The main attractions of sofia on the map. What is worth seeing in Sofia? Mountain range Vitosha
Sights of Sofia
Sofia, one of the most ancient cities in Europe, is home to many wonderful examples of ecclesiastical and historical architecture. Most city tours start from the walls Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky(Alexandronevskaya Lavra, 1882 - 1912), built in honor of 200 thousand Russian soldiers who died in the struggle for the liberation of Bulgaria from Turkish rule. It is the largest cathedral in Bulgaria (area - 2,600 sq. M., Height - 52 m., 12 gilded bells are installed on the bell tower of the cathedral, the largest of which weighs 11,758 kg.) And the largest Orthodox church in the Balkans. In the crypt of the cathedral is Museum of icons, and the interior of the cathedral amazes with the richness of architectural forms, majestic paintings, icons and mosaics. There is a building behind the cathedral Galleries of Foreign Art with an extensive collection of European, African and Oriental art.
Across the square from the cathedral is St. Sophia Church(VI century), which gave the name to the entire city. During the Turkish rule, minarets were added to the temple and for a long time it functioned as a mosque, until two earthquakes of the 20th century destroyed the minarets, after which the mosque was closed. At the walls of the church is located Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
One of the most interesting sights of the capital is the red brick built on the site of the Roman rotunda. Church of St. George- the oldest temple in Sofia. On the inner side of the dome, frescoes have been preserved, the earliest of which date back to the 10th century, and outside the remains of the streets of ancient Serdica (the Roman name of the city) are preserved. The ruins of a Roman residence with excellently preserved mosaics have been discovered under the Rila Hotel.
On the People's Assembly Square there is a magnificent building The National Assembly(1884) with an equestrian statue of the Russian Emperor Alexander II installed in front of it. By Boulevard Tsar Svoboditel you can walk past the Russian St. Nicholas Church(1913) and Museum of Natural Sciences, To Batenberg square, considered the center of Sofia. The building of the former mausoleum of Georgy Dimitrov opposite which are located National Gallery of Art and National Ethnographic Museum in the building of the former Royal Palace(1887).
In the park to the east of the mausoleum there is National Theater named after Ivana Vazov(1907) in the Baroque style. On the western side of the square, behind the building of the Bulgarian National Bank, lies Buyuk-Jami mosque(1496). In the area of Largo Street there are National Archaeological Museum, Church of St. Peter of Samothrace(XIV century), Bani Bashi Mosque(1576), Sofia synagogue(1909), underground shopping center and market (1911).
The most beautiful boulevard in the city - Boulevard Vitosha coming from Cathedral of St. Week, past numerous underground shopping galleries, to square of the Palace of Culture With monument to the 1300th anniversary of Bulgaria... In the nearby building of the Palace of Justice (1936) is located National History Museum- one of the largest historical museums in the Balkans, famous for its collection of gold finds from the 4th century. BC e. from the excavations near Panagyurishte. The museum also contains the only copy of the Bulgarian medieval chronicle - "History" of John Skilitsa - the most important source of the history of the first Bulgarian Kingdom.
On the street Graf Ignatiev lies rebuilt from the "Black Mosque" Church of St. Seventh-numbered(1528). Interesting Botanical museum v National Botanical Garden, Zoo museum v zoo, National Museum of Natural History, Museum of the History of Sofia, city art gallery v Central park, building Sofia University named after Kliment Ohridsky and Sofia Mineral Baths built on the site of Roman baths.
Boyana
Boyana- a suburb in the south-west of the city, adjacent to the foot of Vitosha Mountain (2290 m). At the top is a small UNESCO World Heritage Site. Boyana Church with magnificent wall paintings of the 13th century. Mount Vitosha itself is a traditional place for winter recreation, there are many mountain hotels, lifts, observation platforms and a fairly well-developed recreation infrastructure.
Around Sofia
119 km south of the capital lies the famous Rila Monastery(X century) - one of the spiritual centers of the country. On its territory are located such unique structures as five-story tower(1335) with Church of the Transfiguration, church gates(XIV century, now kept in the historical museum of the monastery), numbering 16,000 volumes monastery library, Khrelyov tower, five-domed Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin, the original "magernitsa" - monastery refectory and etc.
Near Sofia, in the city Pernik, there are the ruins of a Byzantine fortress, and in (17 km west of the capital) - the best of the Bulgarian thermal resorts with odes of "universal" composition.
In the valley of the Struma River (76 km southeast of Sofia) is located Zemen Monastery(XIII century) with a unique Church of St. John the Theologian famous for its beautiful paintings.
Your story about an amazing and wonderful land - Southwest Bulgaria- I'll start with a story about the weather, because every tourist wants to know what to expect in a particular region. As they say, "there is no bad weather - there is inappropriate clothing." Bulgaria has long become a coveted vacation spot for Russians, every year they travel to this country for two to four weeks on tour packages, rent housing for the whole summer, or acquire houses and apartments in Bulgaria as their property. One of the reasons is the excellent ecology and pleasant climate of the region.
The climate here is mostly changeable and it changes from north to south every 40-45 km. Traveling from Sofia to the south, towards Greece, along the E-79 highway, you immediately notice this, moreover, it is noticeable both in summer and in winter. In the north of the edge, in Sofia, the climate is continental - warm in summer, cold in winter, a lot of snow and it often rains. And after 45-50 kilometers south, passing by the city Dupnitsa, you notice how suddenly it immediately becomes warmer and the rains stop.
Further south, near the city Blagoevgrad, the temperature in summer is already over +30 o. Continuing the path for another 30 kilometers to the south, we enter Kresnenskoe gorge, where the air temperature immediately drops to + 20-25 o. We leave already in the temperate subtropics, where the average temperature reaches +40 o. In the far south, starting in the city Sandanski and to the Greek border, in summer for +40 o, and in winter it is never lower than + 10-12 o.
You can imagine how nature and landscape change behind the glass of a car. I wish you to see this beauty!
Sofia - the capital of Bulgaria
Story Sofia is very rich, and you cannot tell it in a small article, but you can draw a big picture. The first mention of Sophia dates back to the Neolithic era. Several settlements dating back to this period have been discovered on its territory.
In the 7th century BC. a Thracian city arose, called Serdonpolis, later Serdika. In the 4th century BC. the city was ruled by Philip II, and after - his son, Alexander the Great. In 29 year the city is part of the Roman Empire. During the time of Marcus Aurelius, and later, during the empire. Komodeb grows strongly and becomes the capital of Inner Dacia. Even later, when imp. Aurelian, in 271 - the capital of all Dacia.
Serdika is the favorite city of Constantine the Great. Emperor Justinian expands the city, builds new fortress walls. At the same time, during his reign, the St. Sophia Basilica was built, which later gave the name to the city.
In 809, Khan Krum annexed the city to the Bulgarian Khanate.
Today Sofia is an administrative, cultural and university center. Here 18% of production is concentrated. The city has a huge number of excellent hotels that offer excellent service. A double room in a 3 * hotel, with breakfast included, can be easily found for 40-50 levs (20-25 euros). There are a lot of excellent restaurants with affordable prices, as well as many interesting national-style taverns, where they cook very tasty, and where one lunch for two with salads, first, main course and with alcohol and dessert included will never exceed 60 leva.
There are a lot of museums, theaters, cinemas, historical, architectural and cultural monuments in the city. Some of them will be discussed below.
Church "Hagia Sophia"
The church was built in the IV-VI centuries. It is a cross-domed basilica with a narthex and a tristened apse. Near the southern wall is the monument to the "Unknown Soldier". In 1955, the temple was declared a cultural monument.
National History Museum
The museum was established in 1973. The museum has 32 rooms, which display 650,000 exhibits from the prehistoric era to the present day.
Boyana Church
The church was built at the end of the 20th century, is located in one of the suburban districts of Sofia and is known for its paintings from 1259. The surviving painting is the second layer on top of the older one. In 1979, this church was recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage.
Kremikovsky monastery
The monastery is located 3 km from Sofia, founded in the XIV century and is one of 14 monasteries built at the same time around Sofia. The monastery is currently in operation. It has two residential buildings and two churches - “St. George "(XV century) and" St. The Dormition of the Theotokos "(early XX century).
Church "St. Nicholas" (known as "Russian Church")
The St. Nicholas Church in Sofia is also known as the Russian Church.
This is one of the most beautiful churches in Bulgaria, built in 1912 by Russian craftsmen in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
The church has a non-standard architectural color scheme: the tiles are bright yellow, the Main dome is green, and 5 small domes are covered with gold. Bells are a gift from Nicholas II.
