Sofia - more modern than ancient in the eyes of foreign tourists

published on 9/17/24 8:20 AM

An aerial view of the St Sophia Basilica. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral can be seen in the background.

Photo: Facebook/5MinutiSofia

St. Sophia - the church that gave the Bulgarian capital its present-day name - is dwarfed by St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which towers in the centre of the square of the same name. With its white façade, gleaming gold and green domes and beautiful ethereal architecture, it steals the spotlight from the smaller, red-brick St Sophia Temple, which is nestled away from the square.

Both buildings, however, are in their own way symbols of the Bulgarian capital and celebrate Sofia's holiday on September 17. On this day, the Orthodox Church honours the martyrs Vyara, Nadezhda and Lyubov (Faith, Hope and Love) and their mother Sophia (Wisdom), and since 1992, by decision of the city council, it has also been celebrated as the capital's day.

The building of the former Sofia Central Mineral Baths

"Foreign tourists who come to the capital for the first time are most impressed by the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the building of the former Sofia Central Mineral Baths and the National Theatre," Nikola, one of the guides of the Free Sofia Walking Tour, told Radio Bulgaria.

Jay from London, however, is more impressed by the mosque, synagogue and St Nedelya Cathedral, especially after tour guide Yoan's dramatic account of the Communist bombing of the church in 1925.

"I just wanted to travel. I heard about it from a colleague at work and then I came here in 2019. I knew almost nothing about Bulgaria," says Jay. And because he enjoyed Bulgaria the first time, he decided to come back. So far, Plovdiv, not Sofia, is his favourite city.

Alucia from Bratislava made the most of a business trip to Bulgaria by staying over the weekend to explore the capital. It is her first time here, but her impressions of Sofia so far are limited to... one of the souvenir shops where she bought rose oil products.

The Largo and the National Assembly building

Martina, who is from Croatia, likes Bulgarian food and thinks that the Largo and especially the parliament building look a bit like the parliament in Havana. She also sees similarities in the communist-era prefabricated blocks and even shows photos of the same in the Cuban capital.

"It has tradition, beautiful architecture - I love these buildings, they tell history. The food is great, I love the food. The city centre is similar to Saraevo. Sofia is a beautiful city with a lot of culture. It is wonderful," says Martina.

For a couple of young Americans, however, the capital is surprisingly modern:

"It is more modern than I was expecting. Like the guide said, with all the modern architecture and new buildings. I guess I was expecting a little more history in the architecture," says Britney from California.

Britney and David are newlyweds who decided to visit Sofia on their honeymoon. Without any preparation, without knowing anything about Bulgaria. They are here for one reason: the concert of Andrea Bocelli. "We arrived the night before, so we have seen almost nothing of Sofia, we have been to Rome and Florence, and now we are here".

Alexander, from Germany, is greatly amused by the statue of King Samuil near St Sophia, especially after learning the story of its glowing eyes, which gave the statue its popular name "The Vampire". Like the other tourists in the group, he didn't know much about Sofia before coming here.

"I knew that Bulgaria was a former communist country and that it was on the side of the Axis powers during the Second World War. But I had no idea what the situation in Bulgaria and in the capital is like now".

The Free Sofia Tour logically ends in front of St Sofia's Basilica, from where you can see Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Most tourists come to take pictures in front of the cathedral.

"In 99% of cases, people are pleasantly surprised by Sofia. They usually come with no expectations and leave with lots of positive impressions," sums up guide Nikola. "For me, this is the best job because we are, in a way, ambassadors of our country. We also get to meet people from all over the world, which enriches us immensely.

Photos: Facebook/5MinutiSofia, Ani Petrova, Vladimir Petkov, Elizabeth Radkova

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Sofia - more modern than ancient in the eyes of foreign tourists

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