Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and has many mineral springs, such as the Sofia Central Mineral Baths. It has a humid continental climate. Being in the centre of the Balkans, it is midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, and closest to the Aegean Sea. Known as Serdica in Antiquity and Sredets in the Middle Ages, Sofia has been an area of human habitation since at least 7000 BC. The recorded history of the city begins with the attestation of the conquest of Serdica by the Roman Republic in 29 BC from the Celtic tribe Serdi. During the decline of the Roman Empire, the city was raided by Huns, Visigoths, Avars and Slavs. In 809, Serdica was incorporated into the Bulgarian Empire by Khan Krum and became known as Sredets. In 1018, the Byzantines ended Bulgarian rule until 1194, when it was reincorporated by the reborn Bulgarian Empire. Sredets became a major administrative, economic, cultural and literary hub until its conquest by the Ottomans in 1382. From 1530 to 1836, Sofia was the regional capital of Rumelia Eyalet, the Ottoman Empire's key province in Europe. Bulgarian rule was restored in 1878. Sofia was selected as the capital of the Third Bulgarian State in the next year, ushering a period of intense demographic and economic growth. Sofia is the 14th largest city in the European Union. It is surrounded by mountainsides, such as Vitosha by the southern side, Lyulin by the western side, and the Balkan Mountains by the north, which makes it the third highest European capital after Andorra la Vella and Madrid. Being Bulgaria's primary city, Sofia is home of many of the major local universities, cultural institutions and commercial companies. The city has been described as the "triangle of religious tolerance". This is because three temples of three major world religions—Christianity, Islam and Judaism—are situated close together: Sveta Nedelya Church, Banya Bashi Mosque and Sofia Synagogue. This triangle was recently expanded to a "square" and includes the Catholic Cathedral of St Joseph. Sofia has been named one of the top ