The nature oasis in the centre of Sofia was established in 1882 as a plant nursery (pepiniera). At that time it was located on the outskirts of the city. In 1895 it was named "Prince Boris's Garden" in honour of Prince Ferdinand's son Boris, who had just turned one year old. The first gardener of the park was the Swiss Daniel Neff. He was the man who designed the first plan of the garden and planted the first 10 000 trees in it. The nursery was located on the site of Lake Ariane. Some of the centuries-old trees can still be seen in the park today. Interestingly, the construction of the Astronomical Observatory of Sofia University began in 1892 in the area of the park, and was completed two years later. Thus, only 6 years after its Independence, Bulgaria had one of the first observatories on the Balkans. The observatory is currently being renovated and restored.

Meanwhile, the garden continued to grow and expand. On the site of a former wetland, Neff formed a lake called the Fish pond, later to be renamed the Lily pond. The delicate aquatic flowers covering the lake mirror fill the spectators' hearts with romance and passion timese gone by. One can spot turtles among the green waxy leaves.

Once upon a time, more than a century ago, this park was a favourite place and source of inspiration for our great poet Peyo Yavorov. The memoir writer Mikhail Kremen recalls the poet's midnight walks in the Borisova Garden in his book "The Novel of Yavorov". "More than once Yavorov had led me on - supposedly to the Fish pond, but always to the end of the garden... where we wandered for hours, lost in the dark paths between the dense trees. I was afraid, especially in cloudy weather, but he reassured me: he had a revolver," Kremen takes us back to the atmosphere of the early twentieth century.

In 1906 the development of the Borisova Garden was entrusted to the hands of the Alsatian Joseph Fry. A rose garden was created on his idea, in which flower exhibitions are organized annually. Today the Rosarium is located next to the Vasil Levski Stadium. It is a quiet and pleasant place where you will often see people seated with a good book in their laps among the fragrant roses.

Monuments to Bulgarian artists or fighters for national independence are scattered along the central alleys of the garden, reminding of cultural high points and glorious moments of Bulgarian history.

Another place worth visiting is the so-called "Lake of the Waterfowl". Here you should see the most common duck in Bulgaria - the mallard duck. But ducks are creatures of their own kind. Even if you do not see one, the place will enchant you with its beauty.

Further into the park is a 41-meter obelisk left over from the times of the Soviet Union (1956) - Mound Of Brotherhood, in honour of the partisans who fought against fascism. Nowadays it is an isolated place where young people seeking privacy like to hang out.

Its alleys are cool in summer, under the shadows of lush green trees, its meadows are well-tended, there are flowers and many places for recreation and sport. It is no wonder that Borisovaya Garden is one of the most attractive places for rest and active leisure in the capital.