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Vitosha seen from the north of Sofia |
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| The city of Sofia, at the
foot of the Vitosha mountain, has a population of 1,208,930
(2003), and is the biggest city and capital of the Republic
of Bulgaria. It is located in the Western part of Bulgaria
at the foot of the mountain massif Vitosha and it is the
administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the
country. |
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the controls or your mouse to click, hold and drag left
or right to view. |
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Municipality(Oblast):
Sofia-City
Area: 1,310 km²
Altitude: 550 m
Population: 1,192,603 census December 15, 2004
Population density: 907 persons/km²
Average age of population: 38.3 years
Postal code: 1000
Dialing code: 02
Municipal Code: C
Motto of the city: "Grows, but does not age"
Day of Sofia: 17 September
Latitude: 42° 42' N
Longitude: 23° 20' E
Mayor: Minko Gerdjikov |
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| On a site inhabited as
early as the 8th century B.C., Sofia is the second oldest
capital city in Europe. It has been given several names
in the course of history, and the remnants of the old
cities can still be seen today. |
| Sofia was originally a
Thracian settlement named Serdica, named after the Thracian
tribe of Serdi. It was captured by Rome in AD 29. When
Diocletian divided the province of Dacia into Dacia Ripensis
on the shores of the Danube and Dacia Mediterranea, Serdica
became the capital of Dacia Mediterranea. It was destroyed
by the Huns in 447. The city was rebuilt by Byzantine
Emperor Justinian I and renamed Triaditsa. Sofia was first
captured by the Bulgarians in 809. Afterwards it was known
as Sredets, the name given to it by the Slavs. It was
renamed Sofia (meaning "wisdom" in Greek) in
1376. Sofia was taken by the Ottomans in 1382 and became
the capital of the Turkish province of Rumelia. Sofia
was liberated by the Russians in 1878, and became the
capital of the independent Bulgaria in 1879. During World
War II the Russians occupied Sofia and Bulgaria after
the pro-German government was overthrown. |
| There are 16 universities
in the city, among them Sofia University, founded in 1889.
It is the see of an Eastern Orthodox metropolitan and
of a Roman Catholic diocese. |
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| The most interesting sights
of Sofia are: |
- The late Roman St. George's Church
(4th century), hidden in the courtyard of the Sharaton
Hotel.
- The early Byzantine St. Sofia
Church, erected in the 6th century.
- The gold-domed Alexander Nevski
Cathedral, built in the early 19th century in memory
of the 200,000 Russian soldiers who died in the Russo
- Turkish War which led in 1878
to the emancipation of Bulgaria from Turkish rule.
- The tiny Church of Saint Petka
Samardzhiiska, from the 14th century, at
- Pl. Sveta Nedelya. It contains
some fine frescoes.
- The Banya Bashi Mosque, built
in the 16th century.
- The National Museum of History,
noteworthy for its Thracian treasures.
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click to see larger view
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| Downtown SofiaSofia is
the major centre of Bulgaria's economic life. The manufacturing
sector of the economy, represented by over 800 large manufacturing
plants, includes metal products (75% of the total output
in the country), textiles, rubber and leather goods, printing
(50% of output) and electronics (15% of output). Sofia
is also the country's financial hub, home to the Bulgarian
National Bank, the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, as well as
some of the country's largest commercial banks (such as
Bulbank, DSK Bank and the United Bulgarian Bank). Construction,
trade and transport are other important sectors of the
local economy. Increasingly Sofia is attracting attention
as an outsourcing location for Western European and American
multinationals. |
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| Sofia is one of 28 counties
in Bulgaria. Besides the city of Sofia, the capital county
encompasses three other cities and 34 villages. It is
split into 24 municipalities. |
| Each municipality has a
head person who is elected by the municipal assembly.
The head of the county is its mayor. The assembly members
are chosen every four years. Stefan Sofiyanski is serving
his third term as of 2005. He was first elected in 1995.
Municipal elections are pending in October 2005 in Sofia,
as mayor Sofianski was elected Member of Parliament in
the June 2005 national elections. With Decision 412, Record
50/30.06.2005 the Sofia Municipal Council assigned Mr.
Minko Gerdjikov to implement the functions of a Mayor
of Sofia Municipality. |
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| With
its well-developed infrastructure and strategic location,
Sofia is an important centre for international railway
and automobile routes. All major types of transport (except
water transport) are represented in the city, which is
home to 8 railway stations, the Centre for Flight Control
and the Sofia Airport (hub for flag-carrier Bulgaria Air).
Three Trans-European Transport Corridors cross the city:
4, 8 and 10. |
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A
Tram on one of Sofia's sixteen lines |
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| Public transit is well-developed,
reliable and important to the city's economy; it is provided
by means of underground trains (the Sofia Metro), buses,
trams and electric buses. There are over 15,000 licensed
taxi cabs operating in the city. |
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A
vibrant city with rich and colorful night life, Sofia
is known for a great number of modern discoteques (such
as Escape, Maria Luisa, West, Alkohol, and Mohito),
live music clubs, cozy restaurants (Don Domat and Ugo),
chic cafes and hype bars. |
| Notable Sofia music clubs
are O'Shipka (rock, metal, hard-core),Tri-Ushi (punk,
ska, reggae) and Babbles (house and electronic music).
The most vibrant bars include Barabar and Kufera both
of which represent a broad cross section of Sofia's most
interesting night-life. |
| Many Erasmus students,
EU volunteers can be found at "The A-Partment"
sort-of-private club. |
| The place to eat between
clubs is Mimas - a doner kebap located at the intersection
of Levski, Graf Ignatiev and Patriarch Evtimii streets.
Some of the nicest pubs are Divaka, Pod Bora, Stariat
Voin, and Bohemi. |
| During the summer, the
place to go is Lodkite - an open-air bar in the city park.
There is also a weekly drum circle in an abandoned summer
stage in the same park, similar to Barcelona's Parque
de la Ciutadella and Madrid's Retiro. |
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Foreign Exchange
Provider |
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Car Hire in Bulgaria |
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Flights to Bulgaria |
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Airport Transfer
Services |
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Salt Lake Country
Club
Bourgas. Autumn 2008
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Bansko Bells
Bansko. Autumn 2008
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Travel Insurance
Whenever, Wherever |
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