Discovering Sofia, Bulgaria

by vcppow review

► added on 15th of August, 2008

Sofia has been conquered repeatedly throughout its history and has been part of the Roman, Macedonian, and Byzantine Empires, and in the Twentieth Century, became part of the Soviet Bloc. This turbulent history left Sofia with traces of all of the exotic cultures that have annexed it and it is a true melting pot of the peoples of different continents. Although Sophia was ruled by several different Empires, it always served a leading role in them and often served as the capital.

The History of Sofia dates to 500 BC when it was known as Serdica by the original Thracian settlers, and the city was later ruled by Philip of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. The named changed in 29 AD, after the Roman conquered it, to Ulpia Serdica. The city grew until it was over-run and destroyed in 449 AD by the Huns. The rebuilt city was called Triaditsa, and it became an intergrel part of the First Bulgarian Empire in 809 AD, gaining the Slavic name of Sredets. Sredets had several brushes with the Byzantine Empire which annexed it at least twice, but after finally rejoining the Bulgarian Empire, it grew in importance and wealth, due to trade and skilled craftsmen.

The modern name of Sophia (Greek for Wisdom) was taken in 1376 and remained the city’s name until the 16th century. During this time, Sofia was annexed by the Ottoman Empire and it served as the capital until it was liberated by the Russian victors of the Russo-Turkish War. Sofia then became the capital in 1908 of the newly formed Kingdom of Bulgaria.The Bulgarian government sided with the fascists in WWII, although many Bulgarian sheltered or refused to deport Jews. Sofia experienced significant Allied bombing, resulting in the loss of a large number of the city’s historical buildings. These were replaced by Neo Stalinist style utilitarian looking factories and apartment housing constructed of grey cement slabs, since post war Bulgarian fell under Russian, and later, Soviet rule. In 1989, the Soviet Union government was in upheaval and its rule over many countries, including Bulgaria, ended; Bulgaria, especially Sophia, was now free to begin its journey toward Europe, democracy and modernization. Today, Sophia is a complex city, still overshadowed by grim post war architecture, but with many modern glass and steel buildings and many fine historic buildings that belie the Byzantine heritage. Politically, it now looks to the West and is trying to attract European trade and tourism, and has applied for consideration to join the European Union.