SOFIA

SOFIA - BULGARIA

Sofia is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Bulgaria, with a population of 1,246,791 (making it the 15 largest city in theEuropean Union), and some 1,401,406 in the metropolitan area, the Capital Municipality. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the mountain massiff Vitosha, and is the administrative, cultural, and economic centre of the country.  One of the oldest capital cities in Europe, the history of Sofia dates back to the 8th century BC, when Thracians established a settlement there. Sofia has had several names in the different periods of its existence, and remnants of the city's millenary history can still be seen today alongside modern landmarks. Sofia's development as a significant settlement owes much to its central position in the Balkans. It is situated in western Bulgaria, at the northern foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the Sofia valley that is surrounded by mountains on all sides. The valley is the largest one in the country with territory of 1,186 km² and average altitude of 550 m. Three mountain passes lead to the city, which have been key roads since antiquity, connecting the Adriatic Sea and Centra Europe with the Black and Aegean seas.  A number of low rivers cross the city, including the Vladayska and the Perlovska. The Iskar river in its upper course flows near eastern Sofia. The city is known for its numerous mineral and thermal springs. Artificial and dam lakes were built in the last century.  It is located 150 km (90 miles) northwest of Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city, 390 km west of Burgas, 472 km (294 miles) west of Varna, Bulgaria's major port-cities on the Bulgarian Black sea Coast. The city is situted at less than 200 km from the borders with three countries: 55 km from Kalotina on the Serbian border, 113 km from Gyueshevo on the frontier with the Republic of Macedonia and 183 km from the Greek border at Kulata.  

The city also offers many places of special interest such as the Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Library, which houses the largest national book collection and is Bulgaria's oldest cultural institute, the Sofia State Library, the British Council, the Russian Cultural Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute, the Hungarian Institute, the Czech and the Slovak Cultural Institutes, the Italian Cultural Institute, the French Cultural Institute, Goethe Institut, Instituto Cervantes, and the Open Society Institute. Families with children can enjoy Sofia Land, the nearly nine-acre amusement park adjacent to the Sofia Zoological Garden (founded in 1888) as well as the Museum of Natural History.