The city of Sofia (Bulgarian: София), at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, has a population of 1,208,930 (2003), and is the capital of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Contents

1 History 2 Economy 3 Transportation 4 Backpacking information 5 Night life 6 Key figures 7 Institutions of higher education 8 External links

History

Founded 8th B.C., Sofia is the second oldest capital city in Europe. It has been given several names in the course of history and the remnants of the old cities can still be seen today.

Sofia was originally a Thracian settlement named Sardica, named after the Thracian tribe of Serdi. It was captured by Rome in AD 29 and became the capital of Dacia Mediterranea province. It was destroyed by the Huns in 447. The city was rebuilt by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I and renamed Triaditsa. Known as Sredets under the Bulgars, it was renamed Sofia (meaning "wisdom") in 1376. Sofia was taken by the Ottomans in 1382 and became the capital of the Turkish province of Rumelia. Sofia was taken by the Russians in 1878, and became the capital of an independent Bulgaria in 1879. During World War II the Russians captured Sofia and Bulgaria from the pro-German government.

There are 16 universities in the city, among which Sofia University, founded in 1889. It is the see of an Eastern Orthodox metropolitan and of a Roman Catholic diocese. Landmarks include the Church of St. George, the Church of St. Sofia, the Banya Bashi, and the Alexander Nevski Cathedral.

The motto of the city is "It grows but does not age".

Economy

Sofia is a major centre in Bulgaria's economic life. The manufacturing sector of the economy, represented by over 800 large manufacturing plants, includes metal products (75% of the total output in the country), textiles, rubber and leather goods, printing (50% of output) and electronics (15% of output). Sofia is also the country's financial hub, home to the Bulgarian National Bank, the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, as well as some of the country's largest commercial banks (such Bulbank, DSK Bank and the United Bulgarian Bank). Construction, trade and transportation are other important sectors to the local economy.

Transportation

With its well-developed infrastructure and strategic location, Sofia is an important centre for international railway and automobile routes. All major types of transportation (except water transport) are represented in the city, which is home to 8 railway stations, the Centre for Flight Control and the Sofia Airport (hub for flag-carrier Bulgaria Air). Three Trans-European Transport Corridors cross the city: 4, 8 and 10.

Public transit is well-developed, reliable and important to the city's economy; it is provided by means of underground trains (metro), buses, trams and electric buses. There are over 15,000 licensed taxi cabs operating in the city.

Backpacking information

A "Guia del Ocio"-type of guide is available at Programata.bg (http://www.programata.bg/index.php?page=&ln=2&city=1).

An electronic map is available at BGMaps.com (http://www.bgmaps.com/home.asp?lang=en)

Two hostels are Art Hostel (http://www.art-hostel.com/) and Kervan Hostel (http://www.kervanhostel.com/)

Night life

Notable Sofia music clubs are O'Shipka (rock, metal, hard-core) and Tri-Ushi (punk, ska, reggae)

Many Erasmus students, EU volunteers can be found at "The A-Partment" sort-of-private club.

The place to eat between clubs is Mimas - a doner kebab located at the intersection of Levski, Graf Ignatiev and Patriarch Evtimii streets.

During the summer, the place to go is Lodkite - an open-air bar in the city park. There is also a weekly drum circle in an abandoned summer stage in the same park, similar to Barcelona's Parque de la Ciutadella and Madrid's Retiro.

Key figures

General data

• Territory - 1,310 km²
• Elevation - 550 m
• Population - 1,208,930
• Population density - 907 people/km²
• Average age of population 38.3 years

Housing

• Number of units - 475,900
• Utilised area - 30 km²
• Living area per person - 15.1 m²
• Centrally-heated housing units - 437,000
• Length of the water supply network - 2,657 km
• Length of the drainage network - 822 km
• Length of the electricity network - 7,823 km
• Telephone land lines - 408,000

Street network

• Length - 2,670 km
• Area 28.126 km²
• vehicles - 750,000

Green zones

• Total number - 2,810
• Area � 54.41 km²
• Green zones per person - 48.7 m²

Institutions of higher education

• Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (http://www.bas.bg/)
• Sofia University St. Clement of Ohrid (Kliment Ohridski) (http://www.uni-sofia.bg/)
• University for National and World Economics (http://www.unwe.acad.bg/)
• University of Architecture, Construction and Geodesy (http://www.uacg.acad.bg/)
• Sofia Technical University (http://www.tu-sofia.bg/)
• University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy (http://www.uctm.edu/)
• St. John of Rila (Ivan Rilski) University of Mining and Technology (http://www.mgu.bg/)
• University of Forestry (http://www.ltu.bg/)
• Sofia Medical University (http://www.medun.acad.bg/)
• Vassil Levski National Sports Academy (http://www.nsa.bg/)
• Krastio Sarafov National Academy for the Theatre and Film Arts (http://natfiz.bitex.com/)
• National Academy for the Fine Arts (http://www.art.acad.bg/art/index-b.html)
• Prof. Pancho Vladigerov State Academy of Music (http://www.art.acad.bg/music/index-b.html)
• New Bulgarian University (http://www.nbu.bg/)
• Luben Karavelov Higher School for Civil Engineering (http://www.vsu.bg/)
• Todor Kableshkov Higher School for Transportation (http://www.vtu.bg/)
• Police Academy (http://www.vipond.mvr.bg/)
• G.S. Rakovsky Military Academy (http://rakovski-defcol.mod.bg/)

External links

• Official webpage (http://www.sofia.bg)
• Sofia City Council (http://www.sofiacouncil.bg/)
• Sofia.com (http://www.sofia.com)
• Pictures from Sofia (http://www.pbase.com/ngruev/sofia)
• More pictures from Sofia (http://www.pbase.com/ngruev/sofia2)
• Cultural Guide (http://www.programata.bg)
• Brief Information on Sofia (http://www.easybulgarian.com/tourism/sofia.html)

See also: List of cities in Bulgaria

bg:София de:Sofia es:Sof�a eo:Sofio fr:Sofia id:Sofia it:Sofia nl:Sofia (Bulgarije) ja:ソフィア (都市) pl:Sofia ro:Sofia ru:София sr:Софија fi:Sofia sv:Sofia, Bulgarien tt:Sofia