Sofia. Cathedral Church "Alexander Nevsky"
We will start our journey with Sofia... In Sofia, there are many interesting places where it is not only worth, but also worth visiting and seeing, but not to be missed The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, built in 1912 in honor of Russian soldiers who died in the liberation war of 1877-1878. This majestic and very beautiful building is located in the very center of the city. Its area is 3170 m 2, its height is 45 meters, it can accommodate 5000 parishioners.
The temple is a five-ship church in the neo-Byzantine style. Exceptionally high-quality and expensive materials are used in the interior: multi-colored Italian marbles, onyx from Brazil. Around the drum of the dome, the prayer "Our Father" is engraved in thin gold letters, and one of the most valuable collections of ancient icons is collected in the vault of the temple.
Kurilov Monastery
It was built at the very beginning Iskra gorge, on the right bank of the river Iskar 15 km from Sofia. The monastery began to be built in the 9th century, in the vicinity of the old Bulgarian fortress Beligrad (White Grad), it is one of the oldest monasteries in the Sofia diocese.
According to legend, in 1469 the relics of St. Ivan Rilski were placed here for some time. This happened during their transportation from Tarnovo to the Rila Monastery. In the 15th century, during the Turkish yoke, the monastery was destroyed. It was later restored by the monks in 1593.
In 1596 the monastery was painted by Pimen Zografsky Sophia, the most famous Bulgarian icon painter. The icons of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, Saints Constantine and Helena belong to his hand.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the monastery became a girl's. It is still in operation today and has been declared a cultural monument.
A huge number of sites write about the sights of Bulgaria and Sofia, but the most striking thing is that in half of the cases this is misinformation. The photographs are especially impressive. Yesterday I once again came across some kind of travel site filled with copywriter articles, including about the sights of Sofia. The article opened with a photo of some Czech city.
That is, the one who posted this article there has no idea what Sofia and its sights look like. People mercilessly rewrite everything that comes to hand and rummage in the internet for pictures. And if the photo is not signed, it will represent half of the capitals of Europe. The main thing is that it fits in size and texture. Trouble, not otherwise.
Something like a lapidarium in Doktorska Gradina. ...
Monument to Russian doctors -. There was a question about him in "What? Where? When?" - the connoisseurs have lost.
Place of execution and monument to the great Bulgarian revolutionary - the Angel of Freedom.
The famous landmark and emblem of Sofia is a template for all travel postcards. In his crypt (the door is right in the photo) there is an exposition of rare icons.
The Basilica of Hagia Sophia is the temple that gave the name to the city. In her dungeon there is one worthy of a visit.
Attractions of Sofia. The most important and interesting sights of Sofia are photos and videos, descriptions and reviews, location, sites.
- Last Minute Tours to Bulgaria
All All Archeology Architecture Treatment Museums Nature Religion
Any For Children Unesco
Most-most
Banya-Bashi Mosque
Sofia, boulevard princess Maria Louise, 25
The Sofia mosque Banya-Bashi is definitely one of the oldest in Europe, although it is difficult to name the exact date of its construction today. However, there is a stone with illegible inscriptions and numbers in the above-door arch of the mosque.
For kids
Children's Museum "Muzeiko" in Sofia
Sofia, st. Profesora Boyan Kamenov, 3
Science can be turned into a game, according to the founders of the Museumko Children's Museum and Science Center, which has opened in Sofia. To do this, it is enough to violate all sacred museum rules and allow everything that is prohibited in museums: touching, sniffing, experimenting with exhibits and playing with them.
Sofia is a city so ancient, with such a rich history that, of course, there is something to see here. This is evidenced by at least the ancient fortress of Serdika. It was built on the site of today's Sofia at the beginning of the first millennium AD by the Romans: the city of Serdica later became the capital of Thrace, a Roman province. For a long time, the ruins were hidden from view, studied and restored (for example, a fragment of the amphitheater was excavated by accident only in 2004). But today, guests of the city can absolutely freely admire the remains of the fortress walls and structures, as well as the restored churches, the oldest of which is already about 1700 years old.
Speaking about churches, one cannot fail to mention that there are a great many of them in Sofia. And each has its own story, interesting and old. The most striking and famous church in the Bulgarian capital is, of course, the Alexander Nevsky Monument Church. This is a monumental building, so impressive and beautiful that it can be considered the main attraction not only of Sofia, but of the whole country. The cathedral, built in honor of the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Turks, can accommodate up to five thousand believers at a time, and its interior is no less beautiful than the exterior.
Vitosha, itself considered one of the most interesting sights of Sofia, is a very picturesque mountain with snow-capped peaks, near which the national park of the same name is located.
The Church of St. Sophia, which is very close, is much less impressive and does not give the impression of splendor and pomp. But she inspires great respect and awe: the church is about 1400 years old, and it has never stopped fulfilling its function as an Orthodox church.
The Russian Embassy Church, consecrated in honor of Nicholas the Wonderworker, is also noteworthy. It is the only Russian Orthodox church in Sofia and is distinguished by its characteristic architecture with domes topped with gilded domes. Inside the church, in the crypt, are kept the relics of Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev), known as the wonderworker of Sophia. And another church, Boyanskaya, named after the village, is famous for its unique interior paintings. The first part of the church with three chapels was built in the 11th century, and the earliest frescoes date from the same time. In total, almost 90 paintings can be seen inside the church, which depict 240 individual characters. Together they represent the most extensive and valuable collection of medieval wall paintings in Bulgaria.
Camping
Boyana Church stands at the foot of Vitosha Mountain, which in itself is considered one of the most interesting sights of Sofia. This is a very picturesque mountain with snow-capped peaks, which has a national park of the same name. Vitosha has many ski resorts and hiking trails. If you do not have the desire to climb that far, then there are wonderful corners for outdoor recreation in Sofia itself. For example, this is the main city park Borisov Gradina. Once upon a time, three eminent gardeners had a hand in it, each of whom brought something of their own to the park's landscapes. Today the park is not very well-groomed, bushes and trees have grown densely, forming shady alleys with the ruins of old buildings, but this only adds to it a specific wild charm.
Sofia museums
Those wishing to touch the culture and history should visit several Sofia museums. First of all, perhaps, the National Historical Museum of Bulgaria. It possesses more than extensive funds, in which archaeological finds are especially interesting, the oldest of which date back to the Stone Age. There are more than 650 thousand artifacts in the museum's collection.
Sofia (Bulgaria) is not only the largest city in the country, but also its capital. A large number of tourists visit the local attractions every year. Travelers are attracted to this city by the beautiful architecture of historic buildings, harmoniously combined with modern infrastructure.
Sofia (Bulgaria) is considered the cultural center of the state. The population here is more than one and a half million. At the same time, there are about 20 higher education institutions in the city. The capital's Opera House, which was founded at the end of the 19th century, is famous all over the world. Those who are interested in Bulgaria, Sofia will not leave indifferent, because in this city you can get acquainted with the culture and traditions of the local population.
In the capital, travelers can visit the Philharmonic, enjoy the sounds of classical music at the conservatory. In addition, tourists are advised to visit local museums. One of the largest is the Historical. Also interesting are the expositions in the Ethnographic, Archaeological, Zoological museums.
The location of the city of Sofia (Bulgaria) is amazing. Photos of the capital show all the beauty of not only local architecture, but also the nature that spreads around.
The metropolis is located at the foot of Mount Vitosha, the slopes of which in the 20th century were turned into
There are also a lot of parks and squares in the city itself. Lovers of greenery will be delighted with the local vegetation.
One of the most ancient buildings in the capital is the Church of St. Sophia.
It dates back to the 5-6 centuries, and it is considered the hallmark of the modern city. All travelers first of all go on an excursion to this temple.
Of interest to tourists and the Church of St. George. The unique atmosphere and beautiful paintings and frescoes will appeal to almost all travelers who are interested. There are also Turkish mosques in the city, the walls of which are already several centuries old.
The most beautiful boulevard is Bulevard Vitosha, which starts near the Cathedral. Past numerous shopping galleries, it stretches directly to the Palace of Culture Square. The city of Sofia (Bulgaria) is considered one of the most beautiful European cities. Tourists are advised to visit the quarter on the southwestern outskirts called Boyana. It adjoins directly to the foot of Vitosha, and there is a small church, which UNESCO has included in the list of world heritage. The wall paintings here date from the 13th century.
The mountain itself is a great place for winter holidays. It has hotels with developed infrastructure, lifts, observation platforms. After the season comes, the area is quite lively. Tourists come to Vitosha from all over the world.
Sofia (Bulgaria) annually attracts a huge number of travelers. And not in vain, because all the conditions for cultural recreation, walks in the most beautiful places and acquaintance with the history of the country have been created here. In the city you can find a huge number of monuments of church and historical architecture.
