Sofia

Sofia 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 parts 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 center of the Balkans, it is midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, and closest to the Aegean Sea.

Known as Serdica in Antiquity and Sredets in the Middle Ages, Sofia has been an area of human habitation since at least 7000 BCE. The recorded history of the city begins with the attestation of the conquest of Serdica by the Roman Republic in 29 BCE 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.

All pictures are © Dr. Günther Eichhorn, unless otherwise noted.

Sofia

National Art Gallery, the former royal palace of Bulgaria. (906k)

National Art Gallery. (1209k)

Bulgaria National Assembly Building, former headquarters of the Bulgarian Communist Party. (822k)

Front of the former headquarters of the Bulgarian Communist Party. (672k)

Ivan Vazov National Theater. (1099k)

Front of the Ivan Vazov National Theater. (926k)

Fountain in front of the Ivan Vazov National Theater. (1328k)

National Archaeological Museum, Bulgaria. (879k)

Sofia History Museum. (1013k)

Statue of Apollo Medicus. (884k)

Remnants of ancient Serdica, discovered during subway excavations under central Sofia. (933k)

Remnants of ancient Serdica. (1262k)

Remnants of ancient Serdica. (868k)

Guards at the president's palace. (997k)

Change of the guards. (847k)

Churches, Synagogues, and Mosques

Sofia's Central Market Hall with the Sofia Synagogue on the left and the Banya Bashi Mosque on the right. (909k)

Sofia Synagogue. (1300k)

Banya Bashi Mosque. (961k)

Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. (1472k)

Church of Saint Petka of the Saddlers from 11^th century. (1004k)

Saint Nedelya Church. (1174k)

Russian Church, officially Church of Saint Nicholas the Miracle-Maker. (1181k)

Entrance to the Russian Church. (1114k)

Saint George Rotunda, early 4^th century CE. (1.6M)

Saint George Rotunda, early 4^th century CE. (1288k)

Saint Sophia Church, a Roman basilica, the oldest church in Sofia from 4^th century. (1302k)

Closer view of the Saint Sophia Church. (1190k)

Lion statue in front of Saint Sophia Church. (1191k)

Saint Alexander Nevski Cathedral from 1924. (1138k)

Saint Alexander Nevski Cathedral. (1012k)

Dragalevtsi Monastery

From the Dragalevtsi Monastery entry in Wikipedia:

Dragalevtsi Monastery of the Holy Mother of God of Vitosha (Bulgarian: Драгалевски манастир „Света Богородица Витошка“, Dragalevski manastir „Sveta Bogoroditsa Vitoshka“) is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery on the lower slopes of Vitosha mountain on the outskirts of the capital Sofia in western Bulgaria. Founded in the mid-14^th century by Bulgarian tsar Ivan Alexander, the monastery was abandoned after the Ottoman conquest of Sofia and reestablished in the late 15^th century, when it became an important literary center. The monastery church and some of its frescoes date from this period.