Скъпи гости на София, добре дошли! Dear Guests of Sofia – Welcome! Радваме се, че сте избрали нашия древен We are delighted that you have chosen to include и модерен град в своето пътуване. През our ancient and modern city in your trip. In the последните години София привлича все повече last years, Sofia has been attracting more and туристи от цял свят с богато си културно- more tourists from all over the world with its rich историческо наследство. София е в топ 3 на cultural and historical heritage. Sofia is among европейските градове с най-висок ръст на the top 3 European cities with the highest growth чуждестранни туристи през периода 2009- in foreign tourists for the 2009 – 2016 period, as 2016 г. според Mastercard “Global Destination reported by Mastercard Global Destination Cities Cities Index. Като домакин на ротационното председателство на Съвета на Европа и Index. As the host of the rotating presidency of Европейска столица на спорта, с близо 200 the Council of the EU and the European capital of събития, тази година градът ни посреща Sport, with close to 200 events, our city welcomes повече гости и туристи. Избирайки нашия even more guests and tourists. Whether choosing град за бизнес или екскурзия, ще можете Sofia for business or leisure, you will have the да се насладите на красиви паркове, древна possibility to enjoy beautiful parks, ancient история, архитектурното разнообразие и history, architectural diversity and the captivation очарованието на града ни. Богата културна of our city. A cultural programme featuring an програма с редица прояви на открито abundance of outdoor experiences also enriches също обогатяват календара от събития в the capital’s events calendar. Together, with lots столицата. С много отговорност, обич и of responsibility, love and attention, we have внимание заедно превръщаме София във все been transforming Sofia into an ever trendier and по-модерена и привлекателна европейска more attractive European destination. I would дестинация. Бих искала да поздравя екипа на like to congratulate the team of Sofia City Guide София Сити Гайд-„полезния пътеводител” – the “useful travel guide” for the capital, on the за столицата, с двадесет и петия юбилей от първото издание през далечната 1993 twenty-fifth anniversary since their first edition година. Всеки месец те отразяват всички in the now distant 1993. Each month the team значими събития от културния и обществен reflects all significant events in the cultural and живот, градски инициативи и фестивали. social life, as well as city initiatives and festivals. Предлагат кратка информация за всички They offer brief information about all sights and забележителности, представят интересни present interesting venues for rest, recreation and места за почивка и развлечения. entertainment. Пожелавам много творчески успехи на екипа I wish lots of creative success to the team of на Сити Инфо Гайдс. City Info Guides! На всички вас, приятен престой в София! To all of you, have a pleasant stay in Sofia! ЙОРДАНКА ФАНДЪКОВА YORDANKA FANDAKOVA Кмет на София Mayor of Sofia 4 BULGARIA IN BRIEF Sofia City ® Info Guide Publisher: AMATI BULGARIA Ltd. 12 HEALTH & BEAUTY Design: AMATI BULGARIA Ltd. 14 OVERVIEW On the Cover: Vodenitzata Restaurant Print: Janet 45 Ltd. 22 ACCOMMODATION For Advertising, Bulk Orders and Subscriptions: 28 RESTAURANTS (before 10th of the preceding month, please!) Cell: 0896 717 225 32 NIGHT LIFE E-mail: [email protected] facebook.com/cityinfoguides.bulgaria 36 CULTURE All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior 46 USEFUL NUMBERS permission. Monthly circulation: 20 000 Dear Guests of Sofia, welcome! For the last 25 years, our team has been suggesting the most interesting venues and sights for you to visit. We provide information about the cultural life in the capital which allows us to live to its rhythm. We strive to reflect the cultural, social and urban events. We present famous Bulgarians and discuss interesting holidays in the folk calendar of our country. We propose not only accommodation, eateries, entertainment but also healthcare and medical services. We hope your stay will be pleasant and our guides useful and that they will help you to quickly find your bearing. I would like to thank the whole team, working with love and especially our colleague Petar Marinov, who has been an advertising consultant since 1993. We thank all our partners for the successful cooperation which is a recognition of the services we provide. To you, our friends, we wish an enjoyable visit to Sofia. Please write to us and share everything that has made an impression on you. Enjoy your stay and our hospitality! Lyudmila Mladenova Publisher EXHIBITIONS / Изложения January - June 2018 HELLO WINTER STORY Health and Sport FESTIVAL Здраве и спорт 20 - 21.01. International Tourist Fair HOLIDAY & SPA EXPO Международна туристическа борса 14 - 16.02. LUXURY WEDDINGS Wedding and Events Industry EXPO Сватбена и събитийна индустрия 23 - 25.02. BULGARIA BUILDING Building Materials and Machines WEEK Строителни материали и машини 07 - 10.03. Safety&Security SECURITY EXPO Цялостни решения за сигурност и безопасност 07 - 10.03. GRAND CHOCOLATE Chocolate and Chocolate Products FESTIVAL Шоколад и шоколадови продукти 10 - 11.03. BEBEMANIA – Baby and Kids Products SHOPPING Всичко за бъдещите и настоящи родители 16 - 18.03. VOLKSWAGEN CLUB Event for the Fans of the Brand FEST Събитие за феновете на марката 17 - 18.03. Machinery, Industrial Equipment and Innovative MACHTECH & Technologies INNOTECH EXPO Индустриални машини, оборудване 26- 29.03. и иновационни технологии Water and Water Management WATER SOFIA Води и воден мениджмънт 27 - 29.03. Woodworking and Furniture Industry TECHNOMEBEL Дървообработваща и мебелна промишленост 24 - 28.04. WORLD OF Furniture, Interior textile and home accessories Обзавеждане, интериорен текстил 24 - 28.04. FURNITURE и аксесоари за дома BULMEDICA / Medical and Dental Industry BULDENTAL Медицина 16 - 18.05. September - December 2018 HUNTING, FISHING, Hunting and Sport Weapons, Fishing Accessories, Sport Ловни и с портни оръжия, риболовни 27 - 30.09. SPORT принадлежности, спорт Communication Art, Print, Image, Sign COPI’S Рекламни и печатни комуникации 02 - 04.10. Aesthetics, Cosmetics, SPA, Health, Hair, ARENA OF BEAUTY Nail, Mackeup 05 - 07.10. Форум за здраве, красота и естетика Baby and Kids Products BEBEMANIA Всичко за бъдещите и настоящи родители 19 - 21.10. Hotel and Restaurant Equipment SIHRE Хотелско и ресторантско оборудване 07 - 10.11. Meat Industry MEATMANIA Месна промишленост 07 - 10.11. Dairy Industry THE WORLD OF MILK Млекопреработвателна промишленост 07 - 10.11. Bakery and Confectionery BULPEK Хлебопроизводство и сладкарство 07 - 10.11. Wines and Spirits SALON DU VIN Вина и спиртни напитки 07 - 10.11. Food Industry INTERFOOD & DRINK Хранително-вкусова промишленост 07 - 10.11. IWC ANNUAL CHARITY 24th Christmas Charity Bazaar BAZAAR 24-и Коледен благотворителен базар 02.12. 4 BULGARIA IN BRIEF WELCOME TO BULGARIA Religion: Orthodox Average summer temperatures: 26° to 30°C Welcome to one of the oldest European states Average winter temperatures: -5° to 5°C with 6000-years old gold treasures, a center Time zone: GMT +2 of ancient civilizations, a country that hosts the Country dialing code: 00 359 sanctuary of the mystical singer Orpheus and Internet country code: .bg gave to the Slavonic people the Cyrillic alphabet. Capital: Sofia Bulgaria is the only one country in Europe Currency: Bulgarian Lev (BGN) that hasn’t changed its name since it was first established. The Bulgarian army has never lost a single flag in battle. The flag of Bulgaria is a HISTORY tricolor consisting of three equal-sized horizontal The Bulgarian state was founded circa 681 as bands of (from top to the bottom) white, green a union of the new-settled Proto-Bulgarians, of and red. It was first adopted after Russo-Turkish seven Slavonic tribes who have already settled War (1877-1878), where Bulgaria regained inde- this territory and with the inclusion of some pendence. The current flag was re-established smaller ethnical groups (Thracians and others). with the 1991 Constitution of Bulgaria. The state was ruled by its founder Khan Asparuh, the leader of the proto-Bulgarians and the first Bulgarian capital was Pliska. The Thracians were a tribal society who inhabited a vast area in Central and Southeastern Europe. They were well-known in the Ancient world for making filigree gold and silver jewelry. The great Homer described in his masterpiece Iliad a Thracian king, having “the biggest and the most handsome horses I have ever seen, /whiter than snow and swifter than the winds/and a chariot COAT OF ARMS OF BULGARIA finely wrought with silver and gold.” IMPORTANT & SIGNIFICANT EVENTS 681 – The Bulgarian state acquired political recognition from the Byzantine Empire. 718 – The Bulgarian Khan Tervel has stopped the Arabic invasion to European continent. 855 – The Cyrillic alphabet by the brothers Cyril and Methodius. It corresponded perfectly to the phonetic riches and needs of the Slavonic- Bulgarian language. As of today more than 250 million people in Europe and Asia use the Cyrillic alphabet for their national languages. Details Armiger - Republic of Bulgaria 864 – During his rule Knyaz Boris I converted the Adopted - 1997 state to Orthodox Christianity. Crest - Crown of theSecond Bulgarian Empire Escutcheon - Gules, a lion rampant crowned 893-927 – During the Golden Age of Tzar Simeon Supporters - Two lions rampant crowned The Greatest the First Bulgarian State stretched Compartment - Two crossed oak branches gradually from Transylvania in the north, to the with fruits Aegean Sea in the south, from the Black Sea in Motto - Съединението прави силата the east and to the Adriatic Sea in the west. At this time Bulgaria gradually reached its cultural “Saedinenieto pravi silata” and territorial apogee, when it developed into “Unity makes strength” the cultural and literary center of Slavic Europe, as well as becoming one of the largest states FACTS & FIGURES in Europe.