Guide TRAKIA-TOURS

SOFIA - HISTORY Sofia boasts a millenium of history. Many people groups have inhabited the city over the centuries and have contributed to its rich and varied history. According to archaeologists and their research the territory of Sofia and its vicinity were populated as far back as the 4th-3rd millenia B.C. The Thracian tribe of Serdi moved here during the 7th century B.C. and gave Sofia its first recorded name, Serdika. During the 1st century B.C. the Romans, appreciating the important geographic position of the city (surrounded by mountains and its numerous warm mineral springs), built a city surrounded ... more

LANDMARKS IN SOFIA -> The St. Alexander Nevski Memorial Temple Every visitor to Sofia is amazed by the golden shine of the spires of the St. Alexander Nevski Memorial Temple - the largest Orthodox church on the Balkan Peninsula. St. Alexander Nevski church was built as a memorial to the 200 thousand casualties of the Russo-Turkish wars. The idea for its construction came up during the initial convening of the National Assembly in Veliko Tarnovo in 1879 and was the suggestion of Petko Karavelov, the Prime Minister-to-be. The funds were gathered quickly via donations in the beginning of 1882 with a grand ceremony. The people's enthusiasm was endless. The go ... more

LANDMARKS IN SOFIA -> The St. Sofia church The St. Sofia church, which is across from the cathedral, gave its name to the city and is still one of Sofia's treasures. It is one of the most remarkable early Christian' churches. It was built during the end of the 5th and the beginning of the 6th centuries and is one of the few buildings remaining from the time of the Emperor Justinian. In the beginning it served as a fortress, where people could hide from the incursions of barbarian tribes. Later it played an active role in the life of Serdika, as it was the metropolitan church. A large church council was held here wit ... more

LANDMARKS IN SOFIA Next to the St. Alexander Nevski Memorial Temple is the National Gallery for Foreign Art - an elegant baroque building. Masterpieces of the world famous artists like Rodin and Picasso are exhibited in spacious rooms. To the left of the gallery, amid everyday street traffic, stands the Vasil Levski Monument - an obelisk, which marks the site, where the national hero was hung by the Turks in 1873. It was created by Architect Anton Kolar and the Austrian sculpture Rudolph Weir. It was erected in 1891. The Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Library was built from 1939 to 1944. The project was ... more

LANDMARKS IN SOFIA->1 THE OFFICERS' CLUB was designed by the Czech architect Anton Kolar and was constructed from 1895 to 1900. This is one of the first respectable buildings built in Sofia after the Liberation. Now it is the centre for many community events. One of the most exquisite and luxurious churches in Sofia (judging by its exterior, at least) is THE RUSSIAN St. NICHOLAUS THE MIRACLE WORKER CHURCH. After the Liberation, Bulgaria had close ties to Russia and many Russians lived in the Bulgarian capital. The specific reason for the construction of St. Nicholaus, however, is most likely the fact that a Russia ... more

LANDMARKS IN SOFIA->2 Next to the museum is the Presidency . Right across from it, on the other side of the boulevard, is the former Communist Party Headquarters - now part of the National Assembly and the Council of Ministers. The ruins of the fortress and part of the eastern gate of Serdika are preserved in the underpass. Behind the Presidency and the Sheraton Hotel, one of the oldest buildings in Sofia has found refuge - THE St. GEORGE ROTUNDA, which dates from the first half of the 4th century. The central nave of the church is a circle with a diameter of 10 m (32 ft). A rectangular apse looks to the east; th ... more

BANSKO Bansko is situated in the foothills of the Pirin Mountain, in the southwestern section of the Razlog Plain, at 936 m (3070 feet) above sea level. It is situated on an enormous alluvial cone, formed by the Glazne River - a tributary to the Mesta River. The town literally made a name for itself as a settlement around the 9-10th century after the nearby neighbourhoods decided to group together. Until the 18th century the inhabitants of Bansko were predominantly stockbreeders and craftsmen. At the time of the National Revival the town solidified its place as a significant crafts and trade centre w ... more

BLAGOEVGRAD Blagoevgrad is the largest commercial and cultural centre in the Pirin region. It is situated at the foot of the Rila Mountain near the place where the Bistritsa River comes down from the mountain.The modern town is the successor to the old Thracian settlement called Skaptopara (market town). The name of Gorna Dzhumaya (upper market) is first mentioned in a document of the Rila Monastery in 1502 as a large open market on the upper Struma River; there was also a Barakli Dzhumaya on the lower Struma. During the Ottoman Rule, the settlement was an important roadside fortress. During the second ... more

GOTSE DELCHEV Gotse Delchev is situated in the valley of the Mesta River, on both banks of an eastern tributary, the Nevrokopska, just 22 km from the border of Bulgaria with Greece.The Thracian period of its past is connected with the Maedi tribe. Close to the spot where present-day Gotse Delchev stands, Alexander the Great founded a city and gave it his name - Alexandropolis. Later, the Roman emperor, Trajanus, built a settlement by the name of Nicopolis ad Nestum on the left bank of the Mesta in honor of his victory over the Dacians; this settlement became an important crossroads connecting the ancient ci ... more

DUPNITSA The town is situated at the foot of Rila, on both banks of the Dzherman River - a tributary to the Struma. which springs from the Seven Rila Lakes.Traces of life from five millenia B.C. have been discovered in the region, beside remains of the Thracian culture (a necropolis mound), and an ancient settlement and necropolis from the Roman era. During the period from 1993-1995, in the locale of Kulata, in the northwestern part of the town, workers discovered the foundations of a fortress which existed during the 4-6th century and was also used during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12th century), w ... more

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