • Housing in Mladost, Stalinist architecture authorities – executive, legislative, judiciary, the head- quarters of all parties and the delegation of the European • Interior of the ancient Saint Sofia Church Commission. This includes the Parliament, the Presi- dency, the Council of Ministers and all the ministries, • The Central Sofia Market Hall supreme courts and the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria. • Hotel Rodina, an example of Brutalist architecture Sofia Municipality is identical to Sofia City Province, which is distinct from Sofia Province, which surrounds • Business Park Sofia but does not include the capital itself. Besides the city proper, the 24 districts of Sofia Municipality encompass • Neo-Gothic architecture in Sofia three other towns and 34 villages.[90] Districts and settle- • Baroque architecture in Sofia ments have their own governor who is elected in a popular election. The assembly members are chosen every four • The National gallery - SQUARE 500 years. The common head of Sofia Municipality and all 7

the 38 settlements is the mayor of Sofia.[90] The current ing up 62.4% of all crimes in the capital city. In- mayor Yordanka Fandakova is serving a third consecu- creasing are frauds, drug-related crimes, petty theft and tive term, having won the 2015 election at first round with vandalism.[105] Crime rates were considered high, with 238,500 votes,[91] or 60.2% of the vote, when Reformist organized crime being considered the most worrying Bloc opponent Vili Lilkov was second with 9.6%; the aspect.[106] According to a survey, almost a third of turnout was 41.25%.[92] Some party leaders claimed that Sofia’s residents say that they never feel safe in the Bul- ballots were falsified and called for annulment of the garian capital, while 20% always feel safe.[107] As of election.[93] A precedent happened, due to the suspicion, 2015 the consumer-reported perceived crime risk on the as a preventative action between 300 and 5000 people and Numbeo database was “high” for theft and vandalism and counters had been locked inside Arena Armeets against “low” for violent crimes; safety while walking during day- their will for two days,[94] following which the director of light was rated “very high”, and “moderate” during the the Electoral Commission of Sofia resigned at the request night.[108] With 1,600 prisoners the incarceration rate is of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.[95] above 0.1%;[109] however, roughly 70% of all prisoners [110] The number one problem that mayor Yordanka Fan- are part of the Romani minority. dakova acknowledges and is working on is the street dogs in Sofia.[96] Although according to officials Sofia hosts 6600 street dogs currently, unofficially there at between 6 Culture 35,000 and 70,000 stray dogs.[97] They have become part of urban life in Sofia, but the problem spotted into light See also: Tourist attractions in Sofia and List of churches after a pack mauled a prominent Columbia University in Sofia professor to death in 2012, who was the president of the Wall Street Investment Bank and worked for the US Department of State, the United Nations and the World Bank.[98] 6.1 Arts and entertainment

The Ivan Vazov National Theatre.

Sofia concentrates the majority of Bulgaria’s leading performing arts troupes. Theatre is by far the most popular form of performing art, and theatrical venues are among the most visited, second only to cinemas. The oldest such institution is the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, which per- forms mainly classical plays and is situated in the very centre of the city. Yordanka Fandakova has been the mayor of Sofia since 2009 The National Opera and Ballet of Bulgaria is a combined opera and ballet collective, established in 1891. How- ever, it did not begin performances on a regular basis 5.1 Crime until 1909. Some of Bulgaria’s most famous operatic singers, such as Nicolai Ghiaurov and Ghena Dimitrova, As of 2013, crime rates had inflated,[102] where au- have made their first appearances on the stage of the Na- thorities had difficulties convicting the authors of mafia tional Opera and Ballet. The National Palace of Culture killings that occurred in the first decade of the 21st regularly hold classical concerts. Bulgaria’s largest art century,[103] causing the European Commission to warn museums are located in the central areas of the city. Two the Bulgarian government that the country would not be emblematic galleries in Sofia - the National Art Gallery able to join the EU by 2007 unless it curbed crime.[104] and the National Gallery for Foreign Art united their According to the director of Sofia District Police Direc- collections in a new structure. Seven Ministers of Cul- torate the largest share of the crimes are thefts, mak- ture have worked on this project over the years. The 8 6 CULTURE project, also known as the Bulgarian Louvre, gathered acquisition of Boyana Film by Nu Image, several moder- under one roof a host of Bulgarian, European, Ameri- ately successful productions have been shot in and around can, Asian and African works of art. Nearly two thou- Sofia, such as The Contract, The Black Dahlia, Hitman sand works created by artists from Bulgaria and abroad and Conan the Barbarian and Spartacus. The Nu Boyana are on display in twenty eight exhibition halls. Follow- Film studios have also hosted some of the scenes for The ing a special competition, the art collection was named Expendables 2. National Gallery Square 500 (source). Its collections The city houses many cultural institutes such as the Rus- encompass diverse cultural items such as Ashanti Em- sian Cultural Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute, the pire sculptures, Buddhist art, Dutch Golden Age paint- Hungarian Institute, the Czech and the Slovak Cultural ing, works by Albrecht Dürer, Jean-Baptiste Greuze and Institutes, the Italian Cultural Institute, the French Cul- Auguste Rodin, among others. The crypt of the Alexan- tural Institute, Goethe Institut, British Council, Instituto der Nevsky cathedral holds a collection of Eastern Or- Cervantes, and the Open Society Institute, which regu- thodox icons from the 9th to the 19th century. Other larly organise temporary expositions of visual, sound and museums are the National Historical Museum with a col- literary works by artists from their respective countries. lection of more than 600,000 items; the National Poly- technical Museum with more than 1,000 technological Some of the biggest telecommunications companies, TV items on display; the National Archaeological Museum and radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and web por- and the Museum of Natural History. The SS. Cyril and tals are based in Sofia, including the Bulgarian National Methodius National Library houses the largest national Television, bTV and Nova TV. Top-circulation newspa- collection of books and documents (1,714,211 books and pers include 24 Chasa and Trud. some 6 million other documents)[111] and is Bulgaria’s oldest cultural institute. The Boyana Church, a UNESCO World Heritage site, contains realistic frescoes, depicting 6.2 Tourism more than 240 human images and a total 89 scenes, were painted. With their vital, humanistic realism they are a Renaissance phenomenon at its culmination phase in the context of the common-European art.[112] Muzeiko is a new museum opened in 2015. It is a space with over 130 interactive games created for children and curious adults. The entire content of the museum is designed to inspire children to learn, discover and explore the sciences, while helping children, their families and educators spend time together actively and effectively.

St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, one of the largest Eastern Or- thodox cathedrals in the world.

Sofia is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Bul- garia alongside coastal and mountain resorts. Among its highlights is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, one of the symbols of Bulgaria, constructed in the late 19th century. Vitosha Blvd., the main shopping street in the city. It occupies an area of 3,170 square metres (34,122 square Cinema is the most popular form of entertainment. In feet) and can hold 10,000 people. recent years, cinematic venues have been concentrated in Sofia holds Bulgaria’s largest museum collections, which trade centres and malls, and independent halls have been attract tourists and students for practical studies. The closed. Mall of Sofia holds one of the largest IMAX cin- National Historical Museum in Boyana district has a vast emas in Europe. Most films are American productions, collection of more than 650,000 historical items dating although European and domestic films are increasingly from Prehistory to the modern era, although only 10,000 shown. Odeon (not part of the Odeon Cinemas chain) of them are permanently displayed due to the lack of shows exclusively European and independent American space.[113] Smaller collections of items related mostly to films, as well as 20th century classics. Bulgaria’s once the history of Sofia are in the National Archaeological thriving film industry, concentrated in the Boyana Film Museum, a former mosque located between the edifices studios, has suffered a period of decay after 1990. A rel- of the National Bank and the Presidency. Two natural ative revival of the industry began after 2001. After the sciences museums — the Natural History Museum and 9

the Earth and Man — display minerals, animal species the Georgi Asparuhov Stadium and Lokomotiv Stadium, (alive and taxidermic) and rare materials. The Ethno- the main venues for outdoor musical concerts. Armeets graphic Museum and the National Museum of Military Arena holds many indoor events and has a capacity of History are other places of interest, holding large collec- up to 19,000 people depending on its use. The venue tions of Bulgarian folk costumes and armaments, respec- was inaugurated on July 30, 2011, and the first event tively. it hosted was a friendly volleyball match between Bul- Vitosha Boulevard, also called Vitoshka, is a pedestrian garia and Serbia. There are two ice skating complexes zone with numerous cafes, restaurants, fashion boutiques, — the Winter Sports Palace with a capacity of 4,600 and the Slavia Winter Stadium with a capacity of 2,000, and luxury goods stores. Sofia’s geographic location, in [117] the foothills of the weekend retreat Vitosha mountain, both containing two rinks each. A velodrome with 5,000 seats in the city’s central park is currently un- further adds to the city’s specific atmosphere. dergoing renovation.[118] There are also various other sports complexes in the city which belong to institutions other than football clubs, such as those of the National 7 Sports Sports Academy, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, or those of different universities. There are more than fifteen swimming complexes in the city, most of them outdoor.[119] Nearly all of these were constructed as competition venues and therefore have seating facilities for several hundred people. There are two golf courses just to the east of Sofia — in Elin Pelin (St Sofia club) and in Ihtiman (Air Sofia club), and a horseriding club (St George club).

8 Demographics

Population growth over the years (in thousands): The interior of Arena Armeets, a multi-purpose indoor arena.

