Sofia – An Introduction to Bulgaria
Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria, is a city often overlooked by travellers. Seen by some as a drab post-communist town with decaying gray facades, it is actually a great place to start your Bulgarian adventures. Although it is not my favourite city by any means, it has much to offer to any traveller including a wide variety of cultural institutions such as great museums and stunning monuments. As the largest city in the country, Sofia will give you a quick overview of daily life in Bulgaria before you go on to explore the rest of the country.
Table of Contents
- A Little Geography
- A Brief History
- Where to Stay and Getting Around
- What to do in Sofia?
- Day Trips
- Food and Drink
- Conclusion
A Little Geography
Sofia is built on a plain by the Iskar River. To the south is the massive Vitosha Mountain, the city forever lying in it’s shadow. At the edge of the plain you can see an endless mountain ridge stretching in every direction, Sofia is it one of the highest elevated capitals in Europe a fact that is only reinforced by the ominous giants. As one of largest cities in Europe it should feel sprawling, yet the city feels small and intimate. All the monuments are located within a walking distance of the town center and for those with weary legs the metro provides a much needed relief. Sofia has been known in the past for it’s mineral springs.
A Brief History
Sofia is a city of layers, dig deep enough and you will find older iterations of the present settlement beneath the new city. Sofia took this in stride and archaeological excavations have been made public as part of the Sofia Underground City. This urban space is built under the present city streets and showcases Sofia’s past. Passageways are connected to important downtown buildings as well as the metro system.
Antiquity
Sofia has been occupied since prehistoric times due to it’s abundant mineral springs. Tribal settlements were established in the vicinity culminating with a Thracian settlement, destroyed by Phillip II of Macedon. It was subsequently occupied by a Celtic tribe, the Serdi, who named the city Serdica after themselves. The Serdi were quickly subdued by the Roman general Crassus.
It is under Roman rule that Sofia would become important center. A set of sturdy walls were constructed, a system of public baths created and wealth of civic structures (es; amphitheater, Basilica…) were built. The city owed its importance in large part due to its location on the road from Constantinople to ancient Belgrade. A total of two Roman emperors were born in the city, Aurelian (215–275) and Galerius (260–311). At one point, Serdica had become so important that Constantine considered making it the capital of the Byzantine Empire. In 447 Attila the Hun ravaged the city, where it lay abandoned for the next hundred years when it was rebuilt by the Byzantine Empire.
Medieval Era
The Bulgars, a powerful Slavic tribe, arrived in the Balkans in 681A.D. The Roman empire could not hold back the waves of invading barbarians and the Bulgarians were quickly able to set up a state. The Bulgarians took the city in 809 after a long siege. It would become the capital in 970 but would be re-captured by the Byzantines in 1018. The Bulgarians were undaunted and returned to take the city, it remained in Bulgarian hands until its capture by the Ottoman Empire in 1385.
Sofia would acquire it’s current name in 1376 when it was renamed after the church of St. Sophia, the Bulgarian cousin church to the one in Constantinople. During the time of the Ottoman occupation the city grew quickly as a center of the caravan trade. From Sofia exports flowed from the east through Constantinople, towards the west through the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik). Persecution of Christians was common and many churches were converted to mosques.
The Battle for Independence
In 1873 the Turks hung Vasil Levski, a Bulgarian revolutionary in Sofia. At the time popular discontent was mounting throughout the Balkans Region pushing the Ottoman Empire into a freefall. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 the Ottoman tropps were ordered to burn the city to the ground to prevent it from falling into the Russian hands. Instead the local population took up arms in revolt and defended their city until the Russians arrived to relieve it. Independence from the Ottomans Empire did not come cheaply. The population of Sofia would collapse from 70 000 in 1700 to just over 11 000 by the time of it’s liberation.
Independent Bulgaria
After the war Sofia was named capital of Bulgaria once again. The city grew rapidly as Christians fled Ottoman held areas. The stoutly independent Bulgarians became involved in a series of territorial wars with its neighbours as the Ottomans continued to withdraw from the Balkans. The Bulgarian Kingdom switched alliances often and was not a Russian puppet as some commentators in Western Europe had assumed it would be.
The World Wars and Communism
The Bulgarian State attempted to stay neutral in both World Wars but ended up siding with the Central Powers in the First World War and the Axis in the Second World War. Sofia suffered greatly from this decision, most glaringly during the Second World War when allied bombers ravaged the city. After the war the Fatherland Front, a far left group, took power and executed thousands. The transition into communism was difficult but the city continued to grow as thousands poured in from the agrarian countryside in search for economic opportunity in industrial centers.
Where to Stay and Getting Around
The best hostel to stay at in Sofia is Hostel Mostel (for more more great Balkan hostels click here). Located in an old Ottoman caravansary, it makes for a unique hosteling experience. The hostel is gated off from the main street and revolves around a central courtyard with the rooms built around it. Located directly in the heart of downtown Sofia, it is a ten minute walk from the Serdika metro station and even closer to the extensive Sophia streetcar system.
The metro system connects to the airport, the streetcar system, the train and bus stations. The last two are located on the northern extent of downtown.
What to do in Sofia?
The best hing to do in Sophia is, surprisingly, the excellent Free Sophia Walking Tour. I don’t always recommend walking tours but his one is a must! It will take you though the wild ride that is the history of Sofia’s while stopping at many of the city’s most important sights along the way. The meeting point is the Sofia Courthouse and departures are held 4 times a day! One of the more interesting stories on the tour, pertains to King Boris III. As Bulgaria was an ally to Hitler, he was asked to deport Sofia’s Jews to concentration camps. Many prominent citizens were appalled and Dimitar Peshev, speaker of the house, convinced to King to refuse the tyrant from Germany. To remain on good terms with his allies the king distracted and delayed and as such the city’s Jewery remained intact. However, this did not prevent the deportation of Jews from the Bulgarian administered territories of Thrace and Macedonia.
For those interested in the rich cultural heritage of the city, stop off in the Sofia History Museum. This building was the old mineral bathhouse of the city. Completed in 1913, the ornate building is one of the prettiest in the city. Behind the boathouse is the old Banya Bashi Ottoman Mosque, the last of the old Ottoman mosques still operating in Sofia today. Built in 1566 over natural thermal spas, you can still see the steam rise from nearby vents. To the south of this mosque is a large open air pedestrian boulevard. To acces it you must go down a set of stairs. This is the Serdica Archaeological Complex. Serdica as mentioned earlier is the named of Sofia during Roman times. This complex is a massive excavation of the old city. Part of the excavation is open air and the other has been integrated as part of the underground city. This underground city connects to the metro and other prominent buildings in Sofia. A very unique result of this process is that Roman ruins have been integrated into the Arena di Serdica Boutique Hotel!
At the end of this boulevard stands the Sveta Petka church. This small orthodox building stands at the very center of the city. It is this section that you will find the important government structures pertaining to Bulgaria’s independence as well as the communist period. Flanking the church are two neoclassical beauties, the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria and the Sofia Hotel Balkan. The court building was converted into a mall during communist times. The Hotel Balkan holds a remarkable treasure in its courtyard, the 4th century Church St. George! The building sits hidden away from the world, but don’t miss it, it is one of the most important buildings in Sofia. At the center of this complex is the Offices National Assembly building, once home to the BCP (Bulgarian Communist Party).
Outside of the Hotel Balkan you can find a demonstration of the Bulgarian National guard. This display is quite similar to what you would find with the “Changing of the Guard” in Commonwealth nations, but the uniforms are a tad different.
The boulevard surrounding this cluster of buildings is literally a “Yellow Brick Road”. After independence much of the city center, then still 30 000 km’s of dirt road, were covered over with yellow pavers. The goal of this expensive project was to showcase the city as a modern capital of Europe.
If you “follow the yellow brick road” going east it will take you on a tour of some of the most iconic buildings in Sofia, including the National Art Gallery, the Military Club, the Russian Church as well as the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and culminating at the National Assembly Building .
Off to the side by the city garden you have the 1907 neoclassical styled National Theater Building. This is my favorite building in Sofia.
A quick note: The Georgi Dimitrov’s mausoleum, a tomb to the communist dictator of Bulgaria used to stand in Prince Alexander of Battenberg Square. It was demolished after the fall of communism. Furthermore you should note that the National Art Gallery is the former royal palace.
Much like the above mentioned yellow pavers, most of these structures were build in the early era of independence (1878) to the start of the First World War. The neoclassical buildings themselves date from the 20th century, again in an effort to compete with Western European capitals.
The Cathedral is likely the most photographed building in the city. The Neo-Byzantine building was a gift from the Russian Tsar and was at one point the largest orthodox church in south-western Europe.
My last recommendation is to walk Vitosha Street. This lively pedestrian street starts at the domed St Nedelya Church and stretches towards the horrid National Palace of Culture. This massive building is one of the ugliest buildings in Europe and was conceived during the communist era. Despite it’s appearance the building does fulfill its purpose as a concert hall and the acoustics are said to be good. On this leafy street you can find many bars and restaurants, with heated patios in the colder months. From this street you get a great view of Vitosha the mountain, with its snowy mountain cap!
Day Trips
Rila National Park:
The most common day trip from Sofia is the imposing Rila Monastary. Located in Rila National park, it offers an unparalleled insight into Bulgarian Culture. For those looking for a more nature style retreat into the mountains stop off at the Seven Rila Lakes, a beautiful ensemble of mountain top lakes.
Food and Drink
The best thing to do on a cold Bulgarian day in to indulge in a hot soup as Bulgaria posses an absolutely wonderful selection of them. In Sofia specifically you can get ginormous, face sized, pizza slices for two dollars. One of the oddest things I did in Bulgaria was to eat Chinese Food and order with a Bulgarian menu so I wouldn’t know what I was getting. Sofia is not the best place in the country to get traditional food so you can allow yourself to eat the occasional western meal.
If you can get a hands on a bottle of Melnik 55 wine as I did, do so. I was lucky enough to have met a group of Italian guys with a bottle, which I enjoyed very much. It It is Winston Churchill’s favourite! The wine comes from the Melnik area of Bulgaria and the bottle itself can be hard to come by unless you travel specifically to that region of the country.
Conclusion
It will not take you too long to explore Sofia and that’s ok. Bulgaria is a country full of wonderful things to do, most of them outside of the capital. Although it is not the most interesting city in Bulgaria, it will serve as a kind introduction to the Bulgarian people and their culture.
