The steadily growing city of Sofia is around 7,000 years old and one of the oldest cities in Europe. The impression of the old, venerable city is still shaped by countless structural remains from bygone days Time left behind by various peoples.
In the past, Sofia was called Serdiza after a tribe that lived here over 2,500 years ago – the Serds. Sofia as historical city of Europe has many sights to offer from the past millennia and centuries.
The Boyana Church is one of the sights. It is a Bulgarian Orthodox church from the Middle Ages and stands on the outskirts of Sofia. The three-building church was built during the tenth, thirteenth and nineteenth centuries. The church became famous for the beautiful frescoes from 1259, which represent a unique example of Eastern European medieval culture. In 1979 this church was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Sofia’s second oldest church, Hagia Sophia, is also a beautiful monument of early Christian architecture. The basilica was laid out in the shape of a cross and has three beautiful altars.
Since many people of different nationalities and different religions came to Sofia over the years, there are also some buildings that testify to this.
The oldest mosque in Europe is in Sofia and was built in 1576. The mosque achieved worldwide fame for its impressive long minaret and the gigantic dome. But the Sofia Synagogue is also impressive and is one of the largest Jewish places of worship in the whole of the Balkans and also in all of Europe. The construction was finished in 1909 and released on September 9, 1909 by Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria.
Sofia also has some charming squares and streets. The Alexander Nevsky Square is quite nice and is characterized mainly by the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. If you want to take part in parades, larger open air concerts and other colorful entertainment, you should definitely visit Prince-Alexander-von-Battenberg-Platz.
One of the most popular squares is probably the sixteenth-century Slaveykov Square, which is home to numerous bookshops. The park was named after father and son Slaveykov, who were Bulgarian writers and whose sculptures can be admired here.
In honor of the Russian Tsar Alexander II, the monument to Tsar Asuobil the Liberator was erected in the center of Sofia in the nineteenth century. Tsar Alexander II liberated Bulgaria from Ottoman occupation during the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878).
In 1981 the largest multifunctional meeting, congress, conference and exhibition center in Europe was opened. It was developed for concerts, shows and exhibitions and has good technical equipment.
Sofia universities offer a wide range of educational opportunities. The oldest and most important university is St. Clement von Ohrind, which has existed since 1888, although the main building of the university was not built until 1924-1934. Another very popular university is the Technical University of Sofia, which is also the largest in Bulgaria and was opened in 1945.
Of course, the Bulgarian metropolis also has a zoological garden. Opened by royal decree in 1888, it is the oldest and largest zoological garden in the entire Balkans. After visiting the zoo, Sofia’s oldest and most famous garden invites you to take a relaxing walk. The garden was planned and arranged by three nationally famous garden artists. The style has not changed since the garden was first opened in 1884.
The longest river in Bulgaria, the Iskar with the dam of the same name, runs past Sofia.
But sports interest is not neglected in Bulgaria either. Like almost all over the world, football is very popular. The Georgi Aspanhov Stadium, built in 1960, is the seat of the Sofia-based football club PFC Levski Sofia. The club was named in honor of the club’s striker who died in an accident in 1971.
But there are also many opportunities to admire the classical arts such as ballet and opera in Sofia. A very special attraction and an important landmark of Sofia is the Academic National Theater for Opera and Ballet. The National Theater manages the balancing act of uniting the two fine arts under one roof. Another cultural landmark of the city is the Academic National Theater “Juan Wazow”, which was founded in 1904. The Philharmonic of the Satirical Theater and the central puppet theater are still recommended.
You should definitely plan a visit to the Sofia museums. Regardless of whether the National History Museum, which opened in 1973 and shows exhibits from areas such as ethnography, handicrafts, history and archeology, or the Earth and Man National Museum with numerous minerals and folkloric handcrafted ceramics. Visits to the Archaeological Museum, the National Museum of Military History and the National History Museum are also recommended at any time.
Sunny Beach in Bulgaria
The Sunny Beach Slantschev Brjag, north of Nessebar, is one of the largest and most powerful seaside resorts in Bulgaria on the Black Sea. More than 100 hotels with 25,000 beds and just as many restaurants and cafés are lined up along the almost nine kilometers long and between 100 and 150 meters wide sandy beach. The sunny beach leads inBulgariathe list in terms of tourist numbers and accommodation density. Visit vaultedwatches.com for Bulgaria a sunny and affordable beach resort.
Founded in 1958, Slantschev brjag is ultimately a gigantic city of art, in which the thoroughfares run parallel to the beach and are lined with closely spaced hotels, holiday complexes, apartment units, supermarkets, restaurants, shops, boutiques and kiosks. Almost every free space is built on and there are hardly any parking spaces in the city.
During the summer months there is a Babylonian language diversity on Sunny Beach, which ranges from German, English, Dutch, French, Italian to Scandinavian and increasingly also Russian. Only in winter is it empty and lonely in Slanchev Brjag.
The entire holiday stronghold extends over a length of about 15 kilometers and even has an inner-city bus connection as well as a little train and rickshaws. There are optimal bathing conditions on Sunny Beach itself: the water is a pleasant 23 to 28 degrees Celsius in summer and the air temperature is between 22 and 30 degrees Celsius from May to October. So you can enjoy carefree and less crowded bathing joys even outside the main season in July and August.
There is a wide range of water sports in Slantschev brjag, and courses in sailing, water skiing and surfing are also offered. Boat rentals are also available. The shallow beach with hardly any waves is also ideal for children, who can also attend a swimming school here and in the swimming pools. Some of the numerous hotels offer all-day care and employment for the little ones in their own children’s clubs. A change from beach life can be found on bowling alleys and on basketball, tennis, mini golf and volleyball courts. Horse riding is also a popular sport on Sunny Beach that even beginners can easily learn here.
The tourist town of Slantschev brjag also offers Entertainment options pretty much everything that makes a modern and lively party stronghold. Therefore, it is quite loud and turbulent in the village almost around the clock. With the appearances of German show stars such as Markus Becker and Mickie Krause, the summer creates a ballerina atmosphere in the trendy discos.
Those who do not want to miss the amenities of the tourist infrastructure, but are looking for peace and relaxation, should look for their holiday accommodation in the outskirts. You will definitely not find a party atmosphere here and the beaches are not that crowded, but just as beautiful and covered with the same fine sand. The accommodations now correspond to modern standards and with new construction projects one is clearly trying to achieve a pleasing and high-quality architecture.