A large number of sports clubs are based in the city. Dur- ing the Communist era most sports clubs concentrated on all-round sporting development, therefore CSKA, Levski, Lokomotiv and Slavia are dominant not only in football, but in many other team sports as well. Basket- ball and volleyball also have strong traditions in Sofia. A notable local basketball team is twice European Champi- ons Cup finalist Lukoil Akademik. The Bulgarian Vol- leyball Federation is the world’s second-oldest, and it was an exhibition tournament organised by the BVF in Sofia that convinced the International Olympic Committee to include volleyball as an olympic sport in 1957.[114] Ten- Students of the National Academy of Arts. People aged 20–25 nis is increasingly popular in the city. Currently there are [115] years have been the most numerous group in the city since the some ten tennis court complexes within the city in- process of Bulgarian urbanization. cluding the one founded by former WTA top-ten athlete [116] Magdalena Maleeva. According to 2016 data, the city has a population of Sofia applied to host the Winter Olympic Games in 1992 1,304,772 and the whole Sofia Capital Municipality of and in 1994, coming 2nd and 3rd respectively. The city 1,441,918.[6] The first census carried out in February was also an applicant for the 2014 Winter Olympics, but 1878 by the Russian Army recorded a population of was not selected as candidate. In addition, Sofia hosted 11,694 inhabitants including 6,560 Bulgarians, 3,538 Eurobasket 1957 and the 1961 and 1977 Summer Uni- Jews, 839 Turks and 737 Romani. versiades, as well as the 1983 and 1989 winter editions. The ratio of women per 1,000 men was 1,102. The birth In 2012, it hosted the FIVB World League finals. rate per 1000 people was 12.3 per mille and steadily in- The city is home to a number of large sports venues, in- creasing in the last 5 years, the death rate reaching 12.1 cluding the 43,000-seat Vasil Levski National Stadium per mille and decreasing. The natural growth rate dur- which hosts international football matches, as well as ing 2009 was 0.2 per mille, the first positive growth rate 10 9 ECONOMY in nearly 20 years. The considerable immigration to the 1892 when Sofia took the lead. The city is the hot spot capital from poorer regions of the country, as well as ur- of internal migration, the capital population is increas- banisation, are among the other reasons for the increase in ing and is around 17% of the national,[122] thus a small Sofia’s population. The infant mortality rate was 5.6 per number of people with local roots remain today, they 1,000, down from 18.9 in 1980. According to the 2011 dominate the surrounding rural suburbs and are called census, people aged 20–24 years are the most numer- Shopi. Shopi speak one of the transitional South Slavic ous group, numbering 133,170 individuals and account- dialects, along with Torlakian, sharing features with both ing for 11% of the total 1,202,761 people. The median eastern (Bulgarian and Macedonian) and western (Serbo- age is 38 though. According to the census, 1,056,738 cit- Croatian) branches,[123] although they are given non- izens (87.9%) are recorded as ethnic Bulgarians, 17,550 Slavic origin through the ancient Thracian Serdi, the (1.5%) as Romani, 6,149 (0.5%) as Turks, 9,569 (0.8%) founders of the city.[124] belonged to other ethnic groups, 6,993 (0.6%) do not self-identify and 105,762 (8.8%) remained with unde- clared affiliation.[120] This statistic should not necessar- 9 Economy ily be taken at face value due to conflicting data – such as for the predominantly Roma neighbourhood of Fakulteta, which alone may have a population of 45,000.[121] According to the 2011 census, throughout the whole municipality some 892,511 people (69.1%) are recorded as Eastern Orthodox Christians, 10,256 (0.8%) as Protestant, 6,767 (0.5%) as Muslim, 5,572 (0.4%) as Roman Catholic, 4,010 (0.3%) belonged to other faith and 372,475 (28.8%) declared themselves irreligious or did not mention any faith. The data says that roughly a third of the total population have already earned a university degree. Of the population aged 15–64 – 265,248 people within the municipality (28.5%) are not economically active, the unemployed being another Capital Fort, the 126-meter skyscraper near Tsarigradsko shose. group of 55,553 people (6%), a large share of whom have completed higher education. The largest group are occu- Sofia is the economic heart of Bulgaria and home to most pied in trading, followed by those in manufacturing indus- major Bulgarian and international companies operating in try. Within the municipality, three quarters, or 965,328 the country, as well as the Bulgarian National Bank and people are recorded as having access to television at the Bulgarian Stock Exchange. The city’s GDP PPS per home and 836,435 (64.8%) as having internet. Out of capita at current market prices stood at €26,600[125] in 464,865 homes – 432,847 have connection to the com- 2012, which was 100% of the then EU average, according munal sanitary sewer, while 2,732 do not have any. Of to Eurostat data – well above the same year’s national av- these 864 do not have any water supply and 688 have erage of 46%. The city and its surrounding Yugozapaden other than communal. Over 99.6% of males and fe- NUTS II planning region had a per capita PPS GDP of males aged over 9 are recorded as literate. The largest €20,600[126] in 2014, higher than any other region in group of the population aged over 20 are recorded to live the country. In 2008, the average per capita annual in- within marriage (46.3%), another 43.8% are recorded as come was 4,572 leva ($3,479).[127] For the same year, single and another 9.9% as having other type of coexis- the strongest sectors of the city’s economy in terms of tence/partnership, whereas not married in total are a ma- annual production were manufacturing ($5.5 bln.), metal- jority and among people aged up to 40 and over 70. The lurgy ($1.84 bln.), electricity, gas and water supply ($1.6 people with juridical status divorced or widowed are ei- bln.) and food and beverages ($778 mln.).[128] Economic ther part of the factual singles or those having another output in 2011 amounted to 15.9 billion leva, or $11.04 type of partnership, each of the two constitutes by around billion.[129] The average monthly gross wages paid in De- 10% of the population aged over 20. Only over 1% of the cember 2015 amount to €645, the highest in Bulgaria juridically married do not de facto live within marriage. and the lowest among EU capitals.[130] The families that consist of two people are 46.8%, another 34.2% of the families are made up by three people, In 2015, Forbes listed Sofia as one of the top 10 places whereas most of the households (36.5%) consist of only in the world to launch a startup business, because of the one person.[82] low corporate tax (10%), the extremely fast internet connection speed available – one of the fastest in the world, Sofia was declared the national capital in 1879. One and the presence of several investment funds, including year later, in 1880, it was the fifth-largest city in the Eleven Startup Accelerator, LAUNCHub and Neveq.[131] country after Plovdiv, Varna, Ruse and Shumen. Plov- div remained the most populous Bulgarian town until Historically, after World War II and the era of indus- trialisation under socialism, the city and its surround- 11

ing areas expanded rapidly and became the most heav- although some of the vehicles are in a poor condition. The ily industrialised region of the country.[132] The influx of Sofia Metro became operational in 1998, and now has two workers from other parts of the country became so in- lines and 34 stations.[146] As of 2012, the system has 39 tense that a restriction policy was imposed, and residing km (24 mi) of track. Six new stations were opened in in the capital was only possible after obtaining Sofianite 2009, two more in April 2012, and eleven more in August citizenship.[132] However, after the political changes in 2012. Construction works on the extension of the first 1989, this kind of citizenship was removed. line are underway and it is expected to reach the airport Increasingly, Sofia is becoming an outsourcing desti- by 2014. A third line is currently in the late stages of planning and it is expected that its construction starts in 2014. nation for multinational companies, among them IBM, Hewlett-Packard, SAP, Siemens, Software AG.[133] This line will complete the proposed subway system of three lines with about 65 km (40 mi) of lines.[147] The Bulgaria Air, PPD, the national airline of Bulgaria, has its head office on the grounds of Sofia Airport.[134] From master plan for the Sofia Metro includes three lines with a total of 63 stations.[148] In recent years the marshrutka, 2007 to 2011, the city attracted a cumulative total of $11.6 billion in foreign direct investment.[129] a private passenger van, began serving fixed routes and proved an efficient and popular means of transport by be- Up until 2007 Sofia experienced rapid economic growth. ing faster than public transport but cheaper than taxis. As In 2008, apartment prices increased dramatically, with a of 2005 these vans numbered 368 and serviced 48 lines growth rate of 30%.[135] In 2009, prices fell by 26%.[136] around the city and suburbs.[139] There are around 13,000 [149] In January 2015 Sofia was ranked 30th out of 300 global taxi cabs operating in the city. Low fares in compari- cities in terms of combined growth in employment and son with other European countries, make taxis affordable real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in 2013– and popular among a big part of the city population. 2014. This was the highest rank amongst cities in South- east Europe.[137] The real GDP (PPP) per capita growth was 2.5% to $33,105 (28,456 euro) and the employment went up by 3.4% to 962,400 in 2013–2014.[138]

10 Transport and infrastructure

Tsarigradsko shose, one of the busiest boulevards in Soﬁa

Private automobile ownership has grown rapidly in the 1990s; more than 1,000,000 cars were registered in Sofia after 2002. The city has the 4th-highest number of auto- mobiles per capita in the European Union at 546.4 vehicles per 1,000 people.[150] The municipality was known for minor and cosmetic repairs and many streets are in a poor condition. This is noticeably changing in the past years. There are different boulevards and streets in the city with a higher amount of traffic than others. Sofia Metro train at Musagenitsa Metro Station These include Tsarigradsko shose, Cherni Vrah, Bulgaria, Slivnitsa and Todor Aleksandrov boulevards, as well as With its developing infrastructure and strategic location, the city’s ring road, where long chains of cars are formed Sofia is a major hub for international railway and automo- at peak hours and traffic jams occur regularly.[151] Con- bile transport. Three of the ten Pan-European Transport sequently, traffic and air pollution problems have become Corridors cross the city: IV, VIII and X.[139] All major more severe and receive regular criticism in local media. types of transport (except water) are represented in the The extension of the underground system is hoped to al- city. The Central Railway Station is the primary hub for leviate the city’s immense traffic problems. domestic and international rail transport. Sofia has 186 Sofia has an extensive district heating system based km (116 miles) of railway lines.[129] Sofia Airport han- [140] around four combined heat and power (CHP) plants and dled 3,815,158 passengers in 2014. boiler stations. Virtually the entire city (900,000 house- Public transport is well-developed with bus (2,380 holds and 5,900 companies) is centrally heated, using km (1,479 mi) network),[141] tram (308 km (191 residual heat from electricity generation (3,000 MW) and mi)) network,[142] and trolleybus (193 km (120 mi) gas- and oil-fired heating furnaces; total heat capacity is network),[143] lines running in all areas of the city,[144][145] 4,640 MW. The heat distribution piping network is 900 12 12 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

km (559 mi) long and comprises 14,000 substations and Other institutions of national significance, such as the 10,000 heated buildings. Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) and the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library are located in Sofia. BAS is the centrepiece of scientific research in Bulgaria, 11 Education employing more than 4,500 scientists in various institutes, including the Bulgarian Space Agency.

