fbpx
Wikipedia

Sofia

May 08, 2024

For the given names, see Sofia (given name), Sofija (given name), and Sofiya (given name). For other uses, see Sofia (disambiguation).

Sofia (/ˈsoʊfiə, ˈsɒf-, soʊˈfiːə/ SOH-fee-ə, SOF-;[14][15] Bulgarian: София, romanized: Sofiya,[16][17] IPA: [ˈsɔfijɐ] ⓘ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river and has many mineral springs, such as the Sofia Central Mineral Baths. It has a humid continental climate. Being in the centre of the Balkans, it is midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea and closest to the Aegean Sea.[18][19]

Sofia
София
Capital city
Flag
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
"Ever growing, never aging"[1]
("Расте, но не старее")
Sofia
Location of Sofia
Sofia
Sofia (Balkans)
Sofia
Sofia (Europe)
Coordinates: 42°42′N 23°20′E / 42.70°N 23.33°E / 42.70; 23.33
CountryBulgaria
ProvinceSofia City
MunicipalityCapital
Cont. inhabitedsince 7000 BC[2]
Neolithic settlement5500–6000 BC[3]
Thracian settlement1400 BC[4][5]
Roman administration46 AD (as Serdica)[6]
Conquered by Krum809 AD (as Sredets)[6]
Government
 • MayorVassil Terziev (PP-DB-Spasi Sofia)
Area
 • Capital city500 km2 (200 sq mi)
 • Urban
[7]
5,723 km2 (2,210 sq mi)
 • Metro
[8]
10,738 km2 (4,146 sq mi)
Elevation
[9]
500–699 m (1,640–2,293 ft)
Population
 (2021)[10]
 • Capital city1,248,452
 • Density2,500/km2 (6,500/sq mi)
 • Urban
[11]
1,547,779
 • Urban density270/km2 (700/sq mi)
 • Metro
[12]
1,667,314
 • Metro density160/km2 (400/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Sofian (en)
Софиянец/Sofiyanets (bg)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Area code(+359) 02
HDI (2018)0.945[13]
very high
Vehicle registration plateC, CA, CB
Websitesofia.bg

Known as Serdica in antiquity and Sredets in the Middle Ages, Sofia has been an area of human habitation since at least 7000 BC. The recorded history of the city begins with the attestation of the conquest of Serdica by the Roman Republic in 29 BC from the Celtic tribe Serdi. During the decline of the Roman Empire, the city was raided by Huns, Visigoths, Avars and Slavs. In 809, Serdica was incorporated into the Bulgarian Empire by Khan Krum and became known as Sredets. In 1018, the Byzantines ended Bulgarian rule until 1194, when it was reincorporated by the reborn Bulgarian Empire. Sredets became a major administrative, economic, cultural and literary hub until its conquest by the Ottomans in 1382. From 1530 to 1836, Sofia was the regional capital of Rumelia Eyalet, the Ottoman Empire's key province in Europe. Bulgarian rule was restored in 1878. Sofia was selected as the capital of the Third Bulgarian State in the next year, ushering a period of intense demographic and economic growth.

Sofia is the 14th-largest city in the European Union. It is surrounded by mountainsides, such as Vitosha by the southern side, Lyulin by the western side, and the Balkan Mountains by the north, which makes it the third highest European capital after Andorra la Vella and Madrid. Being Bulgaria's primary city, Sofia is home of many of the major local universities, cultural institutions and commercial companies.[20] The city has been described as the "triangle of religious tolerance". This is because three temples of three major world religions—Christianity, Islam and Judaism—are situated close together: Sveta Nedelya Church, Banya Bashi Mosque and Sofia Synagogue.[21] This triangle was recently expanded to a "square" and includes the Catholic Cathedral of St Joseph.[22]

Sofia has been named one of the top ten best places for startup businesses in the world, especially in information technologies.[23] It was Europe's most affordable capital to visit in 2013.[24] The Boyana Church in Sofia, constructed during the Second Bulgarian Empire and holding much patrimonial symbolism to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, was included onto the World Heritage List in 1979. With its cultural significance in Southeast Europe, Sofia is home to the National Opera and Ballet of Bulgaria, the National Palace of Culture, the Vasil Levski National Stadium, the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, the National Archaeological Museum, and the Serdica Amphitheatre. The Museum of Socialist Art includes many sculptures and posters that educate visitors about the lifestyle in communist Bulgaria.[25]

The population of Sofia declined from 70,000 in the late 18th century, through 19,000 in 1870, to 11,649 in 1878, after which it began increasing.[26] Sofia hosts some 1.24 million[10] residents within a territory of 492 km2,[27] a concentration of 17.9% of the country population within the 200th percentile of the country territory. The urban area of Sofia hosts some 1.54 million[28] residents within 5723 km2, which comprises Sofia City Province and parts of Sofia Province (Dragoman, Slivnitsa, Kostinbrod, Bozhurishte, Svoge, Elin Pelin, Gorna Malina, Ihtiman, Kostenets) and Pernik Province (Pernik, Radomir), representing 5.16% of the country territory.[7] The metropolitan area of Sofia is based upon one hour of car travel time, stretches internationally and includes Dimitrovgrad in Serbia.[29] The metropolitan region of Sofia is inhabited by a population of 1.66 million.[12]

Names edit

 
The first seal of the city, from 1878, which calls it Sredets, its name in Old Bulgarian

For a long time, the city possessed[30] a Thracian name, Serdica (Ancient Greek: Σερδικη, Serdikē, or Σαρδικη, Sardikē; Latin: Serdica or Sardica), derived from the tribe Serdi, who were either of Thracian,[16][18] Celtic,[31] or mixed Thracian-Celtic origin.[32][33] The emperor Marcus Ulpius Traianus (53–117 AD) gave the city the combinative name of Ulpia Serdica;[34][35] Ulpia may be derived from an Umbrian cognate of the Latin word lupus, meaning "wolf"[36] or from the Latin vulpes (fox). It seems that the first written mention of Serdica was made during his reign and the last mention was in the 19th century in a Bulgarian text (Сардакіи, Sardaki). Other names given to Sofia, such as Serdonpolis (Byzantine Greek: Σερδών πόλις, "City of the Serdi") and Triaditza (Τριάδιτζα, "Trinity"), were mentioned by Byzantine Greek sources or coins. The Slavic name Sredets (Church Slavonic: Срѣдецъ), which is related to "middle" (среда, "sreda") and to the city's earliest name, first appeared on paper in an 11th-century text. The city was called Atralisa by the Arab traveller Idrisi and Strelisa, Stralitsa, or Stralitsion by the Crusaders.[37]

The name Sofia comes from the Saint Sofia Church,[38] as opposed to the prevailing Slavic origin of Bulgarian cities and towns. The origin is in the Greek word sophía (σοφία, "wisdom"). The earliest works where this latest name is registered are the duplicate of the Gospel of Serdica, in a dialogue between two salesmen from Dubrovnik around 1359, in the 14th-century Vitosha Charter of Bulgarian tsar Ivan Shishman and in a Ragusan merchant's notes of 1376.[39] In these documents, the city is called Sofia,[clarification needed] but, at the same time, the region and the city's inhabitants are still called Sredecheski (Church Slavonic: срѣдечьскои, "of Sredets"), which continued until the 20th century. The Ottomans came to favour the name Sofya (صوفيه). In 1879, there was a dispute about what the name of the new Bulgarian capital should be, when the citizens created a committee of famous people, insisting for the Slavic name. Gradually, a compromise arose, officialisation of Sofia for the nationwide institutions, while legitimating the title Sredets for the administrative and church institutions, before the latter was abandoned through the years.[40]

Geography edit

Sofia City Province has an area of 1344 km2,[41] while the surrounding and much bigger Sofia Province is 7,059 km2. 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 the Balkan mountains to the north. The valley has an average altitude of 550 metres (1,800 ft). Sofia is the second highest capital of the European Union (after Madrid) and the third highest capital of Europe (after Andorra la Vella and Madrid). Unlike most European capitals, Sofia does not straddle any large river, but is surrounded by comparatively high mountains on all sides. Three mountain passes lead to the city, which have been key roads since antiquity, Vitosha being the watershed between Black and Aegean Seas.

A number of shallow rivers cross the city, including the Boyanska, Vladayska and Perlovska. The Iskar River in its upper course flows near eastern Sofia. It takes its source in Rila, Bulgaria's highest mountain,[42] and enters Sofia Valley near the village of German. The Iskar flows north toward the Balkan Mountains, passing between the eastern city suburbs, next to the main building and below the runways of Sofia Airport, and flows out of the Sofia Valley at the town of Novi Iskar, where the scenic Iskar Gorge begins.[43]

The city is known for its 49 mineral and thermal springs. Artificial and dam lakes were built in the twentieth century.

 
A map of Sofia Valley. Vitosha is in the south; the Balkan Mountains define the valley's northern fringes. The Iskar flows north and forms the Iskar Gorge.
 
A view of the valley from the south. The Balkan Mountains and the beginning of the Iskar Gorge are visible in the distance.
 
Satellite photo of Sofia
 
Winter panorama of Sofia with Vitosha in the background

While the 1818 and 1858 earthquakes were intense and destructive, the 2012 Pernik earthquake occurred west of Sofia with a moment magnitude of 5.6 and a much lower Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). The 2014 Aegean Sea earthquake was also noticed in the city.

Climate edit

Sofia has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb; Cfb if with −3 °C isotherm) with an average annual temperature of 10.9 °C (51.6 °F).

Winters are relatively cold and snowy. In the coldest days temperatures can drop below −15 °C (5 °F), most notably in January. The lowest recorded temperature is −31.2 °C (−24 °F) (16 January 1893).[44][45] On average, Sofia receives a total snowfall of 98 cm (38.6 in) and 56 days with snow cover.[46] The snowiest recorded winter was 1939/1940 with a total snowfall of 169 cm (66.5 in).[47] The record snow depth is 57 cm (22.4 in) (25 December 2001).[48] The coldest recorded year was 1893 with an average January temperature of −10.4 °C (13 °F) and an annual temperature of 8.2 °C (46.8 °F).[49]

Summers are quite warm and sunny. In summer, the city generally remains slightly cooler than other parts of Bulgaria, due to its higher altitude. However, the city is also subject to heat waves with high temperatures reaching or exceeding 35 °C (95 °F) on the hottest days, particularly in July and August. The highest recorded temperature is 40.2 °C (104 °F) (5 July 2000).[50] The hottest recorded month was July 2012 with an average temperature of 24.8 °C (77 °F).[51] The warmest year on record was 2023 with an annual temperature of 12.1 °C (54 °F).[52]

Springs and autumns in Sofia are usually short with variable and dynamic weather.

The city receives an average precipitation of 625.7 mm (24.63 in) a year, reaching its peak in late spring and early summer when thunderstorms are common. The driest recorded year was 2000 with a total precipitation of 304.6 mm (11.99 in), while the wettest year on record was 2014 with a total precipitation of 1,066.6 mm (41.99 in).[53][54]

Climate data for Sofia (NIMH−BAS) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18
(64) 		22.2
(72.0) 		31
(88) 		30.6
(87.1) 		34.1
(93.4) 		37.2
(99.0) 		40.2
(104.4) 		39
(102) 		37.1
(98.8) 		33.6
(92.5) 		25.8
(78.4) 		21.3
(70.3) 		40.2
(104.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 3.5
(38.3) 		6.5
(43.7) 		11.4
(52.5) 		16.7
(62.1) 		21.4
(70.5) 		25.2
(77.4) 		27.8
(82.0) 		28.3
(82.9) 		23.3
(73.9) 		17.6
(63.7) 		10.7
(51.3) 		4.6
(40.3) 		16.4
(61.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.5
(31.1) 		1.6
(34.9) 		5.8
(42.4) 		10.9
(51.6) 		15.5
(59.9) 		19.4
(66.9) 		21.6
(70.9) 		21.5
(70.7) 		16.8
(62.2) 		11.4
(52.5) 		5.9
(42.6) 		0.8
(33.4) 		10.9
(51.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.9
(25.0) 		−2.4
(27.7) 		1.1
(34.0) 		5.3
(41.5) 		9.8
(49.6) 		13.4
(56.1) 		15.3
(59.5) 		15
(59) 		10.9
(51.6) 		6.3
(43.3) 		1.9
(35.4) 		−2.4
(27.7) 		5.9
(42.5)
Record low °C (°F) −31.2
(−24.2) 		−24.1
(−11.4) 		−18
(0) 		−5.9
(21.4) 		−2.2
(28.0) 		2.5
(36.5) 		5.3
(41.5) 		3.5
(38.3) 		−2
(28) 		−5.6
(21.9) 		−15.3
(4.5) 		−21.1
(−6.0) 		−31.2
(−24.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 35.9
(1.41) 		35.5
(1.40) 		45.3
(1.78) 		52.3
(2.06) 		73.1
(2.88) 		81.6
(3.21) 		64.7
(2.55) 		53.1
(2.09) 		52.3
(2.06) 		53.9
(2.12) 		38.1
(1.50) 		39.9
(1.57) 		625.7
(24.63)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 24.9
(9.8) 		21
(8.3) 		15.4
(6.1) 		3
(1.2) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		1.5
(0.6) 		10.7
(4.2) 		21
(8.3) 		97.5
(38.5)
Average precipitation days 10.7 9.4 10.9 10.7 13.9 12 8.1 7.1 8.2 8.4 8.1 10.7 118.2
Average snowy days 7.5 6.5 5.2 1.3 0 0 0 0 0 0.7 2.7 6.4 30.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours 87.9 117.2 169 195.1 236 268.1 311.9 307.3 225.1 166.8 107.7 69.1 2,261.2
Average ultraviolet index 1 2 4 5 7 9 9 8 6 4 2 1 5
Source: NOAA/WMO,[55][56] StringMeteo.com,[57][58][59][60][61][62] Climatebase.ru[63] and Weather Atlas[64]

Environment edit

The geographic position of the Sofia Valley limits the flow of air masses, increasing the chances of air pollution by particulate matter and nitrogen oxide.[65] Solid fuel used for heating and motor vehicle traffic are significant sources of pollutants. Smog thus persists over the city as temperature inversions and the mountains surrounding the city prevent the circulation of air masses.[66][67] As a result, air pollution levels in Sofia are some of the highest in Europe.[68]

Particulate matter concentrations are consistently above the norm.[67] During the October 2017 – March 2018 heating season, particulate levels exceeded the norm on 70 occasions;[66] on 7 January 2018, PM10 levels reached 632 µg/m3,[69] some twelve times the EU norm of 50 µg/m3.[70] Even areas with few sources of air pollution, like Gorna Banya, had PM2.5 and PM10 levels above safe thresholds.[69] In response to hazardous spikes in air pollution, the Municipal Council implemented a variety of measures in January 2018, like more frequent washing of streets.[71] However, a report by the European Court of Auditors issued in September 2018 revealed that Sofia has not drafted any projects to reduce air pollution from heating. The report also noted that no industrial pollution monitoring stations operate in Sofia, even though industrial facilities are active in the city. A monitoring station on Eagles' Bridge, where some of the highest particulate matter values were measured, was moved away from the location and has measured sharply lower values since then.[72] Particulates are now largely measured by a network of 300 sensors maintained by volunteers since 2017.[66] The European Commission has taken Bulgaria to court over its failure to curb air pollution.[67]

History edit

Main article: History of Sofia
For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Sofia.
 
O: head of river-god Strymon; R: trident.
This coin imitates Macedonian issue from 187 to 168 BC. It was struck by Serdi tribe as their own currency.
 
The eastern gate of Serdica in the "Complex Ancient Serdica"

Prehistory and antiquity edit

The area has a history of nearly 7,000 years,[73] with the great attraction of the hot water springs that still flow abundantly in the centre of the city. The neolithic village in Slatina dating to the 5th–6th millennium BC is documented.[74] Remains from another neolithic settlement around the National Art Gallery are traced to the 3rd–4th millennium BC, which has been the traditional centre of the city ever since.[75]

The earliest tribes who settled were the Thracian Tilataei. In the 500s BC, the area became part of a Thracian state union, the Odrysian kingdom from another Thracian tribe the Odrysses.[76]

In 339 BC Philip II of Macedon destroyed and ravaged the town for the first time.[77]

The Celtic tribe Serdi gave their name to the city.[78] The earliest mention of the city comes from an Athenian inscription from the 1st century BC, attesting Astiu ton Serdon, i.e. city of the Serdi.[79] The inscription and Dio Cassius told that the Roman general Crassus subdued the Serdi and behanded the captives.[80]

In 27–29 BC, according do Dio Cassius, Pliny and Ptolemy, the region "Segetike" was attacked by Crassus, which is assumed to be Serdica, or the city of the Serdi.[81][82][83] The ancient city is located between TZUM, Sheraton Hotel and the Presidency.[75][84] It gradually became the most important Roman city of the region.[34][35] It became a municipium during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98–117). Serdica expanded, as turrets, protective walls, public baths, administrative and cult buildings, a civic basilica, an amphitheatre, a circus, the City council (Boulé), a large forum, a big circus (theatre), etc. were built. Serdica was a significant city on the Roman road Via Militaris, connecting Singidunum and Byzantium. In the 3rd century, it became the capital of Dacia Aureliana,[85] and when Emperor Diocletian divided the province of Dacia Aureliana into Dacia Ripensis (at the banks of the Danube) and Dacia Mediterranea, Serdica became the capital of the latter. Serdica's citizens of Thracian descent were referred to as Illyrians[77] probably because it was at some time the capital of Eastern Illyria (Second Illyria).[86]

 
Dated from the early 4th century, the Church of Saint George is the oldest standing edifice in Sofia.

Roman emperors Aurelian (215–275)[87] and Galerius (260–311)[88] were born in Serdica.

The city expanded and became a significant political and economical centre, more so as it became one of the first Roman cities where Christianity was recognised as an official religion (under Galerius). The Edict of Toleration by Galerius was issued in 311 in Serdica by the Roman emperor Galerius, officially ending the Diocletianic persecution of Christianity. The Edict implicitly granted Christianity the status of "religio licita", a worship recognised and accepted by the Roman Empire. It was the first edict legalising Christianity, preceding the Edict of Milan by two years.

Serdica was the capital of the Diocese of Dacia (337-602).

For Constantine the Great it was 'Sardica mea Roma est' (Serdica is my Rome). He considered making Serdica the capital of the Byzantine Empire instead of Constantinople.[89] which was already not dissimilar to a tetrarchic capital of the Roman Empire.[90] In 343 AD, the Council of Sardica was held in the city, in a church located where the current 6th century Church of Saint Sophia was later built.

The city was destroyed in the 447 invasion of the Huns and laid in ruins for a century[77] It was rebuilt by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. During the reign of Justinian it flourished, being surrounded with great fortress walls whose remnants can still be seen today.

Middle Ages edit

 
The 13th century lord of Sredets Kaloyan and his wife Desislava, Boyana Church

Serdica became part of the First Bulgarian Empire during the reign of Khan Krum in 809, after a long siege. The fall of the strategic city prompted a major and ultimately disastrous invasion of Bulgaria by the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I, which led to his demise at the hands of the Bulgarian army.[91] In the aftermath of the war, the city was permanently integrated in Bulgaria and became known by the Slavic name of Sredets. It grew into an important fortress and administrative centre under Krum's successor Khan Omurtag, who made it a centre of Sredets province (Sredetski komitat, Средецки комитат). The Bulgarian patron saint John of Rila was buried in Sredets by orders of Emperor Peter I in the mid 10th century.[92] After the conquest of the Bulgarian capital Preslav by Sviatoslav I of Kyiv and John I Tzimiskes' armies in 970–971, the Bulgarian Patriarch Damyan chose Sredets for his seat in the next year and the capital of Bulgaria was temporarily moved there.[93] In the second half of 10th century the city was ruled by Komit Nikola and his sons, known as the "Komitopuli". One of them was Samuil, who was eventually crowned Emperor of Bulgaria in 997. In 986, the Byzantine Emperor Basil II laid siege to Sredets but after 20 days of fruitless assaults the garrison broke out and forced the Byzantines to abandon the campaign. On his way to Constantinople, Basil II was ambushed and soundly defeated by the Bulgarians in the battle of the Gates of Trajan.[92][94]

The city eventually fell to the Byzantine Empire in 1018, following the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria. Sredets joined the uprising of Peter Delyan in 1040–1041 in a failed attempt to restore Bulgarian independence and was the last stronghold of the rebels, led by the local commander Botko.[95] During the 11th century many Pechenegs were settled down in Sofia region as Byzantine federats.

It was once again incorporated into the restored Bulgarian Empire in 1194 at the time of Emperor Ivan Asen I and became a major administrative and cultural centre.[96] Several of the city's governors were members of the Bulgarian imperial family and held the title of sebastokrator, the second highest at the time, after the tsar. Some known holders of the title were Kaloyan, Peter and their relative Aleksandar Asen (d. after 1232), a son of Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria (r. 1189–1196). In the 13th and 14th centuries Sredets was an important spiritual and literary hub with a cluster of 14 monasteries in its vicinity, that were eventually destroyed by the Ottomans. The city produced multicolored sgraffito ceramics, jewelry and ironware.[97]

In 1382/1383 or 1385, Sredets was seized by the Ottoman Empire in the course of the Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars by Lala Şahin Pasha, following a three-month siege.[98] The Ottoman commander left the following description of the city garrison: "Inside the fortress [Sofia] there is a large and elite army, its soldiers are heavily built, moustached and look war-hardened, but are used to consume wine and rakia—in a word, jolly fellows."[99]

Early modern history edit

From the 14th century till the 19th century Sofia was an important administrative center in the Ottoman Empire. It became the capital of the beylerbeylik of Rumelia (Rumelia Eyalet), the province that administered the Ottoman lands in Europe (the Balkans), one of the two together with the beylerbeylik of Anatolia. It was the capital of the important Sanjak of Sofia as well, including the whole of Thrace with Plovdiv and Edirne, and part of Macedonia with Thessaloniki and Skopje. [100]

During the initial stages of the Crusade of Varna in 1443, it was occupied by Hungarian forces for a short time in 1443, and the Bulgarian population celebrated a mass Saint Sofia Church. Following the defeat of the crusader forces in 1444, the city's Christians faced persecution. In 1530 Sofia became the capital of the Ottoman province (beylerbeylik) of Rumelia for about three centuries. During that time Sofia was the largest import-export-base in modern-day Bulgaria for the caravan trade with the Republic of Ragusa. In the 15th and 16th century, Sofia was expanded by Ottoman building activity. Public investments in infrastructure, education and local economy brought greater diversity to the city. Amongst others, the population consisted of Muslims, Bulgarian and Greek speaking Orthodox Christians, Armenians, Georgians, Catholic Ragusans, Jews (Romaniote, Ashkenazi and Sephardi), and Romani people.[98] The 16th century was marked by a wave of persecutions against the Bulgarian Christians, a total of nine became New Martyrs in Sofia and were sainted by the Orthodox Church, including George the New (1515), Sophronius of Sofia (1515), George the Newest (1530), Nicholas of Sofia (1555) and Terapontius of Sofia (1555).[101]

 
Sofia in mid-19th-century

When it comes to the cityscape, 16th century sources mention eight Friday mosques, three public libraries, numerous schools, 12 churches, three synagogues, and the largest bedesten (market) of the Balkans.[98] Additionally, there were fountains and hammams (bathhouses). Most prominent churches such as Saint Sofia and Saint George were converted into mosques, and a number of new ones were constructed, including Banya Bashi Mosque built by the renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. In total there were 11 big and over 100 small mosques by the 17th century.[102][103] In 1610 the Vatican established the See of Sofia for Catholics of Rumelia, which existed until 1715 when most Catholics had emigrated.[104] There was an important uprising against Ottoman rule in Sofia, Samokov and Western Bulgaria in 1737.

Sofia entered a period of economic and political decline in the 17th century, accelerated during the period of anarchy in the Ottoman Balkans of the late 18th and early 19th century, when local Ottoman warlords ravaged the countryside. 1831 Ottoman population statistics show that 42% of the Christians were non-taxpayers in the kaza of Sofia and the amount of middle-class and poor Christians were equal.[105] Since the 18th century the beylerbeys of Rumelia often stayed in Bitola, which became the official capital of the province in 1826. Sofia remained the seat of a sanjak (district). By the 19th century the Bulgarian population had two schools and seven churches, contributing to the Bulgarian National Revival. In 1858 Nedelya Petkova created the first Bulgarian school for women in the city. In 1867 was inaugurated the first chitalishte in Sofia – a Bulgarian cultural institution. In 1870 the Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil Levski established a revolutionary committee in the city and in the neighbouring villages. Following his capture in 1873, Vasil Levski was transferred and hanged in Sofia by the Ottomans.

Modern and contemporary history edit

During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, Suleiman Pasha threatened to burn the city in defence, but the foreign diplomats Leandre Legay, Vito Positano, Rabbi Gabriel Almosnino and Josef Valdhart refused to leave the city thus saving it. Many Bulgarian residents of Sofia armed themselves and sided with the Russian forces.[106] Sofia was relieved (see Battle of Sofia) from Ottoman rule by Russian forces under Gen. Iosif Gurko on 4 January 1878. It was proposed as a capital by Marin Drinov and was accepted as such on 3 April 1879. By the time of its liberation the population of the city was 11,649.[107]

Most mosques in Sofia were destroyed in that war, seven of them destroyed in one night in December 1878 when a thunderstorm masked the noise of the explosions arranged by Russian military engineers.[108][109] Following the war, the great majority of the Muslim population left Sofia.[98]

 
The allied bombing of Sofia in World War II in 1944

For a few decades after the liberation, Sofia experienced large population growth, mainly by migration from other regions of the Principality (Kingdom since 1908) of Bulgaria, and from the still Ottoman Macedonia and Thrace.

In 1900, the first electric lightbulb in the city was turned on.[110]

In the Second Balkan War, Bulgaria was fighting alone practically all of its neighbouring countries. When the Romanian Army entered Vrazhdebna in 1913, then a village 11 kilometres (7 miles) from Sofia, now a suburb,[111] this prompted the Tsardom of Bulgaria to capitulate.[citation needed] During the war, Sofia was flown by the Romanian Air Corps, which engaged on photoreconnaissance operations and threw propaganda pamphlets to the city. Thus, Sofia became the first capital on the world to be overflown by enemy aircraft.[112]

During the Second World War, Bulgaria declared war on the US and UK on 13 December 1941 and in late 1943 and early 1944 the US and UK Air forces conducted bombings over Sofia. As a consequence of the bombings thousands of buildings were destroyed or damaged including the Capital Library and thousands of books. In 1944 Sofia and the rest of Bulgaria was occupied by the Soviet Red Army and within days of the Soviet invasion Bulgaria declared war on Nazi Germany.

In 1945, the communist Fatherland Front took power. The transformations of Bulgaria into the People's Republic of Bulgaria in 1946 and into the Republic of Bulgaria in 1990 marked significant changes in the city's appearance. The population of Sofia expanded rapidly due to migration from rural regions. New residential areas were built in the outskirts of the city, like Druzhba, Mladost and Lyulin.

During the Communist Party rule, a number of the city's most emblematic streets and squares were renamed for ideological reasons, with the original names restored after 1989.[113]

The Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum, where Dimitrov's body had been preserved in a similar way to the Lenin mausoleum, was demolished in 1999.

Cityscape edit

 
A view over central Sofia, with the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the foreground and Vitosha in the distance

In Sofia there are 607,473 dwellings and 101,696 buildings. According to modern records, 39,551 dwellings were constructed until 1949, 119,943 between 1950 and 1969, 287,191 between 1970 and 1989, 57,916 in the 90s and 102,623 between 2000 and 2011. Until 1949, 13,114 buildings were constructed and between 10,000 and 20,000 in each following decade.[114] Sofia's architecture combines a wide range of architectural styles, some of which are aesthetically incompatible. These vary from Christian Roman architecture and medieval Bulgarian fortresses to Neoclassicism and prefabricated Socialist-era apartment blocks, as well as newer glass buildings and international architecture. A number of ancient Roman, Byzantine and medieval Bulgarian buildings are preserved in the centre of the city. These include the 4th century Rotunda of St. George, the walls of the Serdica fortress and the partially preserved Amphitheatre of Serdica.

After the Liberation War, knyaz Alexander Battenberg invited architects from Austria-Hungary to shape the new capital's architectural appearance.[115]

Among the architects invited to work in Bulgaria were Friedrich Grünanger, Adolf Václav Kolář, and Viktor Rumpelmayer, who designed the most important public buildings needed by the newly re-established Bulgarian government, as well as numerous houses for the country's elite.[115] Later, many foreign-educated Bulgarian architects also contributed. The architecture of Sofia's centre is thus a combination of Neo-Baroque, Neo-Rococo, Neo-Renaissance and Neoclassicism, with the Vienna Secession also later playing an important part, but it is most typically Central European.

After World War II and the establishment of a Communist government in Bulgaria in 1944, the architectural style was substantially altered. Stalinist Gothic public buildings emerged in the centre, notably the spacious government complex around The Largo, Vasil Levski Stadium, the Cyril and Methodius National Library and others. As the city grew outwards, the then-new neighbourhoods were dominated by many concrete tower blocks, prefabricated panel apartment buildings and examples of Brutalist architecture.

After the abolition of Communism in 1989, Sofia witnessed the construction of whole business districts and neighbourhoods, as well as modern skyscraper-like glass-fronted office buildings, but also top-class residential neighbourhoods. The 126-metre (413 ft) Capital Fort Business Centre is the first skyscraper in Bulgaria, with its 36 floors. However, the end of the old administration and centrally planned system also paved the way for chaotic and unrestrained construction, which continues today.

 
Interior of the ancient Saint Sofia Church
 
Neoclassical architecture, Polygraphia office center

Green areas edit

 
Borisova gradina

The city has an extensive green belt. Some of the neighbourhoods constructed after 2000 are densely built up and lack green spaces. There are four principal parks – Borisova gradina in the city centre and the Southern, Western and Northern parks. Several smaller parks, among which the Vazrazhdane Park, Zaimov Park, City Garden and the Doctors' Garden, are located in central Sofia. The Vitosha Nature Park (the oldest national park in the Balkans)[116] includes most of Vitosha mountain and covers an area of 266 square kilometres (103 sq mi),[117] with roughly half of it lying within the municipality of Sofia. Vitosha mountain is a popular hiking destination due to its proximity and ease of access via car and public transport. Two functioning cable cars provide year long access from the outskirts of the city. The mountain offers favourable skiing conditions during the winter. During the 1970s and the 1980s multiple ski slopes of varying difficulty were made available. Skiing equipment can be rented and skiing lessons are available. However, due to the bad communication between the private offshore company that runs the resort and Sofia municipality, most of the ski areas have been left to decay in the last 10 years, so that only one chairlift and one slope work.

Government and law edit

Local government edit

Composition of the City Council
Party 61 Seats
GERB
 
 27
Bulgarian Socialist Party
 
 15
Democratic Bulgaria
 
 12
Patriots for Sofia (IMRO/Attack)
 
 5
Independent
 
 2
Total votes: 402 548
2019 Bulgarian local elections[118][119]
 
A map of the 24 districts of Sofia

Sofia Municipality is identical to Sofia City Province, which is distinct from Sofia Province, which surrounds but does not include the capital itself. Besides the city proper, the 24 districts of Sofia Municipality encompass three other towns and 34 villages.[120] Districts and settlements have their own governor who is elected in a popular election. The assembly members are chosen every four years. The common head of Sofia Municipality and all the 38 settlements is the mayor of Sofia.[120] The mayor Yordanka Fandakova is serving a third consecutive term, having won the 2015 election at first round with 238,500 votes,[121] or 60.2% of the vote, when Reformist Bloc opponent Vili Lilkov was second with 9.6%; the turnout was 41.25%.[122] Some party leaders claimed that ballots were falsified and called for annulment of the election.[123] A precedent happened, due to the suspicion, as a preventative action between 300 and 5000 people and counters had been locked inside Arena Sofia (called Arena Armeets at the time) against their will for two days,[124] following which the director of the Electoral Commission of Sofia resigned at the request of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.[125]

# District km2 Pop. Density (/km2) Extent Mayor
1 Sredets 3 32,423 10,807 City RB
2 Krasno selo 7 83,552 11,936 City RB
3 Vazrazhdane 3 37,303 12,434 City GERB
4 Oborishte 3 31,060 10,353 City RB
5 Serdika 18 46,949 2,608 City GERB
6 Poduyane 11 76,672 6,970 City GERB
7 Slatina 13 66,702 5,130 City GERB
8 Izgrev 5 30,896 6,179 City GERB
9 Lozenets 9 53,080 5,897 City GERB
10 Triaditsa 10 63,451 6,345 City GERB
11 Krasna polyana 9 58,234 6,470 City GERB
12 Ilinden 3 33,236 11,078 City GERB
13 Nadezhda 19 67,905 3,573 City GERB
14 Iskar 26 63,248 2,432 City/satellites GERB
15 Mladost 17 102,899 6,052 City GERB
16 Studentski 9 71,961 7,995 City GERB
17 Vitosha 123 61,467 499 City/satellites RB
18 Ovcha kupel 42 54,320 1,293 City/satellites GERB
19 Lyulin 22 114,910 5,223 City GERB
20 Vrabnitsa 44 47,969 1,090 City/satellites GERB
21 Novi Iskar 220 28,991 131 Satellites GERB
22 Kremikovtsi 256 23,641 92 City/satellites RB
23 Pancharevo 407 28,586 70 Satellites GERB
24 Bankya 53 12,136 228 Satellites GERB
TOTAL 1342 1,291,591 962 [126][127]

National government edit

Sofia is the seat of the executive (Council of Ministers), legislative (National Assembly) and judiciary (Supreme Court and Constitutional Court) bodies of Bulgaria, as well as all government agencies, ministries, the National Bank, and the delegation of the European Commission. The President, along with the Council of Ministers, is located on Independence Square, also known as The Largo or The Triangle of Power.[128] One of the three buildings in the architectural ensemble, the former Bulgarian Communist Party headquarters, is due to become the seat of the Parliament. A refurbishment project is due to be completed in mid-2019,[129] while the old National Assembly building will become a museum or will only host ceremonial political events.[130]

 
The National Assembly building
 
The Council of Ministers (left), Presidency (right) and the former Communist Party House

Under Bulgaria's centralised political system, Sofia concentrates much of the political and financial resources of the country. It is the only city in Bulgaria to host three electoral constituencies: the 23rd, 24th and 25th Multi-member Constituencies, which together field 42 mandates in the 240-member National Assembly.[131]

Crime edit

With a murder rate of 1.7/per 100.000 people (as of 2009) Sofia is a relatively safe capital city.[132] Nevertheless, in the 21st century, crimes, including Bulgarian mafia killings, caused problems in the city,[133] where authorities had difficulties convicting the actors,[134] which had caused the European Commission to warn the Bulgarian government that the country would not be able to join the EU unless it curbed crime[135] (Bulgaria eventually joined in 2007).[136] Many of the most severe crimes are contract killings that are connected to organised crime, but these had dropped in recent years after several arrests of gang members.[137] Corruption in Bulgaria also affects Sofia's authorities. According to the director of Sofia District Police Directorate, the largest share of the crimes are thefts, making up 62.4% of all crimes in the capital city. Increasing are frauds, drug-related crimes, petty theft and vandalism.[138] According to a survey, almost a third of Sofia's residents say that they never feel safe in the Bulgarian capital, while 20% always feel safe.[139] As of 2015, the consumer-reported perceived crime risk on the Numbeo database was "high" for theft and vandalism and "low" for violent crimes; safety while walking during daylight was rated "very high", and "moderate" during the night.[140] With 1,600 prisoners, the incarceration rate is above 0.1%;[141] however, roughly 70% of all prisoners are part of the Romani minority.[142]

Culture edit

See also: Tourist attractions in Sofia and List of churches in Sofia

Arts and entertainment edit

See also: Art galleries in Sofia
 
Cathedral dedicated to Aleksander Nevski

Sofia concentrates the majority of Bulgaria's leading performing arts troupes. Theatre is by far the most popular form of performing art, and theatrical venues are among the most visited, second only to cinemas. There were 3,162 theatric performances with 570,568 people attending in 2014.[143] The Ivan Vazov National Theatre, which performs mainly classical plays and is situated in the very centre of the city, is the most prominent theatre. The National Opera and Ballet of Bulgaria is a combined opera and ballet collective established in 1891. Regular performances began in 1909. Some of Bulgaria's most famous operatic singers, such as Nicolai Ghiaurov and Ghena Dimitrova, made their first appearances on the stage of the National Opera and Ballet.

Cinema is the most popular form of entertainment: there were more than 141,000 film shows with a total attendance exceeding 2,700,000 in 2014.[144] Over the past two decades, numerous independent cinemas have closed and most shows are in shopping centre multiplexes. Odeon (not part of the Odeon Cinemas chain) shows exclusively European and independent American films, as well as 20th century classics. The Boyana Film studios was at the centre of a once-thriving domestic film industry, which declined significantly after 1990. Nu Image acquired the studios to upgrade them into Nu Boyana Film Studios, used to shoot scenes for a number of action movies like The Expendables 2, Rambo: Last Blood and London Has Fallen.[145][146]

 
The Museum of Contemporary Art

Bulgaria's largest art museums are located in the central areas of the city. Since 2015, the National Art Gallery, located in the former royal palace, the National Gallery for Foreign Art (NGFA) and the Museum of Contemporary Art – Sofia Arsenal were merged to form the National Gallery. Its largest branch is Kvadrat 500, located on the NFGA premises, where some 2,000 works are on display in twenty eight exhibition halls.[147] The collections encompass diverse cultural items, from Ashanti Empire sculptures and Buddhist art to Dutch Golden Age painting, works by Albrecht Dürer, Jean-Baptiste Greuze and Auguste Rodin. The crypt of the Alexander Nevsky cathedral is another branch of the National Gallery. It holds a collection of Eastern Orthodox icons from the 9th to the 19th century.

The National History Museum, located in Boyana, it has a vast collection of more than 650,000 historical items dating from Prehistory to the modern era, although only 10,000 of them are permanently displayed due to the lack of space.[148] Smaller collections of historical items are displayed in the National Archaeological Museum, a former mosque located between the edifices of the National Bank and the Presidency. Two natural sciences museums—the Natural History Museum and Earth and Man—display minerals, animal species (alive and taxidermic) and rare materials. The Ethnographic Museum and the Museum of Military History hold large collections of Bulgarian folk costumes and armaments, respectively. The Polytechnical Museum has more than 1,000 technological items on display. The SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library, the foremost information repository in the country, holds some 1,800,000 books and more than 7,000,000 documents, manuscripts, maps and other items.[149]

 
Interior of the medieval Boyana Church
 
The Banya Bashi Mosque, an example of Ottoman architecture

The city houses many cultural institutes such as the Russian Cultural Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute, the Hungarian Institute, the Czech and the Slovak Cultural Institutes, the Italian Cultural Institute, Confucius Institute, Institut Français, Goethe Institut, British Council and Instituto Cervantes which regularly organise temporary expositions of visual, sound and literary works by artists from their respective countries.

Some of the biggest telecommunications companies, TV and radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and web portals are based in Sofia, including the Bulgarian National Television, bTV and Nova TV. Top-circulation newspapers include 24 Chasa and Trud.

The Boyana Church, a UNESCO World Heritage site, contains realistic frescoes, depicting more than 240 human images and a total 89 scenes, were painted. With their vital, humanistic realism they are a Renaissance phenomenon at its culmination phase in the context of the common-European art.[150]

Tourism edit

Sofia is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Bulgaria alongside coastal and mountain resorts. Among its highlights is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, one of the symbols of Bulgaria, constructed in the late 19th century. It occupies an area of 3,170 square metres (34,122 square feet) and can hold 10,000 people.

The city center contains many remains of ancient Serdica that have been excavated and are on public display, including Complex Ancient Serdica, eastern gate, western gate, city walls, thermal baths, 4th c. church of St. George Rotunda, amphitheatre of Serdica, the tombs and basilicas under the basilica of St. Sophia.

Vitosha Boulevard, also called Vitoshka, is a pedestrian zone with numerous cafés, restaurants, fashion boutiques, and luxury goods stores. Sofia's geographic location, in the foothills of the weekend retreat Vitosha mountain, further adds to the city's specific atmosphere.

Sports edit

 
Vasil Levski National Stadium

A large number of sports clubs are based in the city. During the Communist era, most sports clubs concentrated on all-round sporting development, therefore CSKA, Levski, Lokomotiv, and Slavia are dominant not only in football, but in many other team sports as well. Basketball and volleyball also have strong traditions in Sofia. A notable local basketball team is twice European Champions Cup finalist Lukoil Akademik. The Bulgarian Volleyball Federation is the world's second-oldest, and it was an exhibition tournament organised by the BVF in Sofia that convinced the International Olympic Committee to include volleyball as an olympic sport in 1957.[151] Tennis is increasingly popular in the city. There are some ten[152] tennis court complexes within the city including the one founded by former WTA top-five athlete Magdalena Maleeva.[153]

Sofia applied to host the Winter Olympic Games in 1992 and in 1994, coming second and third respectively. The city was also an applicant for the 2014 Winter Olympics, but was not selected as candidate. In addition, Sofia hosted EuroBasket 1957 and the 1961 and 1977 Summer Universiades, as well as the 1983 and 1989 winter editions. In 2012, it hosted the FIVB World League finals.

 
Arena Sofia during the ATP Sofia Open

The city is home to a number of large sports venues, including the 43,000-seat Vasil Levski National Stadium which hosts international football matches, as well as Balgarska Armia Stadium, Georgi Asparuhov Stadium and Lokomotiv Stadium, the main venues for outdoor musical concerts. Arena Sofia holds many indoor events and has a capacity of up to 19,000 people depending on its use. The venue was inaugurated on 30 July 2011, and the first event it hosted was a friendly volleyball match between Bulgaria and Serbia. There are two ice skating complexes — the Winter Sports Palace with a capacity of 4,600 and the Slavia Winter Stadium with a capacity of 2,000, both containing two rinks each.[154] A velodrome with 5,000 seats in the city's central park is undergoing renovation.[155] There are also various other sports complexes in the city which belong to institutions other than football clubs, such as those of the National Sports Academy, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, or those of different universities. There are more than fifteen swimming complexes in the city, most of them outdoor.[156] Nearly all of these were constructed as competition venues and therefore have seating facilities for several hundred people.

There are two golf courses just to the east of Sofia — in Elin Pelin (St Sofia club) and in Ihtiman (Air Sofia club), and a horseriding club (St George club). Sofia was designated as European Capital of Sport in 2018. The decision was announced in November 2014 by the Evaluation Committee of ACES Europe, on the grounds that "the city is a good example of sport for all, as means to improve healthy lifestyle, integration and education, which are the basis of the initiative".

Demographics edit

 
Sofia population pyramid in 2021

Population over the years (in thousands):

 
Students of the National Academy of Arts (circa 1952–53). People aged 20–25 years have been the most numerous group in the city since the process of Bulgarian urbanisation.

According to 2018 data, the city has a population of 1,400,384 and the whole Sofia Capital Municipality of 1,500,120.[157] The first census carried out in February 1878 by the Russian Army recorded a population of 11,694 inhabitants including 6,560 Bulgarians, 3,538 Jews, 839 Turks, and 737 Romani.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
187019,000—    
188020,501+7.9%
188730,456+48.6%
189246,628+53.1%
190067,953+45.7%
190582,621+21.6%
1910102,812+24.4%
1920154,025+49.8%
1926213,002+38.3%
1934287,095+34.8%
1939401,000+39.7%
1946436,623+8.9%
1956644,727+47.7%
1965801,111+24.3%
1975967,214+20.7%
19851,114,759+15.3%
19921,114,925+0.0%
20011,091,772−2.1%
20111,202,761+10.2%
20211,183,454−1.6%
Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions.

The ratio of women per 1,000 men was 1,102. The birth rate per 1000 people was 12.3 per mile and steadily increasing in the last 5 years, the death rate reaching 12.1 per mile and decreasing. The natural growth rate during 2009 was 0.2 per mile, the first positive growth rate in nearly 20 years. The considerable immigration to the capital from poorer regions of the country, as well as urbanisation, are among the other reasons for the increase in Sofia's population. The infant mortality rate was 5.6 per 1,000, down from 18.9 in 1980. According to the 2011 census, people aged 20–24 years are the most numerous group, numbering 133,170 individuals and accounting for 11% of the total 1,202,761 people. The median age is 38 though. According to the census, 1,056,738 citizens (87.9%) are recorded as ethnic Bulgarians, 17,550 (1.5%) as Romani, 6,149 (0.5%) as Turks, 9,569 (0.8%) belonged to other ethnic groups, 6,993 (0.6%) do not self-identify and 105,762 (8.8%) remained with undeclared affiliation.[158][159]

According to the 2011 census, throughout the whole municipality some 892,511 people (69.1%) are recorded as Eastern Orthodox Christians, 10,256 (0.8%) as Protestant, 6,767 (0.5%) as Muslim, 5,572 (0.4%) as Roman Catholic, 4,010 (0.3%) belonged to other faith and 372,475 (28.8%) declared themselves irreligious or did not mention any faith. The data says that roughly a third of the total population have already earned a university degree. Of the population aged 15–64 – 265,248 people within the municipality (28.5%) are not economically active, the unemployed being another group of 55,553 people (6%), a large share of whom have completed higher education. The largest group are occupied in trading, followed by those in the manufacturing industry. Within the municipality, three-quarters, or 965,328 people are recorded as having access to television at home and 836,435 (64.8%) as having internet. Out of 464,865 homes – 432,847 have connection to the communal sanitary sewer, while 2,732 do not have any. Of these 864 do not have any water supply and 688 have other than communal. Over 99.6% of males and females aged over 9 are recorded as literate. The largest group of the population aged over 20 are recorded to live within marriage (46.3%), another 43.8% are recorded as single and another 9.9% as having other type of coexistence/partnership, whereas not married in total are a majority and among people aged up to 40 and over 70. The people with juridical status divorced or widowed are either part of the factual singles or those having another type of partnership, each of the two constitutes by around 10% of the population aged over 20. Only over 1% of the juridically married do not de facto live within marriage. The families that consist of two people are 46.8%, another 34.2% of the families are made up by three people, whereas most of the households (36.5%) consist of only one person.[114]

Sofia was declared the national capital in 1879. One year later, in 1880, it was the fifth-largest city in the country after Plovdiv, Varna, Ruse and Shumen. Plovdiv remained the most populous Bulgarian town until 1892 when Sofia took the lead. The city is the hot spot of internal migration, the capital population is increasing and is around 17% of the national,[160] thus a small number of people with local roots remain today, they dominate the surrounding rural suburbs and are called Shopi. Shopi speak the Western Bulgarian dialects.

Economy edit

 
Bulgarian National Bank headquarters

Sofia is ranked as Beta- global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.[161] It is the economic hub of Bulgaria and home to most major Bulgarian and international companies operating in the country, as well as the Bulgarian National Bank and the Bulgarian Stock Exchange. The city is ranked 62nd among financial centres worldwide.[162] In 2015, Sofia was ranked 30th out of 300 global cities in terms of combined growth in employment and real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, the highest one amongst cities in Southeast Europe.[163] The real GDP (PPP) per capita growth at the time was 2.5% and the employment went up by 3.4% to 962,400.[164] In 2015, Forbes listed Sofia as one of the top 10 places in the world to launch a startup business, because of the low corporate tax (10%), the fast internet connection speeds available – one of the fastest in the world, and the presence of several investment funds, including Eleven Startup Accelerator, LAUNCHub and Neveq.[165]

 
Business Park Sofia

The city's GDP (PPS) per capita stood at €29,600 ($33,760) in 2015, one of the highest in Southeast Europe and well above other cities in the country.[166] The total nominal GDP in 2018 was 38.5 billion leva ($22.4 billion), or 33,437 leva ($19,454) per capita,[167][168] and average monthly wages in March 2020 were $1,071, the highest nationally.[169] Services dominate the economy, accounting for 88.6% of the gross value added, followed by industry 11.3% and agriculture 0.1%.[167][170]

 
Serdika Center Sofia

Historically, after World War II and the era of industrialisation under socialism, the city and its surrounding areas expanded rapidly and became the most heavily industrialised region of the country, with numerous factories producing steel, pig iron, machinery, industrial equipment, electronics, trams, chemicals, textiles, and food.[171] The influx of workers from other parts of the country became so intense that a restriction policy was imposed, and residing in the capital was only possible after obtaining Sofianite citizenship.[171] However, after the political changes in 1989, this kind of citizenship was removed.

The most dynamic sectors include Information technology (IT) and manufacturing. Sofia is a regional IT hub, ranking second among the Top 10 fastest growing tech centers in Europe in terms of annual growth of active members.[172] The sector employs about 50,000 professionals, 30% of them involved in programming, and contributes for 14% of the city's exports.[172] The IT sector is highly diverse and includes both multinational corporations, local companies and startups. Multinationals with major research, development, innovation and engineering centers in Sofia include the second largest global IT center of Coca-Cola,[173] Ubisoft,[174] Hewlett-Packard,[175] VMware,[176] Robert Bosch GmbH,[177] Financial Times,[178] Experian, etc.[179] Several office and tech clusters have been established across the city, including Business Park Sofia, Sofia Tech Park, Capital Fort and others.

Manufacturing has registered a strong recovery since 2012, increasing the exports three-fold and the employment by 52% accounting for over 70,000 jobs.[180] Supported by the city's R&D expertise, Sofia is shifting to high value-added manufacturing including electrical equipment, precision mechanics, pharmaceuticals. There are 16 industrial and logistics parks in Sofia, some sprawling to towns in neighbouring Sofia Province, such as Bozhurishte, Kostinbrod and Elin Pelin.[180] Manufacturing companies include Woodward, Inc., producing airframe and industrial turbomachinery systems,[181] Festo, producing microsensors,[182] Visteon, development and engineering of instrument clusters, LCD displays and domain controllers,[183] Melexis [fr], producing micro-electronic semiconductor solutions in the automotive sector,[184] Sopharma, producing pharmaceuticals, the largest Lufthansa Technik maintenance facilities outside Germany etc.[185]

Transport and infrastructure edit

With its developing infrastructure and strategic location, Sofia is a major hub for international railway and automobile transport. Three of the ten Pan-European Transport Corridors cross the city: IV, VIII, and X.[186] All major types of transport (except water) are represented in the city.

 
A Siemens Desiro train of the Bulgarian State Railways at the Central Railway Station
 
Krasno Selo Metro Station

The Central Railway Station is the primary hub for domestic and international rail transport, carried out by Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ), the national rail company headquartered in the city. It is one of the main stations along BDZ Line 1, and a hub of Lines 2, 5, and 13. Line 1 provides a connection to Plovdiv, the second-largest city in Bulgaria, while Line 2 is the longest national railway and connects Sofia and Varna, the largest coastal city. Lines 5 and 13 are shorter and provide connections to Kulata and Bankya, respectively. Overall, Sofia has 186 km (116 miles) of railway lines.[187]

Sofia Airport handled 7,208,987 passengers in 2023.[188]

Public transport is well-developed with bus (2,380 km (1,479 mi)),[189] tram (308 km (191 mi)),[190] and trolleybus (193 km (120 mi))[191] lines running in all areas of the city.[192][193] The Sofia Metro became operational in January 1998 with only 5 stations and currently has four lines and 47 stations.[194] As of 2022, the system has 52 km (32 mi) of track. Six new stations were opened in 2009, two more in April 2012, and eleven more in August 2012. In 2015 seven new stations were opened and the underground extended to Sofia Airport on its Northern branch and to Business Park Sofia on its Southern branch. In July 2016 the Vitosha Metro Station was opened on the M2 main line. A third line was opened in August 2020 and re-organisation of the previous lines lead to a 4th line being created.[195] This line will complete the proposed underground system of three lines with about 65 km (40 mi) of lines.[196] The master plan for the Sofia Metro includes three lines with a total of 63 stations.[197] Until the late 2010s route taxis (marshrutka) provided an efficient and popular means of transport by being faster than public transport, but cheaper than taxis. Their use declined with the expansion of the metro and they were gradually phased out. There are around 13,000 taxi cabs operating in the city.[198] Additionally, all-electric vehicles are available through carsharing company Spark, which is set to increase its fleet to 300 cars by mid-2019.[199]

 
Cherni Vrah Boulevard

Private automobile ownership has grown rapidly in the 1990s; more than 1,000,000 cars were registered in Sofia after 2002. The city has the 4th-highest number of automobiles per capita in the European Union at 546.4 vehicles per 1,000 people.[200] The municipality was known for minor and cosmetic repairs and many streets are in a poor condition. This is noticeably changing in the past years. There are different boulevards and streets in the city with a higher amount of traffic than others. These include Tsarigradsko shose, Cherni Vrah, Bulgaria, Slivnitsa, and Todor Aleksandrov boulevards, as well as the city's ring road.[201] Consequently, traffic and air pollution problems have become more severe and receive regular criticism in local media. The extension of the underground system is hoped to alleviate the city's immense traffic problems.

Sofia has an extensive district heating system that draws on four combined heat and power (CHP) plants and boiler stations. Virtually the entire city (900,000 households and 5,900 companies) is centrally heated, using residual heat from electricity generation (3,000 MW) and gas- and oil-fired heating furnaces; total heat capacity is 4,640 MW. The heat distribution piping network is 900 km (559 mi) long and comprises 14,000 substations and 10,000 heated buildings.

Education and science edit

 
Sofia University
 
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Much of Bulgaria's educational capacity is concentrated in Sofia. There are 221 general, 11 special and seven arts or sports schools, 56 vocational gymnasiums and colleges, and four independent colleges.[202] The city also hosts 23 of Bulgaria's 51 higher education establishments and more than 105,000 university students.[203][204] The American College of Sofia, a private secondary school with roots in a school founded by American missionaries in 1860, is among the oldest American educational institutions outside of the United States.[205]

A number of secondary language schools provide education in a selected foreign language. These include the First English Language School, 91st German Language School, 164th Spanish Language School, and the Lycée Français. These are among the most sought-after secondary schools, along with Vladislav the Grammarian 73rd Secondary School and the High School of Mathematics, which topped the 2018 preference list for high school candidates.[206]

Higher education includes four of the five highest-ranking national universities – Sofia University (SU), the Technical University of Sofia, New Bulgarian University, and the Medical University of Sofia.[207] Sofia University was founded in 1888.[208] More than 20,000 students[209] study in its 16 faculties.[210] A number of research and cultural departments operate within SU, including its own publishing house, botanical gardens,[211] a space research centre, a quantum electronics department,[212] and a Confucius Institute.[213] Rakovski Defence and Staff College, the National Academy of Arts, the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, the University of National and World Economy, and the University of Mining and Geology are other major higher education establishments in the city.[207]

Other institutions of national significance, such as the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) and the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library, are located in Sofia. BAS is the centrepiece of scientific research in Bulgaria, employing more than 4,500 scientists in various institutes. Its Institute of Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy will operate the largest cyclotron in the country.[214][215] All five of Bulgaria's supercomputers and supercomputing clusters are located in Sofia as well. Three of those are operated by the BAS; one by Sofia Tech Park and one by the Faculty of Physics at Sofia University.[216]

International relations edit

Twin towns – sister cities edit

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Bulgaria

Sofia is twinned with:

Cooperation agreements edit

In addition Sofia cooperates with:

Honour edit

Serdica Peak on Livingston Island, in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, is named after Serdica.

Mass Media edit

Public edit

Private edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ . Sofia Municipality. Archived from the original on 19 August 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
  2. ^ Ghodsee, Kristen (2005). The Red Riviera: Gender, Tourism, and Postsocialism on the Black Sea. Duke University Press. p. 21. ISBN 0822387174.
  3. ^ Prehistory, Ivan Dikov · in (7 December 2015). "Archaeologist Discovers 8,000-Year-Old Nephrite 'Frog-like' Swastika in Slatina Neolithic Settlement in Bulgaria's Capital Sofia – Archaeology in Bulgaria". archaeologyinbulgaria.com. from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  4. ^ Marazov, Ivan (ed.). Ancient Gold: The Wealth of the Thracians. NY: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1998. Texts by Marazov, Ivan; Venedikov, Ivan; Fol, Alexander; Tacheva, Margarita. ISBN 9780810919921.
  5. ^ Popov, Dimitar (ed.). The Thracians, Iztok – Zapad, Sofia, 2011. ISBN 9789543218691.
  6. ^ a b Sofia 2016, p. 13.
  7. ^ a b "CITIES AND THEIR URBANISED AREAS IN THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA" (PDF). National Statistical Institute: 91. (PDF) from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Archived copy". from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "Nsi • National Register of Populated Places •". from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Население по градове и пол | Национален статистически институт". www.nsi.bg (in Bulgarian). from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  11. ^ https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/urb_lpop1/default/table?lang=en. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ^ a b "Eurostat – Data Explorer". appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu. from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  13. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  14. ^ Wells, John C. (2008), Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.), Longman, ISBN 9781405881180
  15. ^ Roach, Peter (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780521152532
  16. ^ a b "Sofia". Encyclopædia Britannica. from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  17. ^ Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Britannica Educational Publishing. 1 June 2013. ISBN 9781615309870. from the original on 21 February 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  18. ^ a b Lauwerys, Joseph (1970). Education in Cities. Evan's Brothers. ISBN 0-415-39291-8. from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  19. ^ Rogers, Clifford (2010). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. p. 301. ISBN 9780195334036. from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  20. ^ Internet Hostel Sofia, Tourism in Sofia 28 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Internethostelsofia.hostel.com, Retrieved Jan 2012
  21. ^ "Triangle of Religious Tolerance (1903) – iCulturalDiplomacy". www.i-c-d.de. from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  22. ^ "10 Things We Can all Learn from Bulgaria's Square of Religious Tolerance". 15 February 2017. from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  23. ^ . Bnt.bg. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  24. ^ Clark, Jayne. "Is Europe's most affordable capital worth the trip?". USA Today. from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  25. ^ . Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  26. ^ "История". www.kmeta.bg. 10 May 2017. from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  27. ^ "NATIONAL STATISTICAL INSTITUTE – Information for the area of city of Sofia". Nsi.bg. from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  28. ^ "Eurostat-Sofia urban area population". from the original on 3 September 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  29. ^ (PDF). Der Markt für Wohn- und Wirtschaftsimmobilien in Deutschland Ergebnisse des BBSR-Expertenpanel Immobilienmarkt Nr: 95. ISSN 1868-0097. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  30. ^ Grant, Michael (211). The Emperor Constantine. Hachette. ISBN 9781780222806. from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  31. ^ "The Cambridge Ancient History", Volume 3, Part 2: The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and Other States of the Near East, from the Eighth to the Sixth Centuries BC by John Boardman, I. E. S. Edwards, E. Sollberger, and N. G. L. Hammond, ISBN 0-521-22717-8, 1992, p. 600: "In the place of the vanished Treres and Tilataei we find the Serdi for whom there is no evidence before the first century BC. It has for long been supposed on convincing linguistic and archeological grounds that this tribe was of Celtic origin"
  32. ^ Mihailov, G., Thracians, Sofia, 1972, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, quote in Bulgarian: Името серди е засвидетелствано след келтската инвазия на Балканите. Сердите са от смесен трако-келтски произход.
  33. ^ Popov, D. Thracians, Sofia, p.h. Iztok – Zapad, 2005.
  34. ^ a b World and Its Peoples. Marshall Cavendish. 2010. ISBN 9780761479024. from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  35. ^ a b Irina Florov, Nicholas Florov (2001). Three-thousand-year-old Hat. Michigan University: Golden Vine Publishers. p. 303. ISBN 0968848702. from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  36. ^ Julian Bennett, Trajan: Optimus Princeps (Routledge, 1997), p. 1.
  37. ^ Erwin Anton Gutkind (1964). International history of city development (8 ed.). Michigan University: Free Press of Glencoe. from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  38. ^ (in Bulgarian). Мила Родино. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  39. ^ Encyclopedia Americana (25 ed.). Pennsylvania State University: Grolier Incorporated. 1999. p. 878. ISBN 0717201317. from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  40. ^ "History". Capital Municipality. from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  41. ^ "District Sofia-city". Guide Bulgaria. from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  42. ^ Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria 1980, p. 537
  43. ^ . Iskar River System. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  44. ^ Софийска голяма община – климат 7 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine.
  45. ^ Ishirkov, Anastas (1910). "Атанас Иширков, България. Географически бележки, Придворна печатница, 1910 година, стр. 78". from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  46. ^ Николов, Иван. "Архив-Бг3 » 01-1991 София". stringmeteo.com. from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  47. ^ https://www.stringmeteo.com/synop/sf_3747/1939-11.pdf [bare URL]
  48. ^ Николов, Иван. "Времето София » 25.12.2001". stringmeteo.com. from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  49. ^ "Вековен архив - София » 01.1887 - 12.2007". www.stringmeteo.com. from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  50. ^ "През 2000 година на 5 юли е бил един от". 4 July 2023.
  51. ^ "Времето-България » Мес. обобщ. температури".
  52. ^ "Архив-Бг » Год. обобщ. температури".
  53. ^ "Век. месечен архив Бг". from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  54. ^ "Архив-Бг » Год. обобщ. валежи". from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  55. ^ "Index of /Archive/Arc0216/0253808/2.2/Data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Bulgaria/CSV".
  56. ^ https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-VI/BU/15614.TXT [bare URL]
  57. ^ "Век. месечен архив Бг".
  58. ^ "Век. месечен архив Бг".
  59. ^ https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stringmeteo.com%2Fsynop%2Fclimate_bg%2FAbsolute_Maximum_Temperatures.doc&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK [bare URL]
  60. ^ https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stringmeteo.com%2Fsynop%2Fclimate_bg%2FAbsolute_Minimum_Temperatures.doc&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK [bare URL]
  61. ^ https://web.uni-plovdiv.net/vedrin/sg/sg-bg-1947-1948.pdf
  62. ^ "Времето София » 05.11.2021".
  63. ^ "Browser Check Page".
  64. ^ "Sofia, Bulgaria - Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast". from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  65. ^ ""Дружба", "Надежда" и "Павлово" са с най-мръсен въздух в София – Mediapool.bg". mediapool.bg. 16 March 2012. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  66. ^ a b c "Air pollution in Sofia, other Bulgarian cities hugely exceeded norms several times this winter". The Sofia Globe. 4 April 2018. from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  67. ^ a b c Environment: Sofia, most polluted capital of Europe (News report). Agence France-Presse. 20 December 2015. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  68. ^ Hakim, Danny (15 October 2013). "Bulgaria's Air Is Dirtiest in Europe, Study Finds, Followed by Poland". The New York Times. from the original on 23 July 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  69. ^ a b . The Sofia Globe. 6 January 2018. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  70. ^ "Air Quality Standards". European Commission. from the original on 22 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  71. ^ "Sofia Municipal Council Adopted Measures to Tackle Air Pollution". Bulgarian National Television. 25 January 2018. from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  72. ^ . Standard. 12 September 2018. Archived from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  73. ^ John G. Kelcey; Norbert Müller (7 June 2011). Plants and Habitats of European Cities. Czech Republic; Germany – University of Applied Sciences Erfurt: Springer. ISBN 978-0-387-89684-7. from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  74. ^ Boev, Zlatozar. (2009). Avian Remains from an Early Neolithic Settlement of Slatina (Present Sofia City, Bulgaria). Acta Zoologica Bulgarica. 61. 151–156.
  75. ^ a b . sofiaculture.bg. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017.
  76. ^ BulWTours (20 July 2015). "Odrysian Kingdom - the first country on the Balkans". Bulgaria Wine Tours. from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  77. ^ a b c Trudy, Ring; Noelle, Watson; Paul, Schellinger (5 November 2013). Southern Europe: International Dictionary of Historic Places. Routledge. ISBN 9781134259588. from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  78. ^ The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 3, Part 2:, ISBN 0-521-22717-8, 1992, page 600
  79. ^ "Емил Коцев 24.04.2016 9:331205 ИЗГУБЕНАТА СТОЛИЦА". from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  80. ^ "Dio, Roman History, Book 51, chapter 25". Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  81. ^ "Trakii︠a︡ – Том 12 – Страница 41- "Da diese mit ihrem blinden König Siras verbündete der Römer waren ergab dies den Vorwand für den Kriegszug von Crassus. Über die Segetike (wohl irrtümlich für Serdike, Land der Serden, wie es aus Dio Cass. LI, 25, 4 erhellt)"". 1998. from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  82. ^ "Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. Akademai Klado, 1966. "Als sie die Dentheleten angriffen, kam Crassus diesen zur. Hilfe, eroberte das Land der Serden (bei Dio Segetika) und kam plündernd ins."". 1966. from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  83. ^ Jenő Fitz. Limes. Akadémiai Kiadó, 1977 "As Macedonia itself was in danger, Crassus readily advanced as far as Segetika (-Serdica)" 12 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, ISBN 9789630513012
  84. ^ Ivanov, Rumen (2006). Roman cities in Bulgaria. Bulgarian Bestseller--National Museum of Bulgarian Books and Polygraphy. ISBN 9789544630171. from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  85. ^ Wilkes, John (2005). "Provinces and Frontiers". In Bowman, Alan K.; Garnsey, Peter; Cameron, Averil (eds.). The Cambridge ancient history: The crisis of empire, A.D. 193–337. Vol. 12. Cambridge University Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-521-30199-2. from the original on 10 November 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  86. ^ Encyclopaedia Londinensis, or, Universal dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature. University of Minnesota. 1827. from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  87. ^ Saunders, Randall Titus (1992). A biography of the Emperor Aurelian (AD 270–275). Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Dissertation Services. pp. 106–7.
  88. ^ "Eutropius: Book IX". thelatinlibrary.com. from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  89. ^ Nikolova, Kapka Sofia 20 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine University of Indiana. "Emperor Constantine the Great even considered the possibility for Serdika to become the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire"
  90. ^ Green, Bernard (2010). Christianity in Ancient Rome: The First Three Centuries. A&C Black. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-567-03250-8. from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  91. ^ Bozhilov & Gyuzelev 1999, pp. 127–128
  92. ^ a b Stancheva 2010, pp. 120–121
  93. ^ Slaviani. 1967. from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  94. ^ Bozhilov & Gyuzelev 1999, p. 319
  95. ^ Bozhilov & Gyuzelev 1999, pp. 400–401
  96. ^ Stancheva 2010, pp. 123–124
  97. ^ Stancheva 2010, pp. 131, 139
  98. ^ a b c d Ivanova, Svetlana, "Ṣofya", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 23 January 2018.
  99. ^ Cited in Халенбаков, О. Детска енциклопедия България: Залезът на царете, с. 18
  100. ^ Godisnjak. Drustvo Istoricara Bosne i Hercegovine, Sarajevo. 1950. p. 174. from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2019. Санџак Софија Овај је санџак основан око г. 1393.
  101. ^ Stancheva 2010, pp. 165, 167–169
  102. ^ Stancheva 2010, pp. 154–155
  103. ^ . Balkan tourist, 1968. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  104. ^   This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Sardica". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  105. ^ Kemal Karpat (1985), Ottoman Population, 1830-1914, Demographic and Social Characteristics 10 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine, The University of Wisconsin Press, p. 36
  106. ^ "ВОЕННАЯ ЛИТЕРАТУРА --[ Военная история ]-- Генов Ц. Русско-турецкая война 1877–1878 гг. и подвиг освободителей". lib.ru. from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  107. ^ Kiradzhiev, Svetlin (2006). "Sofia. 125 years a capital. 1879–2004". "Guttenberg". ISBN 978-954-617-011-8
  108. ^ Crampton 2006, p. 114.
  109. ^ Crampton, RJ (2006) [1997], A Concise History of Bulgaria, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-85085-1
  110. ^ [Mohailova, Tihomria. In 1900 the first electric lamp lit the streets of Sofia. Novinar]. novinar.bg (in Bulgarian). 12 March 2014. Archived from the original on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  111. ^ Hall (2000), p. 97.
  112. ^ Hall (2000), p. 118.
  113. ^ L. Ivanov. 1991 Sofia street naming proposal. 25 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine Sofia City Place-names Commission, 22 January 1991.
  114. ^ a b (PDF) (23 ed.). Sofia: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria. 2012. p. 37 40 43 68 71 74 99 117 132 190 193 196. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2016.
  115. ^ a b Collective (1980). Encyclopedia of Figurative Arts in Bulgaria, volume 1. Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. pp. 209–210.
  116. ^ "National parks in the world" (in Bulgarian). journey.bg. from the original on 23 May 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  117. ^ "Vitosha Mountain". vitoshamount.hit.bg. Archived from the original on 20 June 2004. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  118. ^ "Sofia Council - Общински съветници 2019-2023". council.sofia.bg. from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  119. ^ "Резултати :: Местни избори 27 октомври 2019". results.cik.bg. from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  120. ^ a b . Sofia Municipality. Archived from the original on 20 December 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
  121. ^ "Fandakova over 60%". 24 Hours. from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  122. ^ "2015 Election". Central Election Commission. from the original on 14 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  123. ^ "The party of Kuneva overcomes the falsified ballots with machines". Topnews. from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  124. ^ "Escaped from Arena Armeets tell about the nightmare". Vesti. from the original on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  125. ^ "The head of the electoral commission in Sofia is resigning at the request of Borissov". Dnevnik. 30 October 2015. from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  126. ^ (PDF). 5 November 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2011.
  127. ^ "Местни избори :: Местни избори и национален референдум 2015". Cik.bg. from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  128. ^ ""Триъгълникът на властта" или Ларгото: Как се е променял през годините" [The Triangle of Power or The Largo: How It Changed Throughout the Years]. Bulgarian National Television. from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  129. ^ "Как ще изглежда новата пленарна зала на българските депутати?" [What will the new Parliament hall look like?]. Bulgarian National Television. 2 October 2018. from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  130. ^ "Народното събрание – музей?" [The National Assembly – a Museum?]. BTV Novinite. 7 October 2018. from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  131. ^ "РЕШЕНИЕ № 4149-НС София, 27.01.2017" [Resolution No. 4149-NS Sofia]. Central Electoral Commission. 27 January 2017. from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  132. ^ Chalabi, Mona (30 November 2012). "Where are world's deadliest major cities?". theguardian.com. from the original on 23 January 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  133. ^ David Coulby; Robert Cowen; Crispin Jones (17 January 2013). World Yearbook of Education 2000: Education in Times of Transition. Routledge. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-136-16603-7. from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2015. crime rates have exploded in Sofia as well as in Moscow and St Petersburg.
  134. ^ Gergana Noutcheva (26 July 2012). European Foreign Policy and the Challenges of Balkan Accession: Conditionality, legitimacy and compliance. Routledge. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-136-30619-8. from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2015. The strongest EU demand – structural changes of the judicial system – had to do with the crime rate in Bulgaria and the apparent impotence of the authorities in Sofia to convict any of the murderes in the high-profile mafia killings that shook the country in 2003–2005.
  135. ^ . The Economist. 27 October 2005. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  136. ^ "BBC NEWS – Europe – Romania and Bulgaria join the EU". bbc.co.uk. from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  137. ^ . 29 December 2016. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016.
  138. ^ Crime Rates in Bulgaria's Sofia on the Rise 22 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine Novinite
  139. ^ "The Most Dangerous Cities in Europe". Business Insider Inc. from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  140. ^ . Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  141. ^ The prison in Sofia 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Gdin
  142. ^ "Само 10 000 в затвора, 7000 от тях са цигани". 24chasa.bg. from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  143. ^ Sofia 2016, p. 159.
  144. ^ Sofia 2016, p. 160.
  145. ^ "UPDATE: Stallone Returning to NU BOYANA Film Studios in Bulgaria for 'Rambo 5'". Novinite. 30 August 2018. from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  146. ^ "London Has Fallen: Company Credits". IMDb.com. from the original on 27 January 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  147. ^ "(source)". from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  148. ^ "Колекции – НИМ". Historymuseum.org. from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  149. ^ "Funds and collections". SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library. from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  150. ^ Ecker, Gerhard (1984). Bulgarien. Kunstdenkmäler aus vier Jahrtausenden von den Thrakern bis zur Gegenwart (in German). Köln: DuMont Buchverlag. ISBN 9783406398667. from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  151. ^ . balkanvolleyball.org. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
  152. ^ "Sofia municipality — Tennis courts". sofia.bg. Retrieved 11 May 2008.[permanent dead link]
  153. ^ "Тенис Клуб Малееви". maleevaclub.com. from the original on 14 March 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
  154. ^ . kunki.org. Archived from the original on 17 April 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
  155. ^ "Journey.bg — History of the Sofia velodrome". journey.bg. from the original on 15 May 2005. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
  156. ^ "Swimming pools in Sofia (including Spa centers)". tonus.tialoto.bg. from the original on 10 May 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
  157. ^ "Population | National statistical institute". www.nsi.bg. from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  158. ^ "Population". nsi.bg. National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria, 2011. from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  159. ^ "Ромите са изолирани от бума в заетостта на Балканите". Mediapool.bg. 11 December 2007. from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  160. ^ "Population and Demographic Processes in 2014 (Final data) – National statistical institute". Nsi.bg. from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  161. ^ "The World According to GaWC 2020". GaWC - Research Network. Globalization and World Cities. from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  162. ^ "The Global Financial Centres Index 27" (PDF). Long Finance. March 2020. (PDF) from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  163. ^ . seenews.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  164. ^ "Global Metro Monitor An Uncertain recovery" (PDF). brookings.edu. (PDF) from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  165. ^ "10 Top Cities Around The World To Launch Your Startup". Forbes. 29 November 2015. from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  166. ^ "Regional gross domestic product (PPS per inhabitant at current market prices), by NUTS 3 regions". Eurostat. from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  167. ^ a b "GDP by Economic Sector and Region". National Statistical Institute. from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  168. ^ Sofia 2016, p. 64.
  169. ^ "Average monthly wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts". National Statistical Institute. from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  170. ^ Sofia 2016, p. 72.
  171. ^ a b "Kapital Quarterly". Sofiaecho.com. from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  172. ^ a b "IT Sector in Sofia". Invest Sofia. from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  173. ^ "Coca-Cola Opens Its 2nd Largest Globally IT Center in Sofia". Invest Sofia. 9 June 2018. from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  174. ^ "Ubisoft Sofia". www.ubisoft.com. from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  175. ^ "Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria". Business Park Sofia. from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  176. ^ "VMware to invest €23M and Grow the Site in Sofia to over 1500 People". Invest Sofia. 7 May 2019. from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  177. ^ "Bosch Group Officially Opened its New Office in Sofia". Invest Sofia. 25 June 2019. from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  178. ^ "Financial Times Expands Its Team in Sofia". Invest Sofia. 2 July 2019. from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  179. ^ "The Software Company Experian Opened its New Office Building in Sofia". Invest Sofia. 8 June 2019. from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  180. ^ a b "IT Manufacturing in Sofia". Invest Sofia. from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  181. ^ "American Control System Solutions Manufacturer Woodward Opens Production in Sofia". Invest Sofia. 27 February 2017. from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  182. ^ "Festo to Invest 25.6 mln. Euro in a New Production Unit in Sofia/". Invest Sofia. 7 June 2018. from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  183. ^ "Products". Visteon Electronics Bulgaria. from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  184. ^ "Melexis to Invest €75M to Expand Its Operations in Bulgaria". Invest Sofia. 25 June 2019. from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  185. ^ "Lufthansa Technik Sofia invests 30 mln euro to expand its facilities". SIPA Group. from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  186. ^ Sofia infrastructure from the official website of the Municipality 28 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine (in Bulgarian)
  187. ^ . National Statistical Institute regional statistics. 11 February 2013. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  188. ^ "Passengers 2018-2019" (PDF). Sofia Airport. (PDF) from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  189. ^ "History of the bus network in Sofia". Sofiatraffic.bg. from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  190. ^ "History of the tramway network in Sofia". Sofiatraffic.bg. from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  191. ^ "History of the trolleybus network in Sofia". Sofiatraffic.bg. 14 February 1941. from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2012.)
  192. ^ "Public transport Sofia — official website" (in Bulgarian). sumc.bg. from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  193. ^ (in Bulgarian). dak-transport.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
  194. ^ (in Bulgarian). bnt.bg. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  195. ^ . Metropolitan.bg. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  196. ^ . metropolitan.bg. Archived from the original on 1 October 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  197. ^ . Metropolitan.bg. Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  198. ^ "National Federation of the Taxi Drivers in Bulgaria. Regional Member Sofia". nftvb.com. from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  199. ^ "Shared Electric Vehicles Spark in Sofia Increase by 170". Novinite. 13 March 2019. from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  200. ^ Sofia in Figures, p.26
  201. ^ "Fines for bad repair work – 'Dnevnik' newspaper". dnevnik.bg. from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  202. ^ Sofia 2016, p. 141.
  203. ^ Sofia 2016, p. 148.
  204. ^ "Register of Higher Schools in Bulgaria". Ministry of Education and Science. from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  205. ^ . acs.bg. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  206. ^ "Кои са най-желаните гимназии в София и кои паралелки останаха празни" [Which high schools in Sofia are the most preferred]. Offnews. 3 July 2018. from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  207. ^ a b "Bulgarian universities". Webometrics Ranking of World Universities. from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  208. ^ "Official website of the Sofia university — History". Sofia University. from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  209. ^ "Sofia University aims to attract more foreign students" (in Bulgarian). Akademika. 14 June 2013. from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  210. ^ "University Faculties". Sofia University. from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  211. ^ "Independent structures of SU". Sofia University. from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  212. ^ "Faculty of Physics structure". Sofia University. from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  213. ^ "University Centres". Sofia University. from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  214. ^ "Bulgaria's Nuclear Institute: New Cyclotron To Become Operational in 2 Years". Novinite. 27 October 2016. from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  215. ^ "MSB – Projects". www.msb.bg. from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  216. ^ Zapryanov, Yoan (22 June 2018). "Малката изчислителна армия на България" [Bulgaria's small computing army] (in Bulgarian). Kapital Daily. from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  217. ^ "Градина "Алжир" – София". opoznai.bg (in Bulgarian). 19 June 2015. from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  218. ^ "Н. пр. д-р Хасан Бармауи, почетен консул на кралство Йордания в България, пред "Труд": Йордания е врата за България към Близкия Изток". trud.bg (in Bulgarian). Trud. 25 February 2020. from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  219. ^ "Sister Cities of Ankara". ankara.bel.tr. Ankara. from the original on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  220. ^ "Cu cine este înfrățit Bucureștiul?". Adevărul (in Romanian). 21 February 2011. from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  221. ^ "HE Prime Minister Presides Over Cabinet Regular Meeting". pressarabia.qa. Press Arabia. 28 November 2012. from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  222. ^ "Перелік міст, з якими Києвом підписані документи про поріднення, дружбу, співробітництво, партнерство" (PDF). kyivcity.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Kyiv. 15 February 2018. (PDF) from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  223. ^ "Our Sister Cities". sistercitiespgh.org. Sister Cities Association of Pittsburgh. from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  224. ^ "Sofia, Shanghai to become sister cities". bnr.bg. BNR Radio Bulgaria. 23 November 2015. from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  225. ^ "ערים שותפות". tel-aviv.gov.il (in Hebrew). Tel Aviv. Archived from the original on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  226. ^ "Sofia, Budapest to Cooperate in Culture, Tourism, Economy". from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  227. ^ . Paris.fr. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  228. ^ "Acordos de geminação, de cooperação e de amizade". cm-lisboa.pt (in Portuguese). Lisboa. from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  229. ^ "Agreements with cities". madrid.es. Madrid. from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  230. ^ "Partner cities". yerevan.am. Yerevan. from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2019.

Bibliography edit

  • "Sofia in Figures" (PDF) (in Bulgarian and English). National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria. 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  • Bozhilov, Ivan; Gyuzelev, Vasil (1999). История на средновековна България VII–XIV век [History of Medieval Bulgaria VII–XIV centuries] (in Bulgarian). Sofia: Анубис. ISBN 954-426-204-0.
  • Stancheva, Magdalina (2010). София – от древността до нови времена [Sofia – from Antiquity to Modern Times] (in Bulgarian). Sofia: New Bulgarian University. ISBN 978-954-535-579-0.

Further reading edit

  • Gigova, Irina (March 2011). "The City and the Nation: Sofia's Trajectory from Glory to Rubble in WWII". Journal of Urban History. 37 (2): 155–175. doi:10.1177/0096144210391612. S2CID 144022049.The 110 footnotes provide a guide to the literature on the city
  • (PDF). Regional Statistical Office of Sofia. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 October 2011.
  • "Sofia — 130 Years Capital" (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 28 January 2011.

External links edit

  • Official website
  • Online guide to Sofia
  • Official Site of Sofia Public Transport 25 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  • Sofia at Curlie
  • Archival images of Sofia
  • Virtual Guide to Ancient Serdica
  • More than 25 live webcams from Sofia

May 08, 2024
sofia, given, names, given, name, sofija, given, name, sofiya, given, name, other, uses, disambiguation, bulgarian, София, romanized, sofiya, ˈsɔfijɐ, capital, largest, city, bulgaria, situated, valley, foot, vitosha, mountain, western, part, country, city, bu. For the given names see Sofia given name Sofija given name and Sofiya given name For other uses see Sofia disambiguation Sofia ˈ s oʊ f i e ˈ s ɒ f s oʊ ˈ f iː e SOH fee e SOF 14 15 Bulgarian Sofiya romanized Sofiya 16 17 IPA ˈsɔfijɐ is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western part of the country The city is built west of the Iskar river and has many mineral springs such as the Sofia Central Mineral Baths It has a humid continental climate Being in the centre of the Balkans it is midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea and closest to the Aegean Sea 18 19 Sofia SofiyaCapital cityFrom the top to bottom right Panoramic view over central Sofia and the Vitosha Mountain Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Ivan Vazov National Theatre Statue of Sveta Sofia Sofia Central Mineral BathsFlagCoat of armsMotto s Ever growing never aging 1 Raste no ne staree SofiaLocation of SofiaShow map of BulgariaSofiaSofia Balkans Show map of BalkansSofiaSofia Europe Show map of EuropeCoordinates 42 42 N 23 20 E 42 70 N 23 33 E 42 70 23 33CountryBulgariaProvinceSofia CityMunicipalityCapitalCont inhabitedsince 7000 BC 2 Neolithic settlement5500 6000 BC 3 Thracian settlement1400 BC 4 5 Roman administration46 AD as Serdica 6 Conquered by Krum809 AD as Sredets 6 Government MayorVassil Terziev PP DB Spasi Sofia Area Capital city500 km2 200 sq mi Urban 7 5 723 km2 2 210 sq mi Metro 8 10 738 km2 4 146 sq mi Elevation 9 500 699 m 1 640 2 293 ft Population 2021 10 Capital city1 248 452 Density2 500 km2 6 500 sq mi Urban 11 1 547 779 Urban density270 km2 700 sq mi Metro 12 1 667 314 Metro density160 km2 400 sq mi Demonym s Sofian en Sofiyanec Sofiyanets bg Time zoneUTC 2 EET Summer DST UTC 3 EEST Area code 359 02HDI 2018 0 945 13 very highVehicle registration plateC CA CBWebsitesofia wbr bg Known as Serdica in antiquity and Sredets in the Middle Ages Sofia has been an area of human habitation since at least 7000 BC The recorded history of the city begins with the attestation of the conquest of Serdica by the Roman Republic in 29 BC from the Celtic tribe Serdi During the decline of the Roman Empire the city was raided by Huns Visigoths Avars and Slavs In 809 Serdica was incorporated into the Bulgarian Empire by Khan Krum and became known as Sredets In 1018 the Byzantines ended Bulgarian rule until 1194 when it was reincorporated by the reborn Bulgarian Empire Sredets became a major administrative economic cultural and literary hub until its conquest by the Ottomans in 1382 From 1530 to 1836 Sofia was the regional capital of Rumelia Eyalet the Ottoman Empire s key province in Europe Bulgarian rule was restored in 1878 Sofia was selected as the capital of the Third Bulgarian State in the next year ushering a period of intense demographic and economic growth Sofia is the 14th largest city in the European Union It is surrounded by mountainsides such as Vitosha by the southern side Lyulin by the western side and the Balkan Mountains by the north which makes it the third highest European capital after Andorra la Vella and Madrid Being Bulgaria s primary city Sofia is home of many of the major local universities cultural institutions and commercial companies 20 The city has been described as the triangle of religious tolerance This is because three temples of three major world religions Christianity Islam and Judaism are situated close together Sveta Nedelya Church Banya Bashi Mosque and Sofia Synagogue 21 This triangle was recently expanded to a square and includes the Catholic Cathedral of St Joseph 22 Sofia has been named one of the top ten best places for startup businesses in the world especially in information technologies 23 It was Europe s most affordable capital to visit in 2013 24 The Boyana Church in Sofia constructed during the Second Bulgarian Empire and holding much patrimonial symbolism to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was included onto the World Heritage List in 1979 With its cultural significance in Southeast Europe Sofia is home to the National Opera and Ballet of Bulgaria the National Palace of Culture the Vasil Levski National Stadium the Ivan Vazov National Theatre the National Archaeological Museum and the Serdica Amphitheatre The Museum of Socialist Art includes many sculptures and posters that educate visitors about the lifestyle in communist Bulgaria 25 The population of Sofia declined from 70 000 in the late 18th century through 19 000 in 1870 to 11 649 in 1878 after which it began increasing 26 Sofia hosts some 1 24 million 10 residents within a territory of 492 km2 27 a concentration of 17 9 of the country population within the 200th percentile of the country territory The urban area of Sofia hosts some 1 54 million 28 residents within 5723 km2 which comprises Sofia City Province and parts of Sofia Province Dragoman Slivnitsa Kostinbrod Bozhurishte Svoge Elin Pelin Gorna Malina Ihtiman Kostenets and Pernik Province Pernik Radomir representing 5 16 of the country territory 7 The metropolitan area of Sofia is based upon one hour of car travel time stretches internationally and includes Dimitrovgrad in Serbia 29 The metropolitan region of Sofia is inhabited by a population of 1 66 million 12 Contents 1 Names 2 Geography 2 1 Climate 2 2 Environment 3 History 3 1 Prehistory and antiquity 3 2 Middle Ages 3 3 Early modern history 3 4 Modern and contemporary history 4 Cityscape 4 1 Green areas 5 Government and law 5 1 Local government 5 2 National government 5 3 Crime 6 Culture 6 1 Arts and entertainment 6 2 Tourism 7 Sports 8 Demographics 9 Economy 10 Transport and infrastructure 11 Education and science 12 International relations 12 1 Twin towns sister cities 12 2 Cooperation agreements 13 Honour 14 Mass Media 14 1 Public 14 2 Private 15 See also 16 References 16 1 Bibliography 17 Further reading 18 External linksNames edit nbsp The first seal of the city from 1878 which calls it Sredets its name in Old Bulgarian For a long time the city possessed 30 a Thracian name Serdica Ancient Greek Serdikh Serdike or Sardikh Sardike Latin Serdica or Sardica derived from the tribe Serdi who were either of Thracian 16 18 Celtic 31 or mixed Thracian Celtic origin 32 33 The emperor Marcus Ulpius Traianus 53 117 AD gave the city the combinative name of Ulpia Serdica 34 35 Ulpia may be derived from an Umbrian cognate of the Latin word lupus meaning wolf 36 or from the Latin vulpes fox It seems that the first written mention of Serdica was made during his reign and the last mention was in the 19th century in a Bulgarian text Sardakii Sardaki Other names given to Sofia such as Serdonpolis Byzantine Greek Serdwn polis City of the Serdi and Triaditza Triaditza Trinity were mentioned by Byzantine Greek sources or coins The Slavic name Sredets Church Slavonic Srѣdec which is related to middle sreda sreda and to the city s earliest name first appeared on paper in an 11th century text The city was called Atralisa by the Arab traveller Idrisi and Strelisa Stralitsa or Stralitsion by the Crusaders 37 The name Sofia comes from the Saint Sofia Church 38 as opposed to the prevailing Slavic origin of Bulgarian cities and towns The origin is in the Greek word sophia sofia wisdom The earliest works where this latest name is registered are the duplicate of the Gospel of Serdica in a dialogue between two salesmen from Dubrovnik around 1359 in the 14th century Vitosha Charter of Bulgarian tsar Ivan Shishman and in a Ragusan merchant s notes of 1376 39 In these documents the city is called Sofia clarification needed but at the same time the region and the city s inhabitants are still called Sredecheski Church Slavonic srѣdechskoi of Sredets which continued until the 20th century The Ottomans came to favour the name Sofya صوفيه In 1879 there was a dispute about what the name of the new Bulgarian capital should be when the citizens created a committee of famous people insisting for the Slavic name Gradually a compromise arose officialisation of Sofia for the nationwide institutions while legitimating the title Sredets for the administrative and church institutions before the latter was abandoned through the years 40 Geography editSofia City Province has an area of 1344 km2 41 while the surrounding and much bigger Sofia Province is 7 059 km2 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 the Balkan mountains to the north The valley has an average altitude of 550 metres 1 800 ft Sofia is the second highest capital of the European Union after Madrid and the third highest capital of Europe after Andorra la Vella and Madrid Unlike most European capitals Sofia does not straddle any large river but is surrounded by comparatively high mountains on all sides Three mountain passes lead to the city which have been key roads since antiquity Vitosha being the watershed between Black and Aegean Seas A number of shallow rivers cross the city including the Boyanska Vladayska and Perlovska The Iskar River in its upper course flows near eastern Sofia It takes its source in Rila Bulgaria s highest mountain 42 and enters Sofia Valley near the village of German The Iskar flows north toward the Balkan Mountains passing between the eastern city suburbs next to the main building and below the runways of Sofia Airport and flows out of the Sofia Valley at the town of Novi Iskar where the scenic Iskar Gorge begins 43 The city is known for its 49 mineral and thermal springs Artificial and dam lakes were built in the twentieth century nbsp A map of Sofia Valley Vitosha is in the south the Balkan Mountains define the valley s northern fringes The Iskar flows north and forms the Iskar Gorge nbsp A view of the valley from the south The Balkan Mountains and the beginning of the Iskar Gorge are visible in the distance nbsp Satellite photo of Sofia nbsp Winter panorama of Sofia with Vitosha in the background While the 1818 and 1858 earthquakes were intense and destructive the 2012 Pernik earthquake occurred west of Sofia with a moment magnitude of 5 6 and a much lower Mercalli intensity of VI Strong The 2014 Aegean Sea earthquake was also noticed in the city Climate edit Sofia has a humid continental climate Koppen climate classification Dfb Cfb if with 3 C isotherm with an average annual temperature of 10 9 C 51 6 F Winters are relatively cold and snowy In the coldest days temperatures can drop below 15 C 5 F most notably in January The lowest recorded temperature is 31 2 C 24 F 16 January 1893 44 45 On average Sofia receives a total snowfall of 98 cm 38 6 in and 56 days with snow cover 46 The snowiest recorded winter was 1939 1940 with a total snowfall of 169 cm 66 5 in 47 The record snow depth is 57 cm 22 4 in 25 December 2001 48 The coldest recorded year was 1893 with an average January temperature of 10 4 C 13 F and an annual temperature of 8 2 C 46 8 F 49 Summers are quite warm and sunny In summer the city generally remains slightly cooler than other parts of Bulgaria due to its higher altitude However the city is also subject to heat waves with high temperatures reaching or exceeding 35 C 95 F on the hottest days particularly in July and August The highest recorded temperature is 40 2 C 104 F 5 July 2000 50 The hottest recorded month was July 2012 with an average temperature of 24 8 C 77 F 51 The warmest year on record was 2023 with an annual temperature of 12 1 C 54 F 52 Springs and autumns in Sofia are usually short with variable and dynamic weather The city receives an average precipitation of 625 7 mm 24 63 in a year reaching its peak in late spring and early summer when thunderstorms are common The driest recorded year was 2000 with a total precipitation of 304 6 mm 11 99 in while the wettest year on record was 2014 with a total precipitation of 1 066 6 mm 41 99 in 53 54 Climate data for Sofia NIMH BAS 1991 2020 normals extremes 1893 present Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high C F 18 64 22 2 72 0 31 88 30 6 87 1 34 1 93 4 37 2 99 0 40 2 104 4 39 102 37 1 98 8 33 6 92 5 25 8 78 4 21 3 70 3 40 2 104 4 Mean daily maximum C F 3 5 38 3 6 5 43 7 11 4 52 5 16 7 62 1 21 4 70 5 25 2 77 4 27 8 82 0 28 3 82 9 23 3 73 9 17 6 63 7 10 7 51 3 4 6 40 3 16 4 61 5 Daily mean C F 0 5 31 1 1 6 34 9 5 8 42 4 10 9 51 6 15 5 59 9 19 4 66 9 21 6 70 9 21 5 70 7 16 8 62 2 11 4 52 5 5 9 42 6 0 8 33 4 10 9 51 6 Mean daily minimum C F 3 9 25 0 2 4 27 7 1 1 34 0 5 3 41 5 9 8 49 6 13 4 56 1 15 3 59 5 15 59 10 9 51 6 6 3 43 3 1 9 35 4 2 4 27 7 5 9 42 5 Record low C F 31 2 24 2 24 1 11 4 18 0 5 9 21 4 2 2 28 0 2 5 36 5 5 3 41 5 3 5 38 3 2 28 5 6 21 9 15 3 4 5 21 1 6 0 31 2 24 2 Average precipitation mm inches 35 9 1 41 35 5 1 40 45 3 1 78 52 3 2 06 73 1 2 88 81 6 3 21 64 7 2 55 53 1 2 09 52 3 2 06 53 9 2 12 38 1 1 50 39 9 1 57 625 7 24 63 Average snowfall cm inches 24 9 9 8 21 8 3 15 4 6 1 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 6 10 7 4 2 21 8 3 97 5 38 5 Average precipitation days 10 7 9 4 10 9 10 7 13 9 12 8 1 7 1 8 2 8 4 8 1 10 7 118 2 Average snowy days 7 5 6 5 5 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 2 7 6 4 30 3 Mean monthly sunshine hours 87 9 117 2 169 195 1 236 268 1 311 9 307 3 225 1 166 8 107 7 69 1 2 261 2 Average ultraviolet index 1 2 4 5 7 9 9 8 6 4 2 1 5 Source NOAA WMO 55 56 StringMeteo com 57 58 59 60 61 62 Climatebase ru 63 and Weather Atlas 64 Environment edit The geographic position of the Sofia Valley limits the flow of air masses increasing the chances of air pollution by particulate matter and nitrogen oxide 65 Solid fuel used for heating and motor vehicle traffic are significant sources of pollutants Smog thus persists over the city as temperature inversions and the mountains surrounding the city prevent the circulation of air masses 66 67 As a result air pollution levels in Sofia are some of the highest in Europe 68 Particulate matter concentrations are consistently above the norm 67 During the October 2017 March 2018 heating season particulate levels exceeded the norm on 70 occasions 66 on 7 January 2018 PM10 levels reached 632 µg m3 69 some twelve times the EU norm of 50 µg m3 70 Even areas with few sources of air pollution like Gorna Banya had PM2 5 and PM10 levels above safe thresholds 69 In response to hazardous spikes in air pollution the Municipal Council implemented a variety of measures in January 2018 like more frequent washing of streets 71 However a report by the European Court of Auditors issued in September 2018 revealed that Sofia has not drafted any projects to reduce air pollution from heating The report also noted that no industrial pollution monitoring stations operate in Sofia even though industrial facilities are active in the city A monitoring station on Eagles Bridge where some of the highest particulate matter values were measured was moved away from the location and has measured sharply lower values since then 72 Particulates are now largely measured by a network of 300 sensors maintained by volunteers since 2017 66 The European Commission has taken Bulgaria to court over its failure to curb air pollution 67 History editMain article History of Sofia For a chronological guide see Timeline of Sofia nbsp O head of river god Strymon R trident This coin imitates Macedonian issue from 187 to 168 BC It was struck by Serdi tribe as their own currency nbsp The eastern gate of Serdica in the Complex Ancient Serdica Prehistory and antiquity edit The area has a history of nearly 7 000 years 73 with the great attraction of the hot water springs that still flow abundantly in the centre of the city The neolithic village in Slatina dating to the 5th 6th millennium BC is documented 74 Remains from another neolithic settlement around the National Art Gallery are traced to the 3rd 4th millennium BC which has been the traditional centre of the city ever since 75 The earliest tribes who settled were the Thracian Tilataei In the 500s BC the area became part of a Thracian state union the Odrysian kingdom from another Thracian tribe the Odrysses 76 In 339 BC Philip II of Macedon destroyed and ravaged the town for the first time 77 The Celtic tribe Serdi gave their name to the city 78 The earliest mention of the city comes from an Athenian inscription from the 1st century BC attesting Astiu ton Serdon i e city of the Serdi 79 The inscription and Dio Cassius told that the Roman general Crassus subdued the Serdi and behanded the captives 80 In 27 29 BC according do Dio Cassius Pliny and Ptolemy the region Segetike was attacked by Crassus which is assumed to be Serdica or the city of the Serdi 81 82 83 The ancient city is located between TZUM Sheraton Hotel and the Presidency 75 84 It gradually became the most important Roman city of the region 34 35 It became a municipium during the reign of Emperor Trajan 98 117 Serdica expanded as turrets protective walls public baths administrative and cult buildings a civic basilica an amphitheatre a circus the City council Boule a large forum a big circus theatre etc were built Serdica was a significant city on the Roman road Via Militaris connecting Singidunum and Byzantium In the 3rd century it became the capital of Dacia Aureliana 85 and when Emperor Diocletian divided the province of Dacia Aureliana into Dacia Ripensis at the banks of the Danube and Dacia Mediterranea Serdica became the capital of the latter Serdica s citizens of Thracian descent were referred to as Illyrians 77 probably because it was at some time the capital of Eastern Illyria Second Illyria 86 nbsp Dated from the early 4th century the Church of Saint George is the oldest standing edifice in Sofia Roman emperors Aurelian 215 275 87 and Galerius 260 311 88 were born in Serdica The city expanded and became a significant political and economical centre more so as it became one of the first Roman cities where Christianity was recognised as an official religion under Galerius The Edict of Toleration by Galerius was issued in 311 in Serdica by the Roman emperor Galerius officially ending the Diocletianic persecution of Christianity The Edict implicitly granted Christianity the status of religio licita a worship recognised and accepted by the Roman Empire It was the first edict legalising Christianity preceding the Edict of Milan by two years Serdica was the capital of the Diocese of Dacia 337 602 For Constantine the Great it was Sardica mea Roma est Serdica is my Rome He considered making Serdica the capital of the Byzantine Empire instead of Constantinople 89 which was already not dissimilar to a tetrarchic capital of the Roman Empire 90 In 343 AD the Council of Sardica was held in the city in a church located where the current 6th century Church of Saint Sophia was later built The city was destroyed in the 447 invasion of the Huns and laid in ruins for a century 77 It was rebuilt by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I During the reign of Justinian it flourished being surrounded with great fortress walls whose remnants can still be seen today Middle Ages edit nbsp The 13th century lord of Sredets Kaloyan and his wife Desislava Boyana Church Serdica became part of the First Bulgarian Empire during the reign of Khan Krum in 809 after a long siege The fall of the strategic city prompted a major and ultimately disastrous invasion of Bulgaria by the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I which led to his demise at the hands of the Bulgarian army 91 In the aftermath of the war the city was permanently integrated in Bulgaria and became known by the Slavic name of Sredets It grew into an important fortress and administrative centre under Krum s successor Khan Omurtag who made it a centre of Sredets province Sredetski komitat Sredecki komitat The Bulgarian patron saint John of Rila was buried in Sredets by orders of Emperor Peter I in the mid 10th century 92 After the conquest of the Bulgarian capital Preslav by Sviatoslav I of Kyiv and John I Tzimiskes armies in 970 971 the Bulgarian Patriarch Damyan chose Sredets for his seat in the next year and the capital of Bulgaria was temporarily moved there 93 In the second half of 10th century the city was ruled by Komit Nikola and his sons known as the Komitopuli One of them was Samuil who was eventually crowned Emperor of Bulgaria in 997 In 986 the Byzantine Emperor Basil II laid siege to Sredets but after 20 days of fruitless assaults the garrison broke out and forced the Byzantines to abandon the campaign On his way to Constantinople Basil II was ambushed and soundly defeated by the Bulgarians in the battle of the Gates of Trajan 92 94 The city eventually fell to the Byzantine Empire in 1018 following the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria Sredets joined the uprising of Peter Delyan in 1040 1041 in a failed attempt to restore Bulgarian independence and was the last stronghold of the rebels led by the local commander Botko 95 During the 11th century many Pechenegs were settled down in Sofia region as Byzantine federats It was once again incorporated into the restored Bulgarian Empire in 1194 at the time of Emperor Ivan Asen I and became a major administrative and cultural centre 96 Several of the city s governors were members of the Bulgarian imperial family and held the title of sebastokrator the second highest at the time after the tsar Some known holders of the title were Kaloyan Peter and their relative Aleksandar Asen d after 1232 a son of Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria r 1189 1196 In the 13th and 14th centuries Sredets was an important spiritual and literary hub with a cluster of 14 monasteries in its vicinity that were eventually destroyed by the Ottomans The city produced multicolored sgraffito ceramics jewelry and ironware 97 In 1382 1383 or 1385 Sredets was seized by the Ottoman Empire in the course of the Bulgarian Ottoman Wars by Lala Sahin Pasha following a three month siege 98 The Ottoman commander left the following description of the city garrison Inside the fortress Sofia there is a large and elite army its soldiers are heavily built moustached and look war hardened but are used to consume wine and rakia in a word jolly fellows 99 Early modern history edit From the 14th century till the 19th century Sofia was an important administrative center in the Ottoman Empire It became the capital of the beylerbeylik of Rumelia Rumelia Eyalet the province that administered the Ottoman lands in Europe the Balkans one of the two together with the beylerbeylik of Anatolia It was the capital of the important Sanjak of Sofia as well including the whole of Thrace with Plovdiv and Edirne and part of Macedonia with Thessaloniki and Skopje 100 During the initial stages of the Crusade of Varna in 1443 it was occupied by Hungarian forces for a short time in 1443 and the Bulgarian population celebrated a mass Saint Sofia Church Following the defeat of the crusader forces in 1444 the city s Christians faced persecution In 1530 Sofia became the capital of the Ottoman province beylerbeylik of Rumelia for about three centuries During that time Sofia was the largest import export base in modern day Bulgaria for the caravan trade with the Republic of Ragusa In the 15th and 16th century Sofia was expanded by Ottoman building activity Public investments in infrastructure education and local economy brought greater diversity to the city Amongst others the population consisted of Muslims Bulgarian and Greek speaking Orthodox Christians Armenians Georgians Catholic Ragusans Jews Romaniote Ashkenazi and Sephardi and Romani people 98 The 16th century was marked by a wave of persecutions against the Bulgarian Christians a total of nine became New Martyrs in Sofia and were sainted by the Orthodox Church including George the New 1515 Sophronius of Sofia 1515 George the Newest 1530 Nicholas of Sofia 1555 and Terapontius of Sofia 1555 101 nbsp Sofia in mid 19th century When it comes to the cityscape 16th century sources mention eight Friday mosques three public libraries numerous schools 12 churches three synagogues and the largest bedesten market of the Balkans 98 Additionally there were fountains and hammams bathhouses Most prominent churches such as Saint Sofia and Saint George were converted into mosques and a number of new ones were constructed including Banya Bashi Mosque built by the renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan In total there were 11 big and over 100 small mosques by the 17th century 102 103 In 1610 the Vatican established the See of Sofia for Catholics of Rumelia which existed until 1715 when most Catholics had emigrated 104 There was an important uprising against Ottoman rule in Sofia Samokov and Western Bulgaria in 1737 Sofia entered a period of economic and political decline in the 17th century accelerated during the period of anarchy in the Ottoman Balkans of the late 18th and early 19th century when local Ottoman warlords ravaged the countryside 1831 Ottoman population statistics show that 42 of the Christians were non taxpayers in the kaza of Sofia and the amount of middle class and poor Christians were equal 105 Since the 18th century the beylerbeys of Rumelia often stayed in Bitola which became the official capital of the province in 1826 Sofia remained the seat of a sanjak district By the 19th century the Bulgarian population had two schools and seven churches contributing to the Bulgarian National Revival In 1858 Nedelya Petkova created the first Bulgarian school for women in the city In 1867 was inaugurated the first chitalishte in Sofia a Bulgarian cultural institution In 1870 the Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil Levski established a revolutionary committee in the city and in the neighbouring villages Following his capture in 1873 Vasil Levski was transferred and hanged in Sofia by the Ottomans Modern and contemporary history edit During the Russo Turkish War of 1877 78 Suleiman Pasha threatened to burn the city in defence but the foreign diplomats Leandre Legay Vito Positano Rabbi Gabriel Almosnino and Josef Valdhart refused to leave the city thus saving it Many Bulgarian residents of Sofia armed themselves and sided with the Russian forces 106 Sofia was relieved see Battle of Sofia from Ottoman rule by Russian forces under Gen Iosif Gurko on 4 January 1878 It was proposed as a capital by Marin Drinov and was accepted as such on 3 April 1879 By the time of its liberation the population of the city was 11 649 107 Most mosques in Sofia were destroyed in that war seven of them destroyed in one night in December 1878 when a thunderstorm masked the noise of the explosions arranged by Russian military engineers 108 109 Following the war the great majority of the Muslim population left Sofia 98 nbsp The allied bombing of Sofia in World War II in 1944 For a few decades after the liberation Sofia experienced large population growth mainly by migration from other regions of the Principality Kingdom since 1908 of Bulgaria and from the still Ottoman Macedonia and Thrace In 1900 the first electric lightbulb in the city was turned on 110 In the Second Balkan War Bulgaria was fighting alone practically all of its neighbouring countries When the Romanian Army entered Vrazhdebna in 1913 then a village 11 kilometres 7 miles from Sofia now a suburb 111 this prompted the Tsardom of Bulgaria to capitulate citation needed During the war Sofia was flown by the Romanian Air Corps which engaged on photoreconnaissance operations and threw propaganda pamphlets to the city Thus Sofia became the first capital on the world to be overflown by enemy aircraft 112 During the Second World War Bulgaria declared war on the US and UK on 13 December 1941 and in late 1943 and early 1944 the US and UK Air forces conducted bombings over Sofia As a consequence of the bombings thousands of buildings were destroyed or damaged including the Capital Library and thousands of books In 1944 Sofia and the rest of Bulgaria was occupied by the Soviet Red Army and within days of the Soviet invasion Bulgaria declared war on Nazi Germany In 1945 the communist Fatherland Front took power The transformations of Bulgaria into the People s Republic of Bulgaria in 1946 and into the Republic of Bulgaria in 1990 marked significant changes in the city s appearance The population of Sofia expanded rapidly due to migration from rural regions New residential areas were built in the outskirts of the city like Druzhba Mladost and Lyulin During the Communist Party rule a number of the city s most emblematic streets and squares were renamed for ideological reasons with the original names restored after 1989 113 The Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum where Dimitrov s body had been preserved in a similar way to the Lenin mausoleum was demolished in 1999 Cityscape edit nbsp A view over central Sofia with the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the foreground and Vitosha in the distance In Sofia there are 607 473 dwellings and 101 696 buildings According to modern records 39 551 dwellings were constructed until 1949 119 943 between 1950 and 1969 287 191 between 1970 and 1989 57 916 in the 90s and 102 623 between 2000 and 2011 Until 1949 13 114 buildings were constructed and between 10 000 and 20 000 in each following decade 114 Sofia s architecture combines a wide range of architectural styles some of which are aesthetically incompatible These vary from Christian Roman architecture and medieval Bulgarian fortresses to Neoclassicism and prefabricated Socialist era apartment blocks as well as newer glass buildings and international architecture A number of ancient Roman Byzantine and medieval Bulgarian buildings are preserved in the centre of the city These include the 4th century Rotunda of St George the walls of the Serdica fortress and the partially preserved Amphitheatre of Serdica After the Liberation War knyaz Alexander Battenberg invited architects from Austria Hungary to shape the new capital s architectural appearance 115 Among the architects invited to work in Bulgaria were Friedrich Grunanger Adolf Vaclav Kolar and Viktor Rumpelmayer who designed the most important public buildings needed by the newly re established Bulgarian government as well as numerous houses for the country s elite 115 Later many foreign educated Bulgarian architects also contributed The architecture of Sofia s centre is thus a combination of Neo Baroque Neo Rococo Neo Renaissance and Neoclassicism with the Vienna Secession also later playing an important part but it is most typically Central European After World War II and the establishment of a Communist government in Bulgaria in 1944 the architectural style was substantially altered Stalinist Gothic public buildings emerged in the centre notably the spacious government complex around The Largo Vasil Levski Stadium the Cyril and Methodius National Library and others As the city grew outwards the then new neighbourhoods were dominated by many concrete tower blocks prefabricated panel apartment buildings and examples of Brutalist architecture After the abolition of Communism in 1989 Sofia witnessed the construction of whole business districts and neighbourhoods as well as modern skyscraper like glass fronted office buildings but also top class residential neighbourhoods The 126 metre 413 ft Capital Fort Business Centre is the first skyscraper in Bulgaria with its 36 floors However the end of the old administration and centrally planned system also paved the way for chaotic and unrestrained construction which continues today nbsp Interior of the ancient Saint Sofia Church nbsp Neoclassical architecture Polygraphia office center Green areas edit nbsp Borisova gradina The city has an extensive green belt Some of the neighbourhoods constructed after 2000 are densely built up and lack green spaces There are four principal parks Borisova gradina in the city centre and the Southern Western and Northern parks Several smaller parks among which the Vazrazhdane Park Zaimov Park City Garden and the Doctors Garden are located in central Sofia The Vitosha Nature Park the oldest national park in the Balkans 116 includes most of Vitosha mountain and covers an area of 266 square kilometres 103 sq mi 117 with roughly half of it lying within the municipality of Sofia Vitosha mountain is a popular hiking destination due to its proximity and ease of access via car and public transport Two functioning cable cars provide year long access from the outskirts of the city The mountain offers favourable skiing conditions during the winter During the 1970s and the 1980s multiple ski slopes of varying difficulty were made available Skiing equipment can be rented and skiing lessons are available However due to the bad communication between the private offshore company that runs the resort and Sofia municipality most of the ski areas have been left to decay in the last 10 years so that only one chairlift and one slope work Government and law editLocal government edit Composition of the City Council Party 61 Seats GERB 27 Bulgarian Socialist Party 15 Democratic Bulgaria 12 Patriots for Sofia IMRO Attack 5 Independent 2 Total votes 402 5482019 Bulgarian local elections 118 119 nbsp A map of the 24 districts of Sofia Sofia Municipality is identical to Sofia City Province which is distinct from Sofia Province which surrounds but does not include the capital itself Besides the city proper the 24 districts of Sofia Municipality encompass three other towns and 34 villages 120 Districts and settlements have their own governor who is elected in a popular election The assembly members are chosen every four years The common head of Sofia Municipality and all the 38 settlements is the mayor of Sofia 120 The mayor Yordanka Fandakova is serving a third consecutive term having won the 2015 election at first round with 238 500 votes 121 or 60 2 of the vote when Reformist Bloc opponent Vili Lilkov was second with 9 6 the turnout was 41 25 122 Some party leaders claimed that ballots were falsified and called for annulment of the election 123 A precedent happened due to the suspicion as a preventative action between 300 and 5000 people and counters had been locked inside Arena Sofia called Arena Armeets at the time against their will for two days 124 following which the director of the Electoral Commission of Sofia resigned at the request of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov 125 District km2 Pop Density km2 Extent Mayor 1 Sredets 3 32 423 10 807 City RB 2 Krasno selo 7 83 552 11 936 City RB 3 Vazrazhdane 3 37 303 12 434 City GERB 4 Oborishte 3 31 060 10 353 City RB 5 Serdika 18 46 949 2 608 City GERB 6 Poduyane 11 76 672 6 970 City GERB 7 Slatina 13 66 702 5 130 City GERB 8 Izgrev 5 30 896 6 179 City GERB 9 Lozenets 9 53 080 5 897 City GERB 10 Triaditsa 10 63 451 6 345 City GERB 11 Krasna polyana 9 58 234 6 470 City GERB 12 Ilinden 3 33 236 11 078 City GERB 13 Nadezhda 19 67 905 3 573 City GERB 14 Iskar 26 63 248 2 432 City satellites GERB 15 Mladost 17 102 899 6 052 City GERB 16 Studentski 9 71 961 7 995 City GERB 17 Vitosha 123 61 467 499 City satellites RB 18 Ovcha kupel 42 54 320 1 293 City satellites GERB 19 Lyulin 22 114 910 5 223 City GERB 20 Vrabnitsa 44 47 969 1 090 City satellites GERB 21 Novi Iskar 220 28 991 131 Satellites GERB 22 Kremikovtsi 256 23 641 92 City satellites RB 23 Pancharevo 407 28 586 70 Satellites GERB 24 Bankya 53 12 136 228 Satellites GERB TOTAL 1342 1 291 591 962 1 126 127 National government edit Sofia is the seat of the executive Council of Ministers legislative National Assembly and judiciary Supreme Court and Constitutional Court bodies of Bulgaria as well as all government agencies ministries the National Bank and the delegation of the European Commission The President along with the Council of Ministers is located on Independence Square also known as The Largo or The Triangle of Power 128 One of the three buildings in the architectural ensemble the former Bulgarian Communist Party headquarters is due to become the seat of the Parliament A refurbishment project is due to be completed in mid 2019 129 while the old National Assembly building will become a museum or will only host ceremonial political events 130 nbsp The National Assembly building nbsp The Council of Ministers left Presidency right and the former Communist Party House Under Bulgaria s centralised political system Sofia concentrates much of the political and financial resources of the country It is the only city in Bulgaria to host three electoral constituencies the 23rd 24th and 25th Multi member Constituencies which together field 42 mandates in the 240 member National Assembly 131 Crime edit With a murder rate of 1 7 per 100 000 people as of 2009 update Sofia is a relatively safe capital city 132 Nevertheless in the 21st century crimes including Bulgarian mafia killings caused problems in the city 133 where authorities had difficulties convicting the actors 134 which had caused the European Commission to warn the Bulgarian government that the country would not be able to join the EU unless it curbed crime 135 Bulgaria eventually joined in 2007 136 Many of the most severe crimes are contract killings that are connected to organised crime but these had dropped in recent years after several arrests of gang members 137 Corruption in Bulgaria also affects Sofia s authorities According to the director of Sofia District Police Directorate the largest share of the crimes are thefts making up 62 4 of all crimes in the capital city Increasing are frauds drug related crimes petty theft and vandalism 138 According to a survey almost a third of Sofia s residents say that they never feel safe in the Bulgarian capital while 20 always feel safe 139 As of 2015 update the consumer reported perceived crime risk on the Numbeo database was high for theft and vandalism and low for violent crimes safety while walking during daylight was rated very high and moderate during the night 140 With 1 600 prisoners the incarceration rate is above 0 1 141 however roughly 70 of all prisoners are part of the Romani minority 142 Culture editSee also Tourist attractions in Sofia and List of churches in Sofia Arts and entertainment edit See also Art galleries in Sofia nbsp Cathedral dedicated to Aleksander Nevski Sofia concentrates the majority of Bulgaria s leading performing arts troupes Theatre is by far the most popular form of performing art and theatrical venues are among the most visited second only to cinemas There were 3 162 theatric performances with 570 568 people attending in 2014 143 The Ivan Vazov National Theatre which performs mainly classical plays and is situated in the very centre of the city is the most prominent theatre The National Opera and Ballet of Bulgaria is a combined opera and ballet collective established in 1891 Regular performances began in 1909 Some of Bulgaria s most famous operatic singers such as Nicolai Ghiaurov and Ghena Dimitrova made their first appearances on the stage of the National Opera and Ballet Cinema is the most popular form of entertainment there were more than 141 000 film shows with a total attendance exceeding 2 700 000 in 2014 144 Over the past two decades numerous independent cinemas have closed and most shows are in shopping centre multiplexes Odeon not part of the Odeon Cinemas chain shows exclusively European and independent American films as well as 20th century classics The Boyana Film studios was at the centre of a once thriving domestic film industry which declined significantly after 1990 Nu Image acquired the studios to upgrade them into Nu Boyana Film Studios used to shoot scenes for a number of action movies like The Expendables 2 Rambo Last Blood and London Has Fallen 145 146 nbsp The Museum of Contemporary Art Bulgaria s largest art museums are located in the central areas of the city Since 2015 the National Art Gallery located in the former royal palace the National Gallery for Foreign Art NGFA and the Museum of Contemporary Art Sofia Arsenal were merged to form the National Gallery Its largest branch is Kvadrat 500 located on the NFGA premises where some 2 000 works are on display in twenty eight exhibition halls 147 The collections encompass diverse cultural items from Ashanti Empire sculptures and Buddhist art to Dutch Golden Age painting works by Albrecht Durer Jean Baptiste Greuze and Auguste Rodin The crypt of the Alexander Nevsky cathedral is another branch of the National Gallery It holds a collection of Eastern Orthodox icons from the 9th to the 19th century The National History Museum located in Boyana it has a vast collection of more than 650 000 historical items dating from Prehistory to the modern era although only 10 000 of them are permanently displayed due to the lack of space 148 Smaller collections of historical items are displayed in the National Archaeological Museum a former mosque located between the edifices of the National Bank and the Presidency Two natural sciences museums the Natural History Museum and Earth and Man display minerals animal species alive and taxidermic and rare materials The Ethnographic Museum and the Museum of Military History hold large collections of Bulgarian folk costumes and armaments respectively The Polytechnical Museum has more than 1 000 technological items on display The SS Cyril and Methodius National Library the foremost information repository in the country holds some 1 800 000 books and more than 7 000 000 documents manuscripts maps and other items 149 nbsp Interior of the medieval Boyana Church nbsp The Banya Bashi Mosque an example of Ottoman architecture The city houses many cultural institutes such as the Russian Cultural Institute the Polish Cultural Institute the Hungarian Institute the Czech and the Slovak Cultural Institutes the Italian Cultural Institute Confucius Institute Institut Francais Goethe Institut British Council and Instituto Cervantes which regularly organise temporary expositions of visual sound and literary works by artists from their respective countries Some of the biggest telecommunications companies TV and radio stations newspapers magazines and web portals are based in Sofia including the Bulgarian National Television bTV and Nova TV Top circulation newspapers include 24 Chasa and Trud The Boyana Church a UNESCO World Heritage site contains realistic frescoes depicting more than 240 human images and a total 89 scenes were painted With their vital humanistic realism they are a Renaissance phenomenon at its culmination phase in the context of the common European art 150 Tourism edit Sofia is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Bulgaria alongside coastal and mountain resorts Among its highlights is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral one of the symbols of Bulgaria constructed in the late 19th century It occupies an area of 3 170 square metres 34 122 square feet and can hold 10 000 people The city center contains many remains of ancient Serdica that have been excavated and are on public display including Complex Ancient Serdica eastern gate western gate city walls thermal baths 4th c church of St George Rotunda amphitheatre of Serdica the tombs and basilicas under the basilica of St Sophia Vitosha Boulevard also called Vitoshka is a pedestrian zone with numerous cafes restaurants fashion boutiques and luxury goods stores Sofia s geographic location in the foothills of the weekend retreat Vitosha mountain further adds to the city s specific atmosphere Some of tourist attraction in Sofia nbsp Ivan Vazov National Theatre nbsp Vitosha Boulevard the main shopping street in the city nbsp Central Sofia Market Hall nbsp Church of Saint George nbsp National Gallery for Foreign ArtSports edit nbsp Vasil Levski National Stadium A large number of sports clubs are based in the city During the Communist era most sports clubs concentrated on all round sporting development therefore CSKA Levski Lokomotiv and Slavia are dominant not only in football but in many other team sports as well Basketball and volleyball also have strong traditions in Sofia A notable local basketball team is twice European Champions Cup finalist Lukoil Akademik The Bulgarian Volleyball Federation is the world s second oldest and it was an exhibition tournament organised by the BVF in Sofia that convinced the International Olympic Committee to include volleyball as an olympic sport in 1957 151 Tennis is increasingly popular in the city There are some ten 152 tennis court complexes within the city including the one founded by former WTA top five athlete Magdalena Maleeva 153 Sofia applied to host the Winter Olympic Games in 1992 and in 1994 coming second and third respectively The city was also an applicant for the 2014 Winter Olympics but was not selected as candidate In addition Sofia hosted EuroBasket 1957 and the 1961 and 1977 Summer Universiades as well as the 1983 and 1989 winter editions In 2012 it hosted the FIVB World League finals nbsp Arena Sofia during the ATP Sofia Open The city is home to a number of large sports venues including the 43 000 seat Vasil Levski National Stadium which hosts international football matches as well as Balgarska Armia Stadium Georgi Asparuhov Stadium and Lokomotiv Stadium the main venues for outdoor musical concerts Arena Sofia holds many indoor events and has a capacity of up to 19 000 people depending on its use The venue was inaugurated on 30 July 2011 and the first event it hosted was a friendly volleyball match between Bulgaria and Serbia There are two ice skating complexes the Winter Sports Palace with a capacity of 4 600 and the Slavia Winter Stadium with a capacity of 2 000 both containing two rinks each 154 A velodrome with 5 000 seats in the city s central park is undergoing renovation 155 There are also various other sports complexes in the city which belong to institutions other than football clubs such as those of the National Sports Academy the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences or those of different universities There are more than fifteen swimming complexes in the city most of them outdoor 156 Nearly all of these were constructed as competition venues and therefore have seating facilities for several hundred people There are two golf courses just to the east of Sofia in Elin Pelin St Sofia club and in Ihtiman Air Sofia club and a horseriding club St George club Sofia was designated as European Capital of Sport in 2018 The decision was announced in November 2014 by the Evaluation Committee of ACES Europe on the grounds that the city is a good example of sport for all as means to improve healthy lifestyle integration and education which are the basis of the initiative Demographics edit nbsp Sofia population pyramid in 2021 Population over the years in thousands nbsp Students of the National Academy of Arts circa 1952 53 People aged 20 25 years have been the most numerous group in the city since the process of Bulgarian urbanisation According to 2018 data the city has a population of 1 400 384 and the whole Sofia Capital Municipality of 1 500 120 157 The first census carried out in February 1878 by the Russian Army recorded a population of 11 694 inhabitants including 6 560 Bulgarians 3 538 Jews 839 Turks and 737 Romani Historical populationYearPop 187019 000 188020 501 7 9 188730 456 48 6 189246 628 53 1 190067 953 45 7 190582 621 21 6 1910102 812 24 4 1920154 025 49 8 1926213 002 38 3 1934287 095 34 8 1939401 000 39 7 1946436 623 8 9 1956644 727 47 7 1965801 111 24 3 1975967 214 20 7 19851 114 759 15 3 19921 114 925 0 0 20011 091 772 2 1 20111 202 761 10 2 20211 183 454 1 6 Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions The ratio of women per 1 000 men was 1 102 The birth rate per 1000 people was 12 3 per mile and steadily increasing in the last 5 years the death rate reaching 12 1 per mile and decreasing The natural growth rate during 2009 was 0 2 per mile the first positive growth rate in nearly 20 years The considerable immigration to the capital from poorer regions of the country as well as urbanisation are among the other reasons for the increase in Sofia s population The infant mortality rate was 5 6 per 1 000 down from 18 9 in 1980 According to the 2011 census people aged 20 24 years are the most numerous group numbering 133 170 individuals and accounting for 11 of the total 1 202 761 people The median age is 38 though According to the census 1 056 738 citizens 87 9 are recorded as ethnic Bulgarians 17 550 1 5 as Romani 6 149 0 5 as Turks 9 569 0 8 belonged to other ethnic groups 6 993 0 6 do not self identify and 105 762 8 8 remained with undeclared affiliation 158 159 According to the 2011 census throughout the whole municipality some 892 511 people 69 1 are recorded as Eastern Orthodox Christians 10 256 0 8 as Protestant 6 767 0 5 as Muslim 5 572 0 4 as Roman Catholic 4 010 0 3 belonged to other faith and 372 475 28 8 declared themselves irreligious or did not mention any faith The data says that roughly a third of the total population have already earned a university degree Of the population aged 15 64 265 248 people within the municipality 28 5 are not economically active the unemployed being another group of 55 553 people 6 a large share of whom have completed higher education The largest group are occupied in trading followed by those in the manufacturing industry Within the municipality three quarters or 965 328 people are recorded as having access to television at home and 836 435 64 8 as having internet Out of 464 865 homes 432 847 have connection to the communal sanitary sewer while 2 732 do not have any Of these 864 do not have any water supply and 688 have other than communal Over 99 6 of males and females aged over 9 are recorded as literate The largest group of the population aged over 20 are recorded to live within marriage 46 3 another 43 8 are recorded as single and another 9 9 as having other type of coexistence partnership whereas not married in total are a majority and among people aged up to 40 and over 70 The people with juridical status divorced or widowed are either part of the factual singles or those having another type of partnership each of the two constitutes by around 10 of the population aged over 20 Only over 1 of the juridically married do not de facto live within marriage The families that consist of two people are 46 8 another 34 2 of the families are made up by three people whereas most of the households 36 5 consist of only one person 114 Sofia was declared the national capital in 1879 One year later in 1880 it was the fifth largest city in the country after Plovdiv Varna Ruse and Shumen Plovdiv remained the most populous Bulgarian town until 1892 when Sofia took the lead The city is the hot spot of internal migration the capital population is increasing and is around 17 of the national 160 thus a small number of people with local roots remain today they dominate the surrounding rural suburbs and are called Shopi Shopi speak the Western Bulgarian dialects Religious buildings in Sofia nbsp Alexander Nevsky Cathedral nbsp Russian Church nbsp Cathedral of St Joseph nbsp Sofia Synagogue nbsp Banya Bashi MosqueEconomy edit nbsp Bulgarian National Bank headquarters Sofia is ranked as Beta global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network 161 It is the economic hub of Bulgaria and home to most major Bulgarian and international companies operating in the country as well as the Bulgarian National Bank and the Bulgarian Stock Exchange The city is ranked 62nd among financial centres worldwide 162 In 2015 Sofia was ranked 30th out of 300 global cities in terms of combined growth in employment and real gross domestic product GDP per capita the highest one amongst cities in Southeast Europe 163 The real GDP PPP per capita growth at the time was 2 5 and the employment went up by 3 4 to 962 400 164 In 2015 Forbes listed Sofia as one of the top 10 places in the world to launch a startup business because of the low corporate tax 10 the fast internet connection speeds available one of the fastest in the world and the presence of several investment funds including Eleven Startup Accelerator LAUNCHub and Neveq 165 nbsp Business Park Sofia The city s GDP PPS per capita stood at 29 600 33 760 in 2015 one of the highest in Southeast Europe and well above other cities in the country 166 The total nominal GDP in 2018 was 38 5 billion leva 22 4 billion or 33 437 leva 19 454 per capita 167 168 and average monthly wages in March 2020 were 1 071 the highest nationally 169 Services dominate the economy accounting for 88 6 of the gross value added followed by industry 11 3 and agriculture 0 1 167 170 nbsp Serdika Center Sofia Historically after World War II and the era of industrialisation under socialism the city and its surrounding areas expanded rapidly and became the most heavily industrialised region of the country with numerous factories producing steel pig iron machinery industrial equipment electronics trams chemicals textiles and food 171 The influx of workers from other parts of the country became so intense that a restriction policy was imposed and residing in the capital was only possible after obtaining Sofianite citizenship 171 However after the political changes in 1989 this kind of citizenship was removed The most dynamic sectors include Information technology IT and manufacturing Sofia is a regional IT hub ranking second among the Top 10 fastest growing tech centers in Europe in terms of annual growth of active members 172 The sector employs about 50 000 professionals 30 of them involved in programming and contributes for 14 of the city s exports 172 The IT sector is highly diverse and includes both multinational corporations local companies and startups Multinationals with major research development innovation and engineering centers in Sofia include the second largest global IT center of Coca Cola 173 Ubisoft 174 Hewlett Packard 175 VMware 176 Robert Bosch GmbH 177 Financial Times 178 Experian etc 179 Several office and tech clusters have been established across the city including Business Park Sofia Sofia Tech Park Capital Fort and others Manufacturing has registered a strong recovery since 2012 increasing the exports three fold and the employment by 52 accounting for over 70 000 jobs 180 Supported by the city s R amp D expertise Sofia is shifting to high value added manufacturing including electrical equipment precision mechanics pharmaceuticals There are 16 industrial and logistics parks in Sofia some sprawling to towns in neighbouring Sofia Province such as Bozhurishte Kostinbrod and Elin Pelin 180 Manufacturing companies include Woodward Inc producing airframe and industrial turbomachinery systems 181 Festo producing microsensors 182 Visteon development and engineering of instrument clusters LCD displays and domain controllers 183 Melexis fr producing micro electronic semiconductor solutions in the automotive sector 184 Sopharma producing pharmaceuticals the largest Lufthansa Technik maintenance facilities outside Germany etc 185 Transport and infrastructure editWith its developing infrastructure and strategic location Sofia is a major hub for international railway and automobile transport Three of the ten Pan European Transport Corridors cross the city IV VIII and X 186 All major types of transport except water are represented in the city nbsp A Siemens Desiro train of the Bulgarian State Railways at the Central Railway Station nbsp Krasno Selo Metro Station The Central Railway Station is the primary hub for domestic and international rail transport carried out by Bulgarian State Railways BDZ the national rail company headquartered in the city It is one of the main stations along BDZ Line 1 and a hub of Lines 2 5 and 13 Line 1 provides a connection to Plovdiv the second largest city in Bulgaria while Line 2 is the longest national railway and connects Sofia and Varna the largest coastal city Lines 5 and 13 are shorter and provide connections to Kulata and Bankya respectively Overall Sofia has 186 km 116 miles of railway lines 187 Sofia Airport handled 7 208 987 passengers in 2023 188 Public transport is well developed with bus 2 380 km 1 479 mi 189 tram 308 km 191 mi 190 and trolleybus 193 km 120 mi 191 lines running in all areas of the city 192 193 The Sofia Metro became operational in January 1998 with only 5 stations and currently has four lines and 47 stations 194 As of 2022 update the system has 52 km 32 mi of track Six new stations were opened in 2009 two more in April 2012 and eleven more in August 2012 In 2015 seven new stations were opened and the underground extended to Sofia Airport on its Northern branch and to Business Park Sofia on its Southern branch In July 2016 the Vitosha Metro Station was opened on the M2 main line A third line was opened in August 2020 and re organisation of the previous lines lead to a 4th line being created 195 This line will complete the proposed underground system of three lines with about 65 km 40 mi of lines 196 The master plan for the Sofia Metro includes three lines with a total of 63 stations 197 Until the late 2010s route taxis marshrutka provided an efficient and popular means of transport by being faster than public transport but cheaper than taxis Their use declined with the expansion of the metro and they were gradually phased out There are around 13 000 taxi cabs operating in the city 198 Additionally all electric vehicles are available through carsharing company Spark which is set to increase its fleet to 300 cars by mid 2019 199 nbsp Cherni Vrah Boulevard Private automobile ownership has grown rapidly in the 1990s more than 1 000 000 cars were registered in Sofia after 2002 The city has the 4th highest number of automobiles per capita in the European Union at 546 4 vehicles per 1 000 people 200 The municipality was known for minor and cosmetic repairs and many streets are in a poor condition This is noticeably changing in the past years There are different boulevards and streets in the city with a higher amount of traffic than others These include Tsarigradsko shose Cherni Vrah Bulgaria Slivnitsa and Todor Aleksandrov boulevards as well as the city s ring road 201 Consequently traffic and air pollution problems have become more severe and receive regular criticism in local media The extension of the underground system is hoped to alleviate the city s immense traffic problems Sofia has an extensive district heating system that draws on four combined heat and power CHP plants and boiler stations Virtually the entire city 900 000 households and 5 900 companies is centrally heated using residual heat from electricity generation 3 000 MW and gas and oil fired heating furnaces total heat capacity is 4 640 MW The heat distribution piping network is 900 km 559 mi long and comprises 14 000 substations and 10 000 heated buildings Education and science edit nbsp Sofia University nbsp Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Much of Bulgaria s educational capacity is concentrated in Sofia There are 221 general 11 special and seven arts or sports schools 56 vocational gymnasiums and colleges and four independent colleges 202 The city also hosts 23 of Bulgaria s 51 higher education establishments and more than 105 000 university students 203 204 The American College of Sofia a private secondary school with roots in a school founded by American missionaries in 1860 is among the oldest American educational institutions outside of the United States 205 A number of secondary language schools provide education in a selected foreign language These include the First English Language School 91st German Language School 164th Spanish Language School and the Lycee Francais These are among the most sought after secondary schools along with Vladislav the Grammarian 73rd Secondary School and the High School of Mathematics which topped the 2018 preference list for high school candidates 206 Higher education includes four of the five highest ranking national universities Sofia University SU the Technical University of Sofia New Bulgarian University and the Medical University of Sofia 207 Sofia University was founded in 1888 208 More than 20 000 students 209 study in its 16 faculties 210 A number of research and cultural departments operate within SU including its own publishing house botanical gardens 211 a space research centre a quantum electronics department 212 and a Confucius Institute 213 Rakovski Defence and Staff College the National Academy of Arts the University of Architecture Civil Engineering and Geodesy the University of National and World Economy and the University of Mining and Geology are other major higher education establishments in the city 207 Other institutions of national significance such as the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences BAS and the SS Cyril and Methodius National Library are located in Sofia BAS is the centrepiece of scientific research in Bulgaria employing more than 4 500 scientists in various institutes Its Institute of Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy will operate the largest cyclotron in the country 214 215 All five of Bulgaria s supercomputers and supercomputing clusters are located in Sofia as well Three of those are operated by the BAS one by Sofia Tech Park and one by the Faculty of Physics at Sofia University 216 International relations editTwin towns sister cities edit See also List of twin towns and sister cities in Bulgaria Sofia is twinned with nbsp Algiers Algeria 217 nbsp Amman Jordan 218 nbsp Ankara Turkey 219 nbsp Bucharest Romania 220 nbsp Doha Qatar 221 nbsp Kyiv Ukraine 222 nbsp Pittsburgh United States 223 nbsp Salalah Oman citation needed nbsp Shanghai China 224 nbsp Sidon Lebanon citation needed nbsp Tel Aviv Israel 225 nbsp Tbilisi Georgia citation needed Cooperation agreements edit In addition Sofia cooperates with nbsp Budapest Hungary 226 nbsp Paris France 227 nbsp Lisbon Portugal 228 nbsp Madrid Spain 229 nbsp Yerevan Armenia 230 Honour editSerdica Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands Antarctica is named after Serdica Mass Media editPublic edit Bulgarian News Agency 1898 Bulgarian National Radio 1935 Bulgarian National Television 1959 Private edit Nova Broadcasting Group 1994 bTV Media Group 2000 See also edit nbsp Europe portal nbsp European Union portal nbsp Bulgaria portal List of churches in Sofia List of shopping malls in Sofia List of tallest buildings in Sofia Sofia Province Monument to the Tsar LiberatorReferences edit Sofia through centuries Sofia Municipality Archived from the original on 19 August 2009 Retrieved 16 October 2009 Ghodsee Kristen 2005 The Red Riviera Gender Tourism and Postsocialism on the Black Sea Duke University Press p 21 ISBN 0822387174 Prehistory Ivan Dikov in 7 December 2015 Archaeologist Discovers 8 000 Year Old Nephrite Frog like Swastika in Slatina Neolithic Settlement in Bulgaria s Capital Sofia Archaeology in Bulgaria archaeologyinbulgaria com Archived from the original on 22 December 2015 Retrieved 20 December 2015 Marazov Ivan ed Ancient Gold The Wealth of the Thracians NY Harry N Abrams Inc 1998 Texts by Marazov Ivan Venedikov Ivan Fol Alexander Tacheva Margarita ISBN 9780810919921 Popov Dimitar ed The Thracians Iztok Zapad Sofia 2011 ISBN 9789543218691 a b Sofia 2016 p 13 sfn error no target CITEREFSofia2016 help a b CITIES AND THEIR URBANISED AREAS IN THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA PDF National Statistical Institute 91 Archived PDF from the original on 15 July 2018 Retrieved 15 July 2018 Archived copy Archived from the original on 24 November 2020 Retrieved 25 August 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Nsi National Register of Populated Places Archived from the original on 11 July 2020 Retrieved 8 July 2020 a b Naselenie po gradove i pol Nacionalen statisticheski institut www nsi bg in Bulgarian Archived from the original on 12 April 2021 Retrieved 29 May 2021 https ec europa eu eurostat databrowser view urb lpop1 default table lang en a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty title help a b Eurostat Data Explorer appsso eurostat ec europa eu Archived from the original on 3 December 2018 Retrieved 21 December 2016 Sub national HDI Area Database Global Data Lab hdi globaldatalab org Archived from the original on 23 September 2018 Retrieved 13 September 2018 Wells John C 2008 Longman Pronunciation Dictionary 3rd ed Longman ISBN 9781405881180 Roach Peter 2011 Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary 18th ed Cambridge Cambridge University Press ISBN 9780521152532 a b Sofia Encyclopaedia Britannica Archived from the original on 17 September 2018 Retrieved 12 February 2016 Bulgaria Hungary Romania the Czech Republic and Slovakia Britannica Educational Publishing 1 June 2013 ISBN 9781615309870 Archived from the original on 21 February 2021 Retrieved 12 September 2017 a b Lauwerys Joseph 1970 Education in Cities Evan s Brothers ISBN 0 415 39291 8 Archived from the original on 11 July 2020 Retrieved 12 September 2017 Rogers Clifford 2010 The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology Vol 1 Oxford University Press p 301 ISBN 9780195334036 Archived from the original on 17 July 2020 Retrieved 27 June 2019 Internet Hostel Sofia Tourism in Sofia Archived 28 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine Internethostelsofia hostel com Retrieved Jan 2012 Triangle of Religious Tolerance 1903 iCulturalDiplomacy www i c d de Archived from the original on 27 January 2020 Retrieved 27 December 2019 10 Things We Can all Learn from Bulgaria s Square of Religious Tolerance 15 February 2017 Archived from the original on 29 September 2020 Retrieved 4 September 2020 Sofia is one of the top 10 places for start up businesses in the world Bulgarian National TV Bnt bg Archived from the original on 22 December 2015 Retrieved 11 April 2018 Clark Jayne Is Europe s most affordable capital worth the trip USA Today Archived from the original on 6 April 2016 Retrieved 12 February 2016 Museum of Socialist Art National Gallery Archived from the original on 21 December 2019 Retrieved 27 December 2019 Istoriya www kmeta bg 10 May 2017 Archived from the original on 31 October 2018 Retrieved 31 October 2018 NATIONAL STATISTICAL INSTITUTE Information for the area of city of Sofia Nsi bg Archived from the original on 7 February 2018 Retrieved 11 April 2018 Eurostat Sofia urban area population Archived from the original on 3 September 2015 Retrieved 24 June 2017 Metropolitan areas in Europe PDF Der Markt fur Wohn und Wirtschaftsimmobilien in Deutschland Ergebnisse des BBSR Expertenpanel Immobilienmarkt Nr 95 ISSN 1868 0097 Archived from the original PDF on 15 July 2018 Retrieved 15 July 2018 Grant Michael 211 The Emperor Constantine Hachette ISBN 9781780222806 Archived from the original on 18 August 2020 Retrieved 12 September 2017 The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 3 Part 2 The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and Other States of the Near East from the Eighth to the Sixth Centuries BC by John Boardman I E S Edwards E Sollberger and N G L Hammond ISBN 0 521 22717 8 1992 p 600 In the place of the vanished Treres and Tilataei we find the Serdi for whom there is no evidence before the first century BC It has for long been supposed on convincing linguistic and archeological grounds that this tribe was of Celtic origin Mihailov G Thracians Sofia 1972 Bulgarian Academy of Sciences quote in Bulgarian Imeto serdi e zasvidetelstvano sled keltskata invaziya na Balkanite Serdite sa ot smesen trako keltski proizhod Popov D Thracians Sofia p h Iztok Zapad 2005 a b World and Its Peoples Marshall Cavendish 2010 ISBN 9780761479024 Archived from the original on 18 August 2020 Retrieved 12 September 2017 a b Irina Florov Nicholas Florov 2001 Three thousand year old Hat Michigan University Golden Vine Publishers p 303 ISBN 0968848702 Archived from the original on 28 September 2017 Retrieved 12 September 2017 Julian Bennett Trajan Optimus Princeps Routledge 1997 p 1 Erwin Anton Gutkind 1964 International history of city development 8 ed Michigan University Free Press of Glencoe Archived from the original on 20 August 2020 Retrieved 12 September 2017 Sofiya in Bulgarian Mila Rodino Archived from the original on 19 December 2007 Retrieved 14 September 2008 Encyclopedia Americana 25 ed Pennsylvania State University Grolier Incorporated 1999 p 878 ISBN 0717201317 Archived from the original on 21 February 2017 Retrieved 12 September 2017 History Capital Municipality Archived from the original on 26 December 2015 Retrieved 20 October 2015 District Sofia city Guide Bulgaria Archived from the original on 29 February 2012 Retrieved 19 February 2012 Geographic Dictionary of Bulgaria 1980 p 537harvnb error no target CITEREFGeographic Dictionary of Bulgaria1980 help General Hydrological Data Iskar River System Archived from the original on 7 December 2017 Retrieved 27 April 2019 Sofijska golyama obshina klimat Archived 7 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine Ishirkov Anastas 1910 Atanas Ishirkov Blgariya Geograficheski belezhki Pridvorna pechatnica 1910 godina str 78 Archived from the original on 7 August 2020 Retrieved 3 September 2019 Nikolov Ivan Arhiv Bg3 01 1991 Sofiya stringmeteo com Archived from the original on 29 May 2021 Retrieved 1 January 2021 https www stringmeteo com synop sf 3747 1939 11 pdf bare URL Nikolov Ivan Vremeto Sofiya 25 12 2001 stringmeteo com Archived from the original on 3 April 2015 Retrieved 28 January 2015 Vekoven arhiv Sofiya 01 1887 12 2007 www stringmeteo com Archived from the original on 17 May 2021 Retrieved 17 May 2021 Prez 2000 godina na 5 yuli e bil edin ot 4 July 2023 Vremeto Blgariya Mes obobsh temperaturi Arhiv Bg God obobsh temperaturi Vek mesechen arhiv Bg Archived from the original on 7 August 2020 Retrieved 18 January 2020 Arhiv Bg God obobsh valezhi Archived from the original on 7 August 2020 Retrieved 18 January 2020 Index of Archive Arc0216 0253808 2 2 Data 0 data Region 6 WMO Normals 9120 Bulgaria CSV https www ncei noaa gov pub data normals WMO 1961 1990 RA VI BU 15614 TXT bare URL Vek mesechen arhiv Bg Vek mesechen arhiv Bg https view officeapps live com op view aspx src https 3A 2F 2Fwww stringmeteo com 2Fsynop 2Fclimate bg 2FAbsolute Maximum Temperatures doc amp wdOrigin BROWSELINK bare URL https view officeapps live com op view aspx src https 3A 2F 2Fwww stringmeteo com 2Fsynop 2Fclimate bg 2FAbsolute Minimum Temperatures doc amp wdOrigin BROWSELINK bare URL https web uni plovdiv net vedrin sg sg bg 1947 1948 pdf Vremeto Sofiya 05 11 2021 Browser Check Page Sofia Bulgaria Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast Archived from the original on 9 March 2021 Retrieved 3 September 2019 Druzhba Nadezhda i Pavlovo sa s naj mrsen vzduh v Sofiya Mediapool bg mediapool bg 16 March 2012 Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 13 August 2015 a b c Air pollution in Sofia other Bulgarian cities hugely exceeded norms several times this winter The Sofia Globe 4 April 2018 Archived from the original on 26 October 2018 Retrieved 26 October 2018 a b c Environment Sofia most polluted capital of Europe News report Agence France Presse 20 December 2015 Archived from the original on 30 October 2021 Retrieved 26 October 2018 Hakim Danny 15 October 2013 Bulgaria s Air Is Dirtiest in Europe Study Finds Followed by Poland The New York Times Archived from the original on 23 July 2014 Retrieved 15 October 2013 a b Bulgaria Bad air quality in Sofia on January 6 2018 The Sofia Globe 6 January 2018 Archived from the original on 26 October 2018 Retrieved 26 October 2018 Air Quality Standards European Commission Archived from the original on 22 October 2018 Retrieved 26 October 2018 Sofia Municipal Council Adopted Measures to Tackle Air Pollution Bulgarian National Television 25 January 2018 Archived from the original on 27 October 2018 Retrieved 26 October 2018 Brussels Sofia has no projects targeting air pollutionKopirano ot fidget bg Standard 12 September 2018 Archived from the original on 27 October 2018 Retrieved 26 October 2018 John G Kelcey Norbert Muller 7 June 2011 Plants and Habitats of European Cities Czech Republic Germany University of Applied Sciences Erfurt Springer ISBN 978 0 387 89684 7 Archived from the original on 19 August 2020 Retrieved 12 September 2017 Boev Zlatozar 2009 Avian Remains from an Early Neolithic Settlement of Slatina Present Sofia City Bulgaria Acta Zoologica Bulgarica 61 151 156 a b Sofiya 130 godini stolica na Blgariya sofiaculture bg Archived from the original on 5 September 2017 BulWTours 20 July 2015 Odrysian Kingdom the first country on the Balkans Bulgaria Wine Tours Archived from the original on 9 February 2022 Retrieved 8 September 2021 a b c Trudy Ring Noelle Watson Paul Schellinger 5 November 2013 Southern Europe International Dictionary of Historic Places Routledge ISBN 9781134259588 Archived from the original on 19 August 2020 Retrieved 20 December 2015 The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 3 Part 2 ISBN 0 521 22717 8 1992 page 600 Emil Kocev 24 04 2016 9 331205 IZGUBENATA STOLICA Archived from the original on 4 February 2017 Retrieved 12 October 2018 Dio Roman History Book 51 chapter 25 Archived from the original on 28 October 2014 Retrieved 20 February 2021 Trakii a Tom 12 Stranica 41 Da diese mit ihrem blinden Konig Siras verbundete der Romer waren ergab dies den Vorwand fur den Kriegszug von Crassus Uber die Segetike wohl irrtumlich fur Serdike Land der Serden wie es aus Dio Cass LI 25 4 erhellt 1998 Archived from the original on 12 October 2018 Retrieved 12 October 2018 Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae Akademai Klado 1966 Als sie die Dentheleten angriffen kam Crassus diesen zur Hilfe eroberte das Land der Serden bei Dio Segetika und kam plundernd ins 1966 Archived from the original on 12 October 2018 Retrieved 12 October 2018 Jeno Fitz Limes Akademiai Kiado 1977 As Macedonia itself was in danger Crassus readily advanced as far as Segetika Serdica Archived 12 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine ISBN 9789630513012 Ivanov Rumen 2006 Roman cities in Bulgaria Bulgarian Bestseller National Museum of Bulgarian Books and Polygraphy ISBN 9789544630171 Archived from the original on 20 August 2020 Retrieved 12 September 2017 Wilkes John 2005 Provinces and Frontiers In Bowman Alan K Garnsey Peter Cameron Averil eds The Cambridge ancient history The crisis of empire A D 193 337 Vol 12 Cambridge University Press p 253 ISBN 978 0 521 30199 2 Archived from the original on 10 November 2015 Retrieved 29 October 2015 Encyclopaedia Londinensis or Universal dictionary of arts sciences and literature University of Minnesota 1827 Archived from the original on 19 August 2020 Retrieved 12 September 2017 Saunders Randall Titus 1992 A biography of the Emperor Aurelian AD 270 275 Ann Arbor Michigan UMI Dissertation Services pp 106 7 Eutropius Book IX thelatinlibrary com Archived from the original on 10 September 2017 Retrieved 16 February 2012 Nikolova Kapka Sofia Archived 20 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine University of Indiana Emperor Constantine the Great even considered the possibility for Serdika to become the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire Green Bernard 2010 Christianity in Ancient Rome The First Three Centuries A amp C Black p 237 ISBN 978 0 567 03250 8 Archived from the original on 19 August 2020 Retrieved 12 September 2017 Bozhilov amp Gyuzelev 1999 pp 127 128 a b Stancheva 2010 pp 120 121 Slaviani 1967 Archived from the original on 18 August 2020 Retrieved 27 June 2019 Bozhilov amp Gyuzelev 1999 p 319 Bozhilov amp Gyuzelev 1999 pp 400 401 Stancheva 2010 pp 123 124 Stancheva 2010 pp 131 139 a b c d Ivanova Svetlana Ṣofya in Encyclopaedia of Islam Second Edition Edited by P Bearman Th Bianquis C E Bosworth E van Donzel W P Heinrichs Consulted online on 23 January 2018 Cited in Halenbakov O Detska enciklopediya Blgariya Zalezt na carete s 18 Godisnjak Drustvo Istoricara Bosne i Hercegovine Sarajevo 1950 p 174 Archived from the original on 18 August 2020 Retrieved 27 June 2019 Sanџak Sofiјa Ovaј јe sanџak osnovan oko g 1393 Stancheva 2010 pp 165 167 169 Stancheva 2010 pp 154 155 Sofia Trip around Sofia Balkan tourist 1968 Archived from the original on 5 March 2016 Retrieved 8 August 2015 nbsp This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Herbermann Charles ed 1913 Sardica Catholic Encyclopedia New York Robert Appleton Company Kemal Karpat 1985 Ottoman Population 1830 1914 Demographic and Social Characteristics Archived 10 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine The University of Wisconsin Press p 36 VOENNAYa LITERATURA Voennaya istoriya Genov C Russko tureckaya vojna 1877 1878 gg i podvig osvoboditelej lib ru Archived from the original on 5 March 2016 Retrieved 8 August 2015 Kiradzhiev Svetlin 2006 Sofia 125 years a capital 1879 2004 Guttenberg ISBN 978 954 617 011 8 Crampton 2006 p 114 Crampton RJ 2006 1997 A Concise History of Bulgaria Cambridge Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 85085 1 E novinar com Novinite na edno myasto Mohailova Tihomria In 1900 the first electric lamp lit the streets of Sofia Novinar novinar bg in Bulgarian 12 March 2014 Archived from the original on 18 June 2016 Retrieved 22 December 2016 Hall 2000 p 97 Hall 2000 p 118 L Ivanov 1991 Sofia street naming proposal Archived 25 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine Sofia City Place names Commission 22 January 1991 a b 2011 census Sofia capital PDF 23 ed Sofia National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria 2012 p 37 40 43 68 71 74 99 117 132 190 193 196 Archived from the original PDF on 15 February 2016 a b Collective 1980 Encyclopedia of Figurative Arts in Bulgaria volume 1 Sofia Bulgarian Academy of Sciences pp 209 210 National parks in the world in Bulgarian journey bg Archived from the original on 23 May 2008 Retrieved 24 May 2008 Vitosha Mountain vitoshamount hit bg Archived from the original on 20 June 2004 Retrieved 29 April 2014 Sofia Council Obshinski svetnici 2019 2023 council sofia bg Archived from the original on 5 August 2020 Retrieved 21 August 2020 Rezultati Mestni izbori 27 oktomvri 2019 results cik bg Archived from the original on 15 January 2021 Retrieved 21 August 2020 a b District Mayors Sofia Municipality Archived from the original on 20 December 2009 Retrieved 26 December 2009 Fandakova over 60 24 Hours Archived from the original on 30 October 2015 Retrieved 2 November 2015 2015 Election Central Election Commission Archived from the original on 14 February 2016 Retrieved 12 February 2016 The party of Kuneva overcomes the falsified ballots with machines Topnews Archived from the original on 16 February 2016 Retrieved 2 November 2015 Escaped from Arena Armeets tell about the nightmare Vesti Archived from the original on 29 October 2015 Retrieved 2 November 2015 The head of the electoral commission in Sofia is resigning at the request of Borissov Dnevnik 30 October 2015 Archived from the original on 31 October 2015 Retrieved 2 November 2015 Sofia BG Stolichna obshina PDF 5 November 2011 Archived from the original PDF on 5 November 2011 Mestni izbori Mestni izbori i nacionalen referendum 2015 Cik bg Archived from the original on 16 February 2016 Retrieved 11 April 2018 Triglnikt na vlastta ili Largoto Kak se e promenyal prez godinite The Triangle of Power or The Largo How It Changed Throughout the Years Bulgarian National Television Archived from the original on 6 June 2020 Retrieved 1 November 2018 Kak she izglezhda novata plenarna zala na blgarskite deputati What will the new Parliament hall look like Bulgarian National Television 2 October 2018 Archived from the original on 29 May 2021 Retrieved 1 November 2018 Narodnoto sbranie muzej The National Assembly a Museum BTV Novinite 7 October 2018 Archived from the original on 8 October 2018 Retrieved 1 November 2018 REShENIE 4149 NS Sofiya 27 01 2017 Resolution No 4149 NS Sofia Central Electoral Commission 27 January 2017 Archived from the original on 4 April 2019 Retrieved 1 November 2018 Chalabi Mona 30 November 2012 Where are world s deadliest major cities theguardian com Archived from the original on 23 January 2017 Retrieved 25 September 2016 David Coulby Robert Cowen Crispin Jones 17 January 2013 World Yearbook of Education 2000 Education in Times of Transition Routledge p 10 ISBN 978 1 136 16603 7 Archived from the original on 18 April 2016 Retrieved 29 October 2015 crime rates have exploded in Sofia as well as in Moscow and St Petersburg Gergana Noutcheva 26 July 2012 European Foreign Policy and the Challenges of Balkan Accession Conditionality legitimacy and compliance Routledge p 192 ISBN 978 1 136 30619 8 Archived from the original on 18 April 2016 Retrieved 29 October 2015 The strongest EU demand structural changes of the judicial system had to do with the crime rate in Bulgaria and the apparent impotence of the authorities in Sofia to convict any of the murderes in the high profile mafia killings that shook the country in 2003 2005 Bulgarian Crime Where killing is a habit The Economist 27 October 2005 Archived from the original on 29 June 2015 Retrieved 21 October 2015 BBC NEWS Europe Romania and Bulgaria join the EU bbc co uk Archived from the original on 29 May 2021 Retrieved 25 September 2016 Bulgaria 2015 Crime and Safety Report 29 December 2016 Archived from the original on 29 December 2016 Crime Rates in Bulgaria s Sofia on the Rise Archived 22 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine Novinite The Most Dangerous Cities in Europe Business Insider Inc Archived from the original on 2 July 2015 Retrieved 23 October 2015 Crime in Sofia Safety in Sofia Archived from the original on 19 September 2015 Retrieved 21 October 2015 The prison in Sofia Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Gdin Samo 10 000 v zatvora 7000 ot tyah sa cigani 24chasa bg Archived from the original on 24 November 2015 Retrieved 11 April 2018 Sofia 2016 p 159 sfn error no target CITEREFSofia2016 help Sofia 2016 p 160 sfn error no target CITEREFSofia2016 help UPDATE Stallone Returning to NU BOYANA Film Studios in Bulgaria for Rambo 5 Novinite 30 August 2018 Archived from the original on 31 August 2018 Retrieved 28 October 2018 London Has Fallen Company Credits IMDb com Archived from the original on 27 January 2017 Retrieved 28 October 2018 source Archived from the original on 16 August 2016 Retrieved 16 July 2016 Kolekcii NIM Historymuseum org Archived from the original on 17 February 2015 Retrieved 11 April 2018 Funds and collections SS Cyril and Methodius National Library Archived from the original on 28 October 2018 Retrieved 28 October 2018 Ecker Gerhard 1984 Bulgarien Kunstdenkmaler aus vier Jahrtausenden von den Thrakern bis zur Gegenwart in German Koln DuMont Buchverlag ISBN 9783406398667 Archived from the original on 20 August 2020 Retrieved 12 September 2017 BVA News balkanvolleyball org Archived from the original on 20 February 2008 Retrieved 11 May 2008 Sofia municipality Tennis courts sofia bg Retrieved 11 May 2008 permanent dead link Tenis Klub Maleevi maleevaclub com Archived from the original on 14 March 2008 Retrieved 11 May 2008 Skate rinks in Sofia kunki org Archived from the original on 17 April 2008 Retrieved 11 May 2008 Journey bg History of the Sofia velodrome journey bg Archived from the original on 15 May 2005 Retrieved 11 May 2008 Swimming pools in Sofia including Spa centers tonus tialoto bg Archived from the original on 10 May 2008 Retrieved 11 May 2008 Population National statistical institute www nsi bg Archived from the original on 26 October 2018 Retrieved 31 October 2018 Population nsi bg National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria 2011 Archived from the original on 3 March 2016 Retrieved 12 February 2016 Romite sa izolirani ot buma v zaetostta na Balkanite Mediapool bg 11 December 2007 Archived from the original on 6 July 2011 Retrieved 11 April 2018 Population and Demographic Processes in 2014 Final data National statistical institute Nsi bg Archived from the original on 15 November 2016 Retrieved 11 April 2018 The World According to GaWC 2020 GaWC Research Network Globalization and World Cities Archived from the original on 24 August 2020 Retrieved 31 August 2020 The Global Financial Centres Index 27 PDF Long Finance March 2020 Archived PDF from the original on 28 March 2020 Retrieved 3 September 2020 Sofia ranks 30th in GDP capita employment growth 2013 2014 global report seenews com Archived from the original on 21 June 2015 Retrieved 22 January 2015 Global Metro Monitor An Uncertain recovery PDF brookings edu Archived PDF from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 22 January 2015 10 Top Cities Around The World To Launch Your Startup Forbes 29 November 2015 Archived from the original on 14 March 2016 Retrieved 13 March 2016 Regional gross domestic product PPS per inhabitant at current market prices by NUTS 3 regions Eurostat Archived from the original on 11 April 2016 Retrieved 12 March 2017 a b GDP by Economic Sector and Region National Statistical Institute Archived from the original on 16 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 Sofia 2016 p 64 sfn error no target CITEREFSofia2016 help Average monthly wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts National Statistical Institute Archived from the original on 7 June 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 Sofia 2016 p 72 sfn error no target CITEREFSofia2016 help a b Kapital Quarterly Sofiaecho com Archived from the original on 10 June 2016 Retrieved 11 April 2018 a b IT Sector in Sofia Invest Sofia Archived from the original on 14 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 Coca Cola Opens Its 2nd Largest Globally IT Center in Sofia Invest Sofia 9 June 2018 Archived from the original on 16 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 Ubisoft Sofia www ubisoft com Archived from the original on 15 August 2022 Retrieved 13 August 2022 Hewlett Packard Bulgaria Business Park Sofia Archived from the original on 17 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 VMware to invest 23M and Grow the Site in Sofia to over 1500 People Invest Sofia 7 May 2019 Archived from the original on 14 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 Bosch Group Officially Opened its New Office in Sofia Invest Sofia 25 June 2019 Archived from the original on 14 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 Financial Times Expands Its Team in Sofia Invest Sofia 2 July 2019 Archived from the original on 14 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 The Software Company Experian Opened its New Office Building in Sofia Invest Sofia 8 June 2019 Archived from the original on 14 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 a b IT Manufacturing in Sofia Invest Sofia Archived from the original on 14 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 American Control System Solutions Manufacturer Woodward Opens Production in Sofia Invest Sofia 27 February 2017 Archived from the original on 14 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 Festo to Invest 25 6 mln Euro in a New Production Unit in Sofia Invest Sofia 7 June 2018 Archived from the original on 14 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 Products Visteon Electronics Bulgaria Archived from the original on 14 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 Melexis to Invest 75M to Expand Its Operations in Bulgaria Invest Sofia 25 June 2019 Archived from the original on 14 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 Lufthansa Technik Sofia invests 30 mln euro to expand its facilities SIPA Group Archived from the original on 16 July 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 Sofia infrastructure from the official website of the Municipality Archived 28 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine in Bulgarian Sofia capital National Statistical Institute regional statistics 11 February 2013 Archived from the original on 14 November 2013 Retrieved 17 October 2013 Passengers 2018 2019 PDF Sofia Airport Archived PDF from the original on 9 June 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2020 History of the bus network in Sofia Sofiatraffic bg Archived from the original on 27 August 2013 Retrieved 30 August 2012 History of the tramway network in Sofia Sofiatraffic bg Archived from the original on 30 June 2016 Retrieved 30 August 2012 History of the trolleybus network in Sofia Sofiatraffic bg 14 February 1941 Archived from the original on 27 August 2013 Retrieved 30 August 2012 Public transport Sofia official website in Bulgarian sumc bg Archived from the original on 29 May 2021 Retrieved 24 May 2008 Transport Company Bulgaria official website in Bulgarian dak transport com Archived from the original on 7 September 2009 Retrieved 21 August 2009 Blgarska nacionalna televiziya Novini Bulgarian National Television News in Bulgarian bnt bg Archived from the original on 3 September 2012 Retrieved 2 September 2012 OP Transport i razshirenie Metropolitan bg Archived from the original on 14 August 2011 Retrieved 2 May 2018 Metropolitan Sofia Web Place metropolitan bg Archived from the original on 1 October 2008 Retrieved 24 May 2008 General Scheme Metropolitan bg Archived from the original on 14 May 2013 Retrieved 12 March 2013 National Federation of the Taxi Drivers in Bulgaria Regional Member Sofia nftvb com Archived from the original on 2 June 2008 Retrieved 24 May 2008 Shared Electric Vehicles Spark in Sofia Increase by 170 Novinite 13 March 2019 Archived from the original on 29 March 2019 Retrieved 30 March 2019 Sofia in Figures p 26 Fines for bad repair work Dnevnik newspaper dnevnik bg Archived from the original on 13 January 2009 Retrieved 24 May 2008 Sofia 2016 p 141 sfn error no target CITEREFSofia2016 help Sofia 2016 p 148 sfn error no target CITEREFSofia2016 help Register of Higher Schools in Bulgaria Ministry of Education and Science Archived from the original on 27 October 2018 Retrieved 27 October 2018 History acs bg Archived from the original on 14 June 2018 Retrieved 17 December 2018 Koi sa naj zhelanite gimnazii v Sofiya i koi paralelki ostanaha prazni Which high schools in Sofia are the most preferred Offnews 3 July 2018 Archived from the original on 27 October 2018 Retrieved 27 October 2018 a b Bulgarian universities Webometrics Ranking of World Universities Archived from the original on 12 November 2017 Retrieved 17 February 2019 Official website of the Sofia university History Sofia University Archived from the original on 19 October 2013 Retrieved 19 October 2013 Sofia University aims to attract more foreign students in Bulgarian Akademika 14 June 2013 Archived from the original on 20 October 2013 Retrieved 19 October 2013 University Faculties Sofia University Archived from the original on 19 October 2013 Retrieved 19 October 2013 Independent structures of SU Sofia University Archived from the original on 19 October 2013 Retrieved 19 October 2013 Faculty of Physics structure Sofia University Archived from the original on 19 October 2013 Retrieved 19 October 2013 University Centres Sofia University Archived from the original on 19 October 2013 Retrieved 19 October 2013 Bulgaria s Nuclear Institute New Cyclotron To Become Operational in 2 Years Novinite 27 October 2016 Archived from the original on 27 October 2018 Retrieved 27 October 2018 MSB Projects www msb bg Archived from the original on 28 October 2018 Retrieved 27 October 2018 Zapryanov Yoan 22 June 2018 Malkata izchislitelna armiya na Blgariya Bulgaria s small computing army in Bulgarian Kapital Daily Archived from the original on 17 November 2019 Retrieved 15 July 2018 Gradina Alzhir Sofiya opoznai bg in Bulgarian 19 June 2015 Archived from the original on 19 May 2021 Retrieved 19 May 2021 N pr d r Hasan Barmaui pocheten konsul na kralstvo Jordaniya v Blgariya pred Trud Jordaniya e vrata za Blgariya km Blizkiya Iztok trud bg in Bulgarian Trud 25 February 2020 Archived from the original on 19 May 2021 Retrieved 19 May 2021 Sister Cities of Ankara ankara bel tr Ankara Archived from the original on 28 April 2013 Retrieved 27 December 2019 Cu cine este infrățit Bucureștiul Adevărul in Romanian 21 February 2011 Archived from the original on 18 November 2019 Retrieved 18 November 2019 HE Prime Minister Presides Over Cabinet Regular Meeting pressarabia qa Press Arabia 28 November 2012 Archived from the original on 18 October 2020 Retrieved 19 May 2021 Perelik mist z yakimi Kiyevom pidpisani dokumenti pro poridnennya druzhbu spivrobitnictvo partnerstvo PDF kyivcity gov ua in Ukrainian Kyiv 15 February 2018 Archived PDF from the original on 28 January 2020 Retrieved 19 May 2021 Our Sister Cities sistercitiespgh org Sister Cities Association of Pittsburgh Archived from the original on 19 May 2021 Retrieved 19 May 2021 Sofia Shanghai to become sister cities bnr bg BNR Radio Bulgaria 23 November 2015 Archived from the original on 27 December 2019 Retrieved 27 December 2019 ערים שותפות tel aviv gov il in Hebrew Tel Aviv Archived from the original on 18 November 2017 Retrieved 19 May 2021 Sofia Budapest to Cooperate in Culture Tourism Economy Archived from the original on 11 May 2018 Retrieved 11 May 2018 Friendship and cooperation agreements Paris fr Archived from the original on 15 October 2013 Retrieved 12 October 2013 Acordos de geminacao de cooperacao e de amizade cm lisboa pt in Portuguese Lisboa Archived from the original on 31 October 2013 Retrieved 27 December 2019 Agreements with cities madrid es Madrid Archived from the original on 10 June 2020 Retrieved 27 December 2019 Partner cities yerevan am Yerevan Archived from the original on 19 August 2014 Retrieved 27 December 2019 Bibliography edit Sofia in Figures PDF in Bulgarian and English National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria 2016 Retrieved 26 October 2018 Bozhilov Ivan Gyuzelev Vasil 1999 Istoriya na srednovekovna Blgariya VII XIV vek History of Medieval Bulgaria VII XIV centuries in Bulgarian Sofia Anubis ISBN 954 426 204 0 Stancheva Magdalina 2010 Sofiya ot drevnostta do novi vremena Sofia from Antiquity to Modern Times in Bulgarian Sofia New Bulgarian University ISBN 978 954 535 579 0 Further reading editGigova Irina March 2011 The City and the Nation Sofia s Trajectory from Glory to Rubble in WWII Journal of Urban History 37 2 155 175 doi 10 1177 0096144210391612 S2CID 144022049 The 110 footnotes provide a guide to the literature on the city Sofia in Figures 2009 PDF Regional Statistical Office of Sofia 2009 Archived from the original PDF on 11 October 2011 Sofia 130 Years Capital in Bulgarian Archived from the original on 28 January 2011 External links editSofia at Wikipedia s sister projects nbsp Definitions from Wiktionary nbsp Media from Commons nbsp News from Wikinews nbsp Quotations from Wikiquote nbsp Texts from Wikisource nbsp Textbooks from Wikibooks nbsp Resources from Wikiversity nbsp Travel information from Wikivoyage Official website Online guide to Sofia Official Site of Sofia Public Transport Archived 25 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine Sofia at Curlie Archival images of Sofia Sofia by Night Light A Photographic Exhibition Virtual Guide to Ancient Serdica More than 25 live webcams from Sofia Pictures from Vitosha mountain Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sofia amp oldid 1222686838, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.