Attractions in Sofia
Sofia, one of the oldest cities in Europe, has many wonderful examples of ecclesiastical and historical architecture. Most city tours start from the walls Alexander Nevsky Cathedral(Alexandronevskaya Lavra, 1882 - 1912), built in honor of 200 thousand Russian soldiers who fell in the struggle for the liberation of Bulgaria from Turkish rule. This is the largest cathedral in Bulgaria (area - 2600 sq. m., height - 52 m., 12 gilded bells are installed on the bell tower of the cathedral, the largest of which weighs 11,758 kg.) And the largest Orthodox church in the Balkans. In the crypt of the cathedral is Museum of Icons, and the interior of the cathedral amazes with the richness of architectural forms, majestic paintings, icons and mosaics. Behind the cathedral is a building Foreign Art Galleries with an extensive collection of European, African and Oriental art.
Across the square from the cathedral is Church of St. Sophia(VI century), which gave the name to the whole city. During the Turkish rule, minarets were added to the temple and for a long time it functioned as a mosque, until two earthquakes of the 20th century destroyed the minarets, after which the mosque was closed. At the walls of the church is Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
One of the most interesting sights of the capital is built of red brick on the site of the Roman rotunda. Church of St. George- the oldest temple of Sofia. On the inside of the dome, frescoes have been preserved, the earliest of which date back to the 10th century, and on the outside, the remains of the streets of ancient Serdika (the Roman name of the city) have been preserved. Under the hotel "Rila" were found the ruins of a Roman residence with an excellently preserved mosaic.
On People's Assembly Square a majestic building National Assembly(1884) with an equestrian statue of the Russian Emperor Alexander II installed in front of it. By Boulevard Tsar Liberator you can pass by the Russian Church of St. Nicholas(1913) and Museum of Natural Sciences, To Batenberg Square, considered the center of Sofia. The building of the former Mausoleum of George Dimitrov, opposite which are located National Gallery of Art And National Ethnographic Museum in the building of the former Royal Palace(1887).
In the park east of the mausoleum is People's Theater Ivan Vazov(1907) in the Baroque style. On the western side of the square, behind the building of the Bulgarian National Bank, lies Mosque Buyuk-Jami(1496). In the Largo street area are located National Archaeological Museum, Church of St. Peter of Samothrace(XIV century), Bani Bashi Mosque(1576), Sophian synagogue(1909), underground mall and market (1911).
The most beautiful boulevard in the city - Vitosha boulevard coming from Cathedral of the Holy Week, past numerous underground shopping galleries, to square of the Palace of Culture With monument to the 1300th anniversary of Bulgaria. In the nearby building of the Palace of Justice (1936) is located National History Museum- one of the largest historical museums in the Balkans, famous for its collection of gold finds of the 4th century. BC e. from the excavations near Panagyurishte. The museum also holds the only copy of the Bulgarian medieval chronicle - "History" by John Skylitsa - the most important source of the history of the first Bulgarian Kingdom.
On the street Graf Ignatiev lies rebuilt from the "Black Mosque" Church of St. Sedmochisnitsa(1528). interesting Botanical Museum V National Botanical Garden, Zoo museum V zoo, National Museum of Natural History, Sofia History Museum, city art gallery V Central park, building Sofia University. Clement of Ohrid And Sofia mineral baths built on the site of Roman baths.
Boyana
Boyana- an outlying quarter in the south-west of the city, adjacent to the foot of Vitosha Mountain (2290 m). In its upper part there is a small Boyana Church with magnificent wall paintings of the XIII century. Mount Vitosha itself is a traditional place for winter recreation, there are many mountain hotels, ski lifts, viewing platforms and a well-developed recreation infrastructure.
Around Sofia
119 km south of the capital lies the famous Rila Monastery(X century) - one of the spiritual centers of the country. On its territory there are such unique structures as five-story tower(1335) with Church of the Transfiguration, church gates(XIV century, now stored in the historical museum of the monastery), with 16,000 volumes monastery library, Hrel's tower, five-dome Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin, the original "magernitsa" - monastery refectory and etc.
Not far from Sofia, in the city Pernik, there are the ruins of a Byzantine fortress, and (17 km west of the capital) - the best of the Bulgarian thermal resorts with odes to the "universal" composition.
In the valley of the Struma River (76 km southeast of Sofia) is located Zemensky Monastery(XIII century) with a unique Church of St. John the Evangelist famous for its beautiful paintings.
The church was built in the late 10th and early 11th centuries and is listed as a UNESCO heritage site. The main fame of the church was for its murals, which are a unique collection of paintings from the Middle Ages.
Rila Monastery
The Monastery of St. Ivan of Rylski is the largest and most famous Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is located in the southwestern part of the Rila Mountains, 117 km south of the capital Sofia, in the valley of the Rylska River at an altitude of 1147 m above sea level. Listed by UNESCO.
Attractions in Sofia
Sofia is one of the oldest cities in Europe. At the same time, it is one of the youngest European capitals.
On the central square of the city rises the bulk of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the largest in the Balkans - one of the main attractions in Sofia. The neo-Byzantine magnificent church was erected in 1882 in honor of the Russian soldiers who laid down their lives in the battles for the independence of Bulgaria. The interior is finished with Italian marble, Brazilian onyx, African gold, decorated with mosaics, frescoes and carvings. On the lower floor of the temple there is a collection of religious art - the most valuable ancient icons brought from Greek and Bulgarian monasteries.
Not far from the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is the Hagia Sophia, after which the capital city of Bulgaria was named. The main monument of Christianity in Sofia was built in the 4th century AD. For many centuries, it played the role of the religious center of the city: in 334, the Cathedral of St. Sedric was held in it, here in the Middle Ages there was the chair of the local bishop. Emperor Constantine the Great had a hand in the construction of the cathedral.
At the foot of Vitosha Mountain, on the outskirts of the city, stands the 13th century Boyana Church - another religious sightseeing in Sofia. Inside, unique wall frescoes from the 13th century have been preserved. The church ensemble is made of brick and is characterized by austerity, asceticism, so characteristic of medieval Bulgarian churches.
Mosques survived from the times of Ottoman rule - the Black Mosque of the 16th century and the Banya Bashi Mosque of the 16th century.
The historical heritage of Sofia and Bulgaria can be found in the National Historical Museum, which has archaeological, historical and ethnographic departments. For those interested in art - the road to the National Art Gallery. The museum's exposition includes works by Bulgarian artists and sculptors from the Renaissance to the mid-20th century.
Main natural attractions in Sofia- Vitosha National Park and Borisov Gradina City Park. Vitosha Nature Park is a protected area with forests, caves, rivers and a waterfall, where you can actively spend time: in winter - skiing and snowboarding, in summer - trekking and hiking, at any time of the year - a pleasant and relaxing holiday in nature.
TOURIST ANSWERS:
Sofia is certainly a beautiful city. The capital of Bulgaria and one of the oldest cities in Europe is full of historical sights. And here are some:
Bath-bashi-mosque
It is assumed that this mosque was built in the middle of the 16th century. At the same time, this is the only functioning Muslim temple in Sofia. The quadrangular red brick building with a large dome and a tall minaret is an excellent example of Ottoman architecture of that period. The walls of the prayer hall, arches and columns are made of stone, the main dome is covered with tin plates. The mosque acquired many changes in the 20s of the XX century, moreover, the reconstruction was sponsored by the Turkish ambassador in Sofia. The mosque can accommodate about 1200 people at a time. The mosque is located in the city center, the nearest metro station is Serdika.
Buyuk Mosque (Archaeological Museum) 
The nine-domed temple, built at the end of the 15th century on the ruins of an old Christian monastery, was a haven for a wide variety of objects. There was also a hospital, a library, and a printing house. A beautiful building, covered with ivy, today is the oldest Archaeological Museum in the country. It was founded in 1879. The museum's collections are impressive - more than 55,000 exhibits - this is no joke. And here you can look at the largest collection of coins (only in Bulgaria, not all over the world). On the first floor of the museum there is a collection of items from the Roman, Thracian, Greek and Byzantine periods. For example, here you can see early Christian mosaics from Hagia Sophia, pieces of Roman and Greek sarcophagi, tombstones of the 3rd-4th centuries. Yesho there is something “Vulchitrun Treasure” here - 13 golden Thracian vessels of 12.5 kilograms each. Most likely, they were used for rituals. Very interesting things, they were even placed in a separate room. There is a bronze statue of Apollo covered with gilding on the ground floor. True, without part of the legs and arms. But it's still impressive. Another interesting statue is a copy of the statue of the Madara horseman (the original statue was carved into the rock near the village of Madara, it was not possible to bring it :) On the second floor there are Neolithic gizmos: clay dishes, weapons, dishes and more. There is also a hall with icons and parts of ancient frescoes.
Address: st. Sborna 2
Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky (Alexandronevskaya Lavra) 
The temple was built in 1882 - 1912 according to the designs of Russian architects in honor of a hundred thousand Russian soldiers who died in the 1878 war, helping Bulgaria throw off the shackles of Turkish domination. The cathedral is the largest Orthodox church in the Balkans and the largest cathedral in Bulgaria, its area is 2600 sq. m., height - 52 m. The bell tower of the cathedral is crowned with 12 gilded bells, the largest of which weighs 11,758 kg. It is a five-aisled temple, richly decorated with mosaics, stained-glass windows and frescoes. The central altar is dedicated to Saint Alexander Nevsky, the southern altar is dedicated to Saint Boris, who brought Christianity to Bulgaria, and the northern altar is dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius, those who created the "Cyrillic alphabet". Under the cathedral there is a dungeon where the Museum of Icons is located, where you can admire a collection of 300 icons and frescoes from all over the country.
Address: sq. Alexander Nevsky (Metro St. Kliment Ohridski)
Entrance: about 7 dollars (10 levs)
Schedule: Cathedral - daily 07:00 - 18:00. Museum - 10:30 - 18:30, except Tuesday.
Church of Hagia Sophia (Sveta Sofia)
This is an Orthodox church opposite the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. It was erected in the 6th century on the ruins of older churches. The building is in the shape of a cross, with a large dome. Early Christian floor mosaics are impressive. In the 16th century, the temple became a mosque, 2 minarets were added to the building. In the first quarter of the last century, an earthquake occurred that destroyed the minarets. And some time later, Hagia Sophia again became an Orthodox church.
Address: sq. Alexander Nevsky
Church of St. George (Sveti Georgi) 
The church was built around the end of III - beginning of IV centuries. It is believed that this is the oldest church in Sofia. From the 16th century until 1878 the church was a mosque. The interior decoration is very beautiful. The main value is the frescoes of the 6th - 12th centuries. The temple is still active today.
Address: Knyaz Dondukov boulevard, 2 (Serdika metro station)
National History Museum 
The collection of this museum is more than 650,000 exhibits, and they are designed to acquaint their guests with the history of Bulgaria from ancient times to the present day. The museum has three sections dedicated to archeology, history and ethnography. I think it's not worth listing what you can see here. The museum was founded in 73 of the last century.
Address: st. Vitoshko lale, 16
Lviv bridge 
Look for this bridge in the north of the city center. If you follow to the central railway station. It runs across the Vladaiskaya River. The bridge was built at the end of the 19th century instead of the old bridge. It is not difficult to guess that the bridge is called so, because it is guarded by four sculptures of lions made of bronze. This whole structure was quite expensive, but now it is one of the symbols of Sofia. By the way, one of these lions was depicted on the banknote of 20 leva from 1999 to 2007. Well, I think you definitely won't miss this bridge when exploring the historic center of the city.
Tomb of Prince Alexander I of Batenberg 
Alexander I of Batenberg is the first ruler of Bulgaria after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. His tomb is located in the center of the city. Prior to this, the remains of the ruler were in the Cathedral of St. George (until 87 of the last century). The tomb is an interesting building 11 meters high in the ancient Greek style. Sarcophane of Alexander is made of marble.
Doctor's Garden 
A small park in the center of Sofia is named so because there is a monument dedicated to the medical workers who died saving people during the Russian-Turkish war. This monument of granite and sandstone in the center of the park was erected here in 1884. The monument looks like a kind of pyramid, on which the names of 531 participating doctors are written. The base of the pyramid is decorated with bronze wreaths. Representatives of the Bulgarian Red Cross commemorate their colleagues on March 3 every year in this park. There is also a lapidarium in the park - an exposition of ancient samples of writing on stone slabs. It is small but very intriguing. Also in the park are parts of ancient buildings from the Balkans. For example, the decorations of the Temple of Zeus of the 2nd century - they were found under Garibaldi Square in the center of Sofia.
Helpful answer?
Sofia is one of the oldest European cities, where magnificent examples of church and historical architecture have been preserved to this day. Despite the fact that Sofia became the capital not so long ago - no more than a century and a half ago - it remains a curious center of culture for tourists, a place of mixing the cultures of the East and Europe, as well as a city filled with energy, contrasts and beauty.
Sofia is known to us as the capital of the state, but, in addition, this city includes twenty-four districts, large districts of the city. Sofia is full of life, the atmosphere of the city is full of ideas - both old and new, and all this happens against the backdrop of a picture of the unique richness of history. Locals, fortunately for tourists, are able to preserve the memory of past times.
Panorama of Sofia:
What can you see in Sofia? Most of the tourist routes start from the construction Temple-monument of St. Alexander Nevsky. On People's Assembly Square tourists will be curious to look at the structure National Assembly located there figure of Emperor Alexander II. While walking along Boulevard of the Tsar Liberator you can bypass Russian Church of St. Nicholas And Museum of Natural Sciences and be at Batenberg Square which is known as the center of the city.
Building Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky located on an area of 3170 square meters, it is designed for five thousand parishioners. The facade of the building is completely clad in white stone, and the doors at the entrance are made of Slavonian oak. Cathedral domes are covered with gilding. The bell tower is fifty-three meters high. There are twelve bells on it, the heaviest has a weight of twelve tons, and the lightest - only ten kilograms. The ringing of bells is carried over a distance of fifteen kilometers. The temple has a unique interior, it makes a powerful impression with its wonderful marble decorations, as well as murals and icons - there are eighty-two of them. They were painted by Czech, Bulgarian and Russian artists. Tourists are most impressed by the marble iconostasis, thrones - royal and patriarchal, as well as the pulpit. There is also a mosaic panel on which you can see the image of Tsar Ferdinand and Queen Eleanor.
Since 1946, two holidays have been celebrated in the Cathedral: on the twelfth of September - the transfer of the relics of St. Alexander Nevsky from Vladimir to St. Petersburg, and on the twenty-third of November - the day of the Assumption of St. Alexander Nevsky.
In the temple dungeon there is a crypt, which is a collection of icons, among which there are many masterpieces of icon painting. Since the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky is a monument, it does not have a specific parish. In this Cathedral, daily, Sunday and festive public services are held, but baptisms, weddings and funerals are not held. The only exceptions to this rule were the wedding of Tsar Boris III, who was on the throne in 1918-1943. - it was in 1930, he married Princess Giovanna of Savoy, then holding his funeral - in 1943, and also the funeral of Patriarch Kirill - in 1971 - and the famous opera singer Boris Khristov - in 1993 - the year .
The Church of St. Alexander Nevsky is the second largest Orthodox cathedral in the Balkans.
Church of St. Alexander Nevsky:
The best shops in the city are located along Vitosha Boulevard, and besides this, they are located in the gallery located near the National Palace of Culture. Tourists will certainly be interested in the only functioning mosque in Sofia, which was built at the end of the sixteenth century by the Turkish architect Koca Mimar Sinan. Another building - an architectural monument, which belongs to his merits - is the Selim II Mosque, which is located in Edirne. The building erected in Sofia bears the name Banya Bashi Mosques. In the back of the building there is a small, not so long ago found fragment of an old bathhouse, which previously adjoined the mosque, as well as a fountain with drinking hot water. You can visit inside the building only when the parishioners do not pray.
Banya Bashi Mosque:
Another memorable place in the city that has the word "Banya" in its name is Mineral (or Turkish) Bath, which was built at the beginning of the last century. This building is truly a pearl of architectural art and a historical landmark of Sofia. The beautiful facade of the building and the decoration with ceramics contain a message to the ornaments inherent in the churches of the city of Nessebar from the Middle Ages. In the nineties, in a difficult time for the Eastern European states, this building, sadly, was forgotten by the authorities, and for almost twenty years, reconstruction work has been going on here. In the future, the city authorities intend to open a museum in this place.
In the central part of a small Banski Square, which is located between the Banya Bashi Mosque and the Mineral Bath, there is a new fountain. And behind the Mineral Bath, a wonderful complex was erected with fountains from which drinking water flows.
Other interesting places in Sofia are Buyuk Mosque - Jami, Church of St. Peter of Samothrace, National Archaeological Museum, and Church of the Holy Sedma.
Curious for tourists will also be Museum of the History of Sofia, buildings of the Sofia University named after Kliment Orkhidsky, City Picture Gallery, which is located in Central Park, as well as Sofia Mineral Baths, which were erected on the site where the Roman baths used to be.
IN National History Museum you can fully learn about the traditions of the Bulgarian people, here is a wonderful set of exhibits. This cultural institution was founded not so long ago - in 1981 - then the 1300th anniversary of the statehood of Bulgaria was celebrated on a grand scale. The Thracian gold covered with legends was exhibited in such a way that tourists could look at each exhibit separately. Other items of the exhibition, ceramics, bas-reliefs and silver, allow you to get acquainted with local achievements during the Middle Ages. For example, there are a large number of artifacts belonging to the period of the Bulgarian Revival - here, among other things, there are folklore costumes, jewelry and items used in everyday life.
Your story about the amazing and wonderful land - Southwestern Bulgaria- I'll start with a story about the weather, because every tourist wants to know what he can expect in a particular region. As they say, "there is no bad weather - there are inappropriate clothes." Bulgaria has long been a coveted holiday destination for Russians; every year they travel to this country for two to four weeks on tour packages, rent housing for the whole summer or purchase houses and apartments in Bulgaria as property. One of the reasons is the excellent ecology and pleasant climate of the region.
The climate here is mostly changeable and it changes from north to south every 40-45 km. Traveling from Sofia to the south, towards Greece, along the E-79 motorway, you immediately notice it, moreover, it is noticeable both in summer and in winter. In the north of the region, sophia, The climate is continental - warm in summer, cold in winter, a lot of snow and it often rains. And after 45-50 kilometers to the south, passing by the city Dupnitsa, you notice how suddenly it immediately becomes warmer and the rains stop.
Further south, close to the city Blagoevgrad, the temperature in summer is already over +30 o. Continuing the path for another 30 kilometers to the south, we enter Kresna Gorge, where the air temperature immediately drops to + 20-25 o. We leave already in the temperate subtropics, where the average temperature reaches +40 o. In the far south, starting from the city sandanski and to the Greek border, in summer for +40 o, and in winter it does not happen below + 10-12 o.
You can imagine how nature and the landscape change behind the glass of a car. I want you to see this beauty!
Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria
Story Sofia very rich, and you can’t retell it in a small article, but you can draw a general picture. The first mention of Sofia dates back to the Neolithic era. Several settlements belonging to this period have been discovered on its territory.
In the 7th century BC. a Thracian city arose, called Serdonpolis, later - Serdika. In the IV century BC. the city was ruled by Philip II, and after that by his son, Alexander the Great. In the year 29, the city became part of the Roman Empire. During the time of Marcus Aurelius, and later, under imp. Komodeb grows strongly and becomes the capital of Inner Dacia. Still later, at imp. Aurelians, in 271 - the capital of all Dacia.
Serdica is the favorite city of Constantine the Great. Emperor Justinian expands the city, builds new fortifications. At the same time, during his reign, the basilica of St. Sophia was built, which later gave the city its name.
In 809, Khan Krum annexes the city to the Bulgarian Khanate.
Today Sofia is an administrative, cultural and university center. 18% of production is concentrated here. The city has a huge number of excellent hotels that offer excellent service. A double room in a 3 * hotel, with breakfast included, can be easily found for 40-50 leva (20-25 euros). There are a lot of excellent restaurants with affordable prices, as well as many interesting national-style taverns, where they cook very tasty, and where one lunch for two with salads, first, main course and including alcohol and dessert will never exceed 60 leva.
The city has a lot of museums, theaters, cinemas, monuments of history, architecture and culture. Some of them will be discussed below.
Church "Saint Sophia"
The church was built in the IV-VI centuries. It is a cross-domed basilica with a narthex and a three-walled apse. Near the southern wall is a monument to the "Unknown Soldier". In 1955, the temple was declared a cultural monument.
National History Museum
The museum was established in 1973. The museum has 32 halls, which exhibit 650,000 exhibits from the prehistoric era to the present day.
Boyana Church
The church was built at the end of the 20th century, is located in one of the suburban areas of Sofia and is known for its painting from 1259. The surviving painting is the second layer on top of the older one. In 1979, the UNESCO organization recognized this church as a world cultural heritage.
Kremikovskiy Monastery
The monastery is located 3 km from Sofia, founded in the XIV century and is one of the 14 monasteries built at the same time around Sofia. The monastery is currently active. It has two residential buildings and two churches - “St. George” (XV century) and “St. Dormition of the Theotokos" (beginning of the 20th century).
Church "St. Nicholas" (known as the "Russian Church")
The church "St. Nicholas" in Sofia is also known as the "Russian Church".
This is one of the most beautiful churches in Bulgaria, built in 1912 by Russian craftsmen in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
The church has a non-standard architectural color scheme: the tiles are bright yellow, the main dome is green, and 5 small domes are covered with gold. The bells were a gift from Nicholas II.
Sofia. Cathedral Church "Alexander Nevsky"
We will start our journey with Sofia. There are many interesting places in Sofia where you should not only visit and see, but you should not miss the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, built in 1912 in honor of Russian soldiers who died in the liberation war of 1877-1878. This majestic and very beautiful building is located in the very center of the city. Its area is 3170 m 2 , height - 45 meters, accommodates 5000 parishioners.
The temple is a five-column neo-Byzantine style church. The interior uses exclusively high-quality and expensive materials: multi-colored Italian marbles, onyx from Brazil. Around the drum of the dome, the prayer “Our Father” is engraved in thin gold letters, and one of the most valuable collections of ancient icons is collected in the vault of the temple.
Kurilovsky Monastery
It was built at the very beginning. Iskra Gorge, on the right bank of the river Iskar 15 km from Sofia. The monastery began to be built in the 9th century, in the vicinity of the old Bulgarian fortress Beligrad (White City), it is one of the oldest monasteries in the Sofia diocese.
According to legend, in 1469 the relics of St. Ivan Rilski were placed here for some time. This happened during their transportation from Tarnovo to the Rila Monastery. In the XV century, during the Turkish yoke, the monastery was destroyed. It was later restored by monks in 1593.
In 1596 the monastery was painted by Pimen Zografsky Sofia, the most famous Bulgarian icon painter. His own hand belongs to the icons of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, Saints Constantine and Helena.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the monastery became a maiden one. It is still active today and has been declared a cultural monument.
One of the emblems of the city of Sofia is a statue of a gilded woman, towering in the very center of the capital above the Serdika metro station. Other symbols include , rotunda St. George and so on. And among this venerable public, the statue of Sophia is the youngest and most scandalous. Not herself, of course, a brawler, but the history of her origin is associated with various "violations", which are remembered to this day. By the way, the statue of Sophia has been standing in this place for exactly 16 years, it was installed on December 28, 2000. Who do you think stood in this place before her? Right. Lenin.
The statue of Sophia looks to the east, V.I. also looked there. Lenin. On the other side stands the huge building of the National Assembly, on the spire of which there used to be a ruby star, and now the Bulgarian flag.
There are only two claims to this monument. The first is connected with her origin, and the second with her appearance, and it's not about beauty. The quality and artistry of performance are not questioned.
The problem is that this statue is seen as a pagan allegory of a Christian saint, which, according to some, should "offend the feelings of believers." Of course, we are talking about Hagia Sophia, the wisdom of God, whose daughters are Faith, Hope and Love. However, it is known that by "the wisdom of God" Christianity means the word of God, and not a woman. This is probably why the authors did not bother, but simply did what they think looks beautiful and contains all the good symbols: in one hand Sophia holds a laurel wreath, symbolizing victory and triumph, in the other she squeezes several antique coins in her fist, and on her shoulder a meter-long owl sits - a symbol of wisdom; on the head of the statue is the crown of Tyche - the ancient Greek goddess of fate.
The figure of a woman looks stately and imperious, has a height of 8 m 8 cm and stands on a 12-meter pedestal, the whole composition reaches a height of 26 meters. Initially, it was all black, but a year after the installation it was gilded and the face of the statue immediately began to resemble an antique golden mask for someone. Also, some do not like the presence of beautiful breasts and "immodest" dress.
The figure of the Sophia statue weighs five tons and consists of 160 parts. It was made in Iliyantsi for 9 whole months.
The second scandal is that this entire composition costs about $200,000, and there was no competition for this "government order". The then mayor Stefan Sofiyanski himself initiated this monument and appointed the performers himself. The sculptures by Georgi Chapknov and architect Stanislav Konstantinov were the authors of the statue of Sophia. They voted for her in the community on the day of the city of Sofia - September 17 (Hagia Sophia Day) and initially everyone thought that the sculpture would depict Hagia Sophia, but it turned out that it happened 🙂 Not only that! There are suspicions that the face of the "pagan" Sophia is very similar to the face of the mayor's wife Alice Sofiyansky. The authors themselves claim that the statue of Sophia has nothing to do with Christianity, but is simply a symbol of the city for all residents of the capital, regardless of whether they are Muslims, Jews or Buddhists. The indignant public considers such a statement to be a confession of violating the community's decision to build Hagia Sophia, because everyone knows that there are "negligibly few Muslims in Sofia, most Jews left the city back in 1948, and talking about the presence of Buddhists here is simply ridiculous."