12 International relations

12.1 Twin and sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Bulgaria

Soﬁa is twinned with:

• Algiers, Algeria

One of the lecturing halls in the Rectorate of Soﬁa University • Amman, Jordan

Sofia concentrates a significant portion of the national • Ankara, Turkey[163] higher education capacity, including 109,000 university and college students[152] and 22 of Bulgaria’s 51 • Bratislava, Slovakia[164] higher education establishments.[153] These include four of the five highest-ranking national universities – Sofia • Bucharest, Romania University (SU), University of Architecture, Civil Engi- neering and Geodesy, the Technical University of Sofia, • Karlovac, Croatia University of National and World Economy and the Uni- [154] versity of Mining and Geology. Sofia University was • Kiev, Ukraine founded in 1888.[155] More than 20,000 students[156] [157] study in its 16 faculties. A number of research and • Maraş, Turkey cultural departments operate within SU, including its own publishing house, botanical gardens,[158] a space re- • Madrid, Spain search centre, a quantum electronics department,[159] and a Confucius Institute[160] Rakovski Defence and Staff • College, the National Academy of Arts, and Sofia Medi- Moscow, Russia cal University are other major higher education establish- • ments in the city.[154] Pittsburgh, United States There are 5 primary, 77 middle and 187 secondary • Prague, Czech Republic[165] schools, of all 77 are private. Education institutions include 13 specialized for children with disabilities, 8 art • schools, 22 professional colleges. 35 professional high Saint Petersburg, Russia schools, 25 profiled high schools and 4 sport schools.[161] • Salalah, Oman (since 2011) The “elite” secondary language schools provide education in a selected foreign language. These include the First En- • [166] glish Language School, Sofia High School of Mathemat- Shanghai, China (since 2014) ics, 91st German Language School, 164th Spanish Lan- guage School, and 9th French Language School. Some • Sidon, Lebanon of them provide a language certificate upon graduation, while the 9th French Language School has exchange pro- • Skopje, Macedonia (since 2015)[167] grams with a number of lycées in France and Switzerland, such as the Parisian Collège-lycée Jacques-Decour. The • Tel Aviv, Israel[168] American College of Sofia, a private secondary school which developed from a school founded by American • Warsaw, Poland missionaries in 1860, is among the oldest American educational institutions outside of the US.[162] • Yerevan, Armenia[169] 13

12.2 Cooperation agreements 16 References

In addition Soﬁa has cooperation agreements with: [1] Soﬁa, Bulgaria, SoloGuides

[2] “Soﬁa through centuries”. Soﬁa Municipality. Retrieved • Budapest, Hungary 2009-10-16.

• Paris, France[170] [3] Ghodsee, Kristen (2005). The Red Riviera: Gender, Tourism, and Postsocialism on the Black Sea. Duke Uni- • Lisbon, Portugal[171] versity Press. p. 21. [4] ARCHAEOLOGIST DISCOVERS 8,000-YEAR-OLD NEPHRITE ‘FROG-LIKE’ SWASTIKA IN SLATINA 13 Honour NEOLITHIC SETTLEMENT IN BULGARIA’S CAP- ITAL SOFIA

Serdica Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland [5] Editors of Britannica. “Soﬁa”. Britannica. Retrieved Islands, Antarctica is named after Serdica. 2016-02-12. [6] ,

[7] “Functional Urban Areas - Population on 1 January by age 14 Gallery groups and sex”. Eurostat. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016. • Satellite image of Soﬁa [8] http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/metropolitan-regions/ • Aerial view data/database. Missing or empty |title= (help) [9] Wells, John C. (2008), Longman Pronunciation Dictio- • Sunset behind Vitosha nary (3rd ed.), Longman, ISBN 9781405881180

• Twilight [10] Roach, Peter (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University • Red moon Press, ISBN 9780521152532

• Lightning storms [11] “Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia”. Britannica Educational Publishing. • Rainbow [12] Lauwerys, Joseph (1970). Education in Cities. Evan’s • Tram in snowy Soﬁa, 1995 Brothers. ISBN 0-415-39291-8.

• The Sofia Public Mineral Baths [13] Rogers, Clifford (2010). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Me- dieval Warfare and Military Technology 1. Oxford Uni- • A faculty of Sofia University versity Press. p. 301. ISBN 9780195334036. • [14] Internet Hostel Sofia, Tourism in Sofia. Retrieved Jan, St Nedelya Church assault 2012

• The rebuilt Saint Nedelya Church [15] Soﬁa is one of the top 10 places for start-up businesses in the world, Bulgarian National TV • The detonated Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum [16] Clark, Jayne. “Is Europe’s most aﬀordable capital worth • Artifacts from Serdica the trip?". USA Today. Retrieved 2016-02-12.

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[126] “Regional gross domestic product (PPS per inhabitant), by [148] “General Scheme”. Metropolitan.bg. Retrieved 2013-03- NUTS 2 regions”. Eurostat. Retrieved 17 October 2013. 12.

[127] "Soﬁa in Figures 2009, p.53. Retrieved on 20 March [149] “National Federation of the Taxi Drivers in Bulgaria. Re- 2012. Archived October 11, 2011, at the Wayback Ma- gional Member Soﬁa”. nftvb.com. Retrieved 2008-05- chine. 24.

[128] Sofia in Figures, p.106 [150] Sofia in Figures, p.26 [151] “Fines for bad repair work – 'Dnevnik' newspaper”. www. [129] “Sofia (capital)". National Statistical Institute regional dnevnik.bg. Retrieved 2008-05-24. statistics. 11 February 2013. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013. [152] http://www.nsi.bg/spageen.php?SHP=66. Retrieved Oc- tober 17, 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help). NSI [130] “Average monthly wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts in [153] “Accredited Higher Schools in Bulgaria”. Ministry of Ed- 2015”. National Statistical Institute. Retrieved 13 March ucation, Youth and Science. Archived from the original on 2016. May 28, 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2013.

[131] “10 Top Cities Around The World To Launch Your [154] “Bulgarian universities”. Webometrics Ranking of World Startup”. Forbes. 29 November 2015. Retrieved 13 Universities. Retrieved 19 October 2013. March 2016. [155] “Official website of the Sofia university — History”. Sofia [132] The capital’s changing face, The Sofia Echo University. Retrieved 19 October 2013.

[133] Invest in Soﬁa [156] “Soﬁa University aims to attract more foreign students” (in Bulgarian). Akademika. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 19 [134] "Contacts.” Bulgaria Air. Retrieved on 10 May 2010. October 2013. 17

[157] “University Faculties”. Sofia University. Retrieved 19 18 External links October 2013. • [158] “Independent structures of SU”. Sofia University. Re- Official website trieved 19 October 2013. • Online guide to Sofia [159] “Faculty of Physics structure”. Sofia University. Re- • Official Site of Sofia Public Transport trieved 19 October 2013. • Sofia at DMOZ [160] “University Centres”. Sofia University. Retrieved 19 Oc- tober 2013. • Archival images of Sofia [161] Registry of schools, Ministry of Education of Bulgaria • Sofia by Night Light: A Photographic Exhibition

[162] American College of Soﬁa Website – History • Virtual Guide to Ancient Serdica [163] “Kardeş Kentleri Listesi ve 5 Mayıs Avrupa Günü Kutla- • More than 25 live webcams from Soﬁa ması [via WaybackMachine.com]" (in Turkish). Ankara Büyükşehir Belediyesi – Tüm Hakları Saklıdır. Archived • Pictures from Vitosha mountain from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 2013- 07-21.

[165] “Prague Partner Cities”. magistrat.praha-mesto.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2 July 2009.

[166] “Shanghai, Soﬁa sign intent agreement to become sister cities”. Retrieved 27 January 2015.

[167] Macedonia’s Skopje, Bulgaria’s Soﬁa to Become Sister Cities. Novinite 2015

[168] “Tel Aviv sister cities” (in Hebrew). Tel Aviv-Yafo Mu- nicipality. Retrieved 1 July 2009.

[170] “Friendship and cooperation agreements”. Paris.fr. Re- trieved 12 October 2013.

[171] “Acordos de Geminação, de Cooperação e/ou Amizade da Cidade de Lisboa” [Lisbon – Twinning Agreements, Co- operation and Friendship]. Camara Municipal de Lisboa (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2013-08-23.

17 Further reading

• Gigova, Irina (March 2011). “The City and the Na- tion: Soﬁa’s Trajectory from Glory to Rubble in WWII”. Journal of Urban History 37 (2): 155– 175.The 110 footnotes provide a guide to the literature on the city

• “Sofia in Figures 2009” (PDF). Regional Statistical Office of Sofia. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2011.

• “Soﬁa — 130 Years Capital” (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on September 12, 2009. 18 18 EXTERNAL LINKS

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