Sofia beyond the clichés – Postwar architecture map presented in the capital

Twenty emblematic buildings from the socialist and post-socialist period of the Bulgarian capital are featured in the first tourist map of post-war architecture in Sofia.

Postwar Sofia Map documents the historical period after the 1940s and reveals lesser-known urban layers and transformations throughout the 20th century, reported Mila Mladenova from the Bulgarian National Radio’s "Horizont" channel. The map is a bilingual edition in both Bulgarian and English. It was created by Visit Sofia and the New Architectural Heritage Foundation.

The authors have avoided the clichéd landmarks, instead focusing on the layers behind the façades – from the inverted pyramid of the Bulgarian National Radio to the modernist administrative complexes, often hidden from usual tourist routes.

"This map is a blend, an intersection between cultural heritage, cultural tourism, and urban exploration", says architect Aneta Vasileva, lecturer at the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy. She adds that Sofia’s multilayered nature is its most valuable resource.

The two color-coded routes – blue and orange – start from the National Palace of Culture (NDK) and Interpred, encouraging both walking tours and travel by public transport, taking visitors beyond the central part of the city.

Edited by Veneta Nikolova

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov