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Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria is one of the oldest capital cities in Europe. It is the largest city of the Republic of Bulgaria. The meaning of the name Sofia in Greek is 'wisdom.' The city, which first became part of the First Bulgarian Empire during the reign of Khan Krum in 809, was liberated by Russian forces in 1878 and became the capital of the autonomous Principality of Bulgaria in 1879. It later became the Kingdom of Bulgaria in 1908. Its development as a significant settlement owes much to its central position in the Balkans. Sofia is now the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country.
Hotels: The city offers all types of hotels ranging from cheap to luxurious. Mercure Ronceray Hotel Paris, Bily Lev Hotel Prague and Terminus Hotel Amsterdam are a few of the cheap hotels in the city. It provides its guests with tasty food and an excellent atmosphere for nominal rate. Kempinski Hotel Zografski, Hilton Sofia, Sofia Backpacker's Inn, Radisson SAS Grand Hotel and Mariot Hostel are the luxurious hotels in Sofia that provide world-class reception to its guests. Besides this, the city also offers villas occupied with pub, restaurant, swimming pools, mini market etc.
Places of Attraction: Sofia has a remarkable architectural style that entices its guests. The 10th century Boyana Church, the Alexander Nevski Cathedral -one of the world's largest Orthodox churches, and the Byzantine Church of St Sophia are the historic landmarks of the city. Bulgarian National Opera and Ballet and the Ivan Vazov National Theatre represent the city's modern architecture. Sofia is also home to numerous museums such as the National Historical Museum, the Bulgarian Natural History Museum, the Museum of Earth and Men, the Ethnographic Museum, the National Museum of Military History, the National Polytechnical Museum and the National Archaeological Museum.
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| COUNTRY |
Bulgaria |
| LOCATION |
Situated in western Bulgaria, at the northern foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the Sofia Valley, the city of Sofia is located 150 km northwest of Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city, 390 km west of Burgas and 470 km west of Varna, Bulgaria's major port-cities on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast.
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| GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES |
Latitude 42° 43' N, Longitude 23° 20' E
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| AREA |
1,349 sq. km. |
| POPULATION |
1,870,010 (2007) |
Sofia Zoological Garden founded in 1888 and Borisova gradina, Sofia's main and oldest garden formed in 1884, attract the tourists with its gorgeous flowers. Vitosha Boulevard -the world's 22nd most expensive commercial street and The Sofia Synagogue, the largest in the Balkans are the other points of interest for the visitors.
Transportation: Sofia has a well-developed infrastructure. Rail, air and road transport serve the city. It is an important center for international railway and automobile routes. Its eight railway stations and Sofia Airport, a hub for Bulgarian Air provide access to the city from other parts of the world. Public transit in the city is well developed. It provides underground trains, buses, trams and trolley buses and a subway system besides 15,000 licensed taxicabs that runs through the city.
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