Sofia City, Bulgaria

Geography and population

Sofia is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Bulgaria, with a population of 1,346,665 in the Capital Municipality. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the mountain Vitosha, and is the administrative, cultural, economic, and educational centre of the country.

Sofia's development as a significant settlement owes much to its central position in the Balkans. It is situated in western Bulgaria, at the northern foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the Sofia Valley that is surrounded by mountains on all sides. The valley is the largest one in the country with territory of 1186 sq.km and average altitude of 550 m. Three mountain passes lead to the city, which have been key roads since antiquity, connecting the Adriatic Sea and Central Europe with the Black and Aegean Seas.

A number of low rivers cross the city, including the Vladaiska and the Perlovska. The Iskar River in its upper course flows near eastern Sofia. The city is known for its numerous mineral and thermal springs. Artificial and dam lakes were built in the last century.

Sofia is located 130 km northwest of Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city, 340 km west of Burgas, 380 km west of Varna, Bulgaria's major port-cities on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The city is situated at less than 200 km from the borders with three countries: 55 km from Kalotina on the Serbian border, 113 km from Gyueshevo on the frontier with the Republic of Macedonia and 183 km from the Greek border at Kulata.

Climate

Sofia has a moderate continental climate with high temperature amplitudes. The hottest month is August while January is the coldest. Up to 1936 the average annual temperature was 10.0 °C and since then it has risen with +0.5°C. The city receives around 650 millimetres annual precipitation with summer maximum and winter minimum. The temperatures in Sofia generally remain cooler than other parts of Bulgaria in summer, due to the high altitude of the valley in which it is situated. However temperatures can still reach up to 40°C on occasions.

Economy

Sofia is the major economic center of Bulgaria and home to most major Bulgarian and international companies operating in Bulgaria. Sofia is also the country's financial hub, home to the Bulgarian National Bank, the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, the Financial Supervision Commission as well as the headquarters of all commercial banks operating in the country. Construction, trade and transport are other important sectors of the local economy. Increasingly, Sofia is becoming an outsourcing destination for multinational companies, among them IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Sony.

Properties in the Bulgarian capital Sofia feature the highest price increase in Bulgaria. Apartments in the city centre have increased up to 60% in the last year and a half.

Transport and infrastructure

With its developing infrastructure and strategic location, Sofia is an important centre for international railway and automobile routes. Three Trans-European Transport Corridors cross the city: 4, 8 and 10. All major types of transport (except water transport) are represented in the city. It is home to 8 railway stations, the biggest of which is the Central Railway Station. Just next to it is the new Center Bus Station, the biggest and most modern of its kind in the country. A number of other Bus Stations allow interurban and international trips from different parts of the city. The Sofia Airport with its new second terminal, finished in 2006, handled some 2.7 million passengers in 2007.

Public transport is relatively well-developed with bus, tram and trolley lines running in all areas of the city. The Sofia underground became operational only in 1998 and is yet largely underdeveloped with one line and eight stations only. At present six new stations are under construction and will become operational in 2009. The master plan for the Sofia underground includes three lines with a total of 47 stations. In recent years privately operated vans serving fixed routes proved an efficient and popular means of transportation by being faster than public transport but cheaper than taxis.

Education

There are 16 universities in Sofia. The Saint Clement of Ohrid University of Sofia is often regarded as the most prestigious university of Bulgaria, being founded in 1888 and having an incoming class of 14,000 students each year. Other important universities include the National Academy of Arts, the Technical University of Sofia, the University for National and World Economics, Sofia Medical University, the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy and New Bulgarian University.

Furthermore, institutions of national significance, such as the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library are located in Sofia. The American College of Sofia, founded in 1860 and often regarded as the oldest American academic institution outside the United States provides secondary education to some of Bulgaria's brightest students.

Places of interest

The city offers many places of special interest such as the Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Library (which houses the largest national book collection and is Bulgaria's oldest cultural institute), the Sofia State Library, the British Council, the Russian Cultural Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute, the Hungarian Institute, the Czech and the Slovak Cultural Institutes, the Italian Cultural Institute, the French Cultural Institute, Goethe Institut, Instituto Cervantes, and the Open Society Institute.

Sofia currently enjoys a booming film industry as the filming ground of several international film productions. Vitosha Boulevard, also called Vitoshka - ranked as the world's 22nd most expensive commercial street - represents numerous fashion boutiques and luxury goods stores and features exhibitions by world fashion designers. Sofia's geographic location, situated in the foothills of the weekend retreat Vitosha mountain, further adds to the city's specific atmosphere.

Churches

- The Church of St George is a late Roman rotonda dated from 4th century situated in the courtyard of the Sheraton Sofia Hotel. It was constructed with red bricks and is considered the oldest building in Sofia. It is known for its Medieval frescoes in the central dome dating from 12-14th centuries.

- The early Byzantine Church of St Sophia was built in the 6th century on the place of an ancient Roman theatre and several earlier churches. During the Second Bulgarian Empire the structure served as the cathedral of the city but was later converted to a mosque by the Ottoman invaders.

- The gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built in the early 20th century in memory of the 200,000 Russian soldiers, who died in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878. It is the largest church in the Balkans and the second largest Orthodox cathedral in the world. The cathedral's gold-plated dome is 45 m high, with the bell tower reaching 50.52 m.

- St Nedelya Church is a medieval church that has suffered destruction through the ages and has been reconstructed many times. It was razed in the assault in 1925 that claimed over 150 victims. After the assault, the church was restored to its modern appearance. Today St Nedelya is a cathedral of the Sofia bishopric of the Bulgarian Patriarchate.

- The tiny Church of St Petka of the Saddlers from the 14th century featuring some fine frescoes. It is a one-nave edifice dedicated to St Petka, a 11th century Bulgarian saint

- The Russian Church or the Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, built in 1914 is dedicated to the patron-saint of the Russian Tsar at the time Nicholas II. The construction was supervised by the architect A. Smirnov, who was building the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral nearby.

Museums and galleries

Sofia houses numerous museums, notably the National Historical Museum, the Bulgarian Natural History Museum, the Museum of Earth and Men, the Ethnographic Museum, the National Museum of Military History, the National Polytechnical Museum and the National Archaeological Museum. In addition, there are the Sofia City Art Gallery, the Bulgarian National Gallery of Arts, the Bulgarian National Gallery for Foreign Art as well as numerous private art galleries.

- The National Historical museum is among the largest museums in Eastern Europe and possess more than 650,000 artefacts. Ancient Thracian treasures, old armoury and weaponry, medieval church plates are among the most valuable objects in the collection.

- The National Archaeological Museum occupies the largest and oldest former Ottoman mosque in the city built in 1474. It has a large collection of archaeological artifacts from all over the Balkans including some of the golden Thracian treasures. The museum is among Bulgaria's oldest and was inaugurated in 1905.

- The National Gallery of Foreign Art occupies an imposing 19th century building. The gallery's permanent exposition features European, Asian (Buddhist, Japanese and Indian) and African art, as well as separate contemporary art and engraving sections.

Miscellaneous places of culture: The Ivan Vazov National Theatre; The outdoor book-market on Slaveykov Square; The National Palace of Culture cultural and congressional centre - the largest multifunctional complex in South-eastern Europe, inaugurated in 1981 and situated in a lush green park surroundings.

Vitosha Mountain

- Vitosha mountain, one of the symbols of Sofia, just a short drive or lift trip away, open year round. Ski and snowboard are popular in the winter, and hiking in the summer.

- Borisova gradina, Sofia's main and oldest garden, the construction of which began in 1884.

Other places of interest: Sofia Public Mineral Baths, decorated with the finest majolica tiles and completed in 1911; TZUM, Sofia's oldest and largest department store; The Largo, an architectural complex in downtown Sofia which includes the headquarters of many national institutions; Sofia Zoo.