"I have spent my entire life in Sofia and sometimes I find difficulties liking the city. It has happened to me to think that I would hardly ever find it interesting again. But Sofia always finds ways to remind me that I love it with all the charming streets, restaurants, theatres, museums, parks..." This is what Dimitar Stefanov says and continues his story about the beloved city with an amazing series of photo collages that blends modern pictures of Sofia with old photographs from the capital city. The project is called "The Lost Sofia" and the inspiration for it has come from the interest of the author towards a website, entitled "Lost Bulgaria" with creator Peyo Kolev. The site hosts countless photos of people, places and events in Bulgaria over the past centuries. That is where Dimitar took the archival photos of the city from and combined them with contemporary photos that he took himself. Here's what the author told us:

"I've seen similar collages in Berlin and Paris, showing photos taken during the Second World War, combined with photos of the city today. I have wondered why nobody had done this for Sofia and decided that I should do this for my beloved city. I selected old photographs that I could use and uploaded them to my phone in order to be able to see the old photo as a background while shooting. I wanted to find the right angle. Processing the photos, putting them on one another, was a true pleasure. It was like a puzzle that had been waiting to be put together. I did not want to put two photos next to each other but to merge them into one, to point out the similarities and differences between past and present."

Dimitar says people are impressed by the collages, but also quite surprised by the fact how little the city has changed over the years. "Lost Sofia" focuses on something else, too:

"The most important of the whole series is to appreciate that in our city there are many beautiful buildings, but some of them already need restoration. I do not like the fact that buildings downtown do not have similar appearance, unlike other European cities. Here, we see very old buildings and next to them there are buildings from the time of socialism, as well as new modern-looking buildings. "

Today's street Graf Ignatiev. At the bottom right is the mosque Kodzha-Dervish Mehmed Pasha, or Black mosque on whose foundation several years later would be built St.. Sedmochislenitsi. (The Seven Saints) Cathedral

We rarely look up to think about the urban environment we live in. Perhaps carelessness and selfishness have been destroying many of the emblematic buildings of Sofia little by little, day after day, together with our cultural heritage. Naturally this has been happening in other Bulgarian cities and towns.

Think about the favourite place in your city. Wouldn’t you be sad if your grandchildren did not have the opportunity to see it?

Dimitar Stefanov’s favourite places in Sofia are Graf Ignatiev Str. and Slaveykov Square.

"The spirit of old Sofia is preserved here. There are few new buildings and the architectural style is similar. I like the old part of the city," Dimitar Stefanov says in conclusion.

English: Alexander Markov