Sofia now has a new spot for walks and leisure time activities downtown – the newly created Vazrajdane Park, spreading across 5.2 ha and offering fun for everyone.

The first thing one sees while walking along the curvy lanes is a whole bunch of teenagers, comfortably sitting into the grass – talking or playing cards. Next you see many folks reading books on the benches, children around the interactive “dry” fountain that resembles a spot with water jumping out of it and there is also a playground with rides, slides and sandstones.

Sports fans may ride bikes, run around or play clay court tennis. An amphitheatre with 90 seats has been built up, where different shows and cultural events will be organized.

The second stage of the park’s construction envisages the creation of a spot for circus which will be also used as a skateboarding playground.

Of course, parents with little kids are the ones who visit the place most often. A mother, walking around with her daughter says that the park is really beautiful, but:

“There are no trees at one side of the whole thing and no one will be able to sit there in the summer’s heat. We live nearby and we were eager to see the park’s unveiling, as the spot used to be abandoned before. The circus used to come here in the past and now we expect it again…”

Most visitors of the Vazrajdane Park point at the lack of large trees which are essential for the summer days. The old ones have been uprooted during the park’s creation and the new ones are still far away from the desired shadow.

Some of the visitors remember what the place looked like years ago. “Bricks and other kinds of building materials were sold here when I was young. I don’t live in the area, but I decided to come and have a look around, as Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova had praised it a lot,” says Mr. Pavlov, while enjoying the spring sun on a bench.

Another fan of dog walks, accompanied by his little pet goes on to say:

“The park is really good, but with no planting at all. I don’t know why they chopped off the trees that used to be here. There was a stadium at this spot once and I really wanted to see a new one. The alleys have been built up alongside each other and we find it difficult to walk around with my dog.”

Here is what a mom with a little baby said:

“The park is really awesome. I live next to it and I will visit it often. The place is great and there is a huge difference now for the entire neighborhood.”

Some EUR 3 mln. have been invested into the park, 2/3 of those provided by the Sofyiski Imoti JSC. The rest of the money comes from the Fund for Sustainable Urban Development of Sofia, under the Jessica Program. This has been the first newly created park in the capital city over the past 30 years. Despite the lack of enough planting which is obvious to everyone, it brings back to life one of the abandoned spots downtown Sofia.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev