Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Botanical gardens in eastern Europe often suffer the lack of funding and rather look vast gardens. At the center of София you can find a well-maintained botanical garden belonging to the university – it is rather small in size but a wonderful place the recover from the hustle-and-bustle on the streets. It can be found next to the Alexander-Newski-Cathedral and the National Gallery.
Continue reading “Scientific rose garden”
One of the most important sights at София is the Alexander Newski Cathedral. It is huge, the dome is around 45 meters high and it was designed in Neo-Byzantine style. The impressive house of prayer was built from the year 1882 on and is today the central church of the Bulgarian-Orthodox community and one of the fifty biggest Christian churches. It gives space to 5,000 worshippers and is named after Alexander Newsky, a saint of the Russian-Orthodox church.
Continue reading “Dark cathedral”
Ferdinand I of Bulgaria was interested in nature and science. Due to this, he initiated the foundation of the Natural History Museum of София, which was the first museum focusing on nature on the Balkans. The museum dates back to 1889 and it is special, very different to everything I’ve seen before. It is a bit strange, creepy and therefore a real recommendation.
Continue reading “Chamber of secrets”
When Bulgarian was freed from Ottoman reign in 1878 a royal palace was created at София. Today it contains the National Art Gallery (belonging to the National Gallery) which exhibits fantastic old and contemporary art. Sometimes the amazing palace architecture and decorations capture your views and distract you from the art works, most times both coexist in a wonderful symbiosis.
Continue reading “Palace of art”
Bulgaria has a long history. София was once known as Serdica, the capital of the Roman province of Thrace. The Macedonians conquered the city as well as the Huns and the Osmans. To explain this past and the archeological findings of the country, the Bulgarian Archeological Museum was opened in 1905. If you’re surprised by the structures of the building: yes, it was an Ottoman mosque built from 1451 on.
Continue reading “Romans and Greeks”
You might search quite a while until you find the rotunda dedicated to St. George the dragon slayer at the center of София, Bulgaria. The church, which is the oldest building of the city, is fully surrounded by modern buildings which contain a hotel, the ministry of science and the seat of the Bulgarian president. It dates back to Roman times and was built in the 4th century; the frescos inside date back to between the 10th and the 14th century CE.
Continue reading “Hidden church”
When you’re leaving the metro system of София at the main transportation hub Serdica, you’ll see a large statue of a woman with a golden face high above the square. It’s the Holy Sophia with a laurel wreath in one hand and an owl as the symbol of wisdom on the other arm. This statue was placed there just in the year 2000; before that, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (better known as Lenin) was standing there and looking at the headquarter of the Communist party.
Continue reading “Holy Sophia”
It is a bit hidden and located in an unusual area of София, but once you’ve found the National Polytechnic Museum you can enjoy strolling through the small exhibition of ancient and modern technologies. The museum was founded in 1957 and owns 22,000 exhibits – but only a small fraction (1,000 pieces) can be shown. While taking the tour you’re slowly advancing through the history of mankind; starting with mills and glass production, ending with smartphones and wearable devices.
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Sometimes you only need a plain eatery with good food. If you like burgers and delicious fries, than the Skaptobara is the right place for you. They have different locations throughout София; in the city center, at the Business Park and in different malls.
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When you’re following the Vitosha boulevard of София to the south you’ll end up at an impressive building surrounded by a large park: the National Palace of Culture (or short NDK). It was inaugurated in 1981 to celebrate the 1,300th anniversary of the official acceptance of Bulgaria as an independent state. The NDK is a giant culture and conference center with eight levels, 13 halls and 123,000 sq meters of space for events.
Continue reading “NDK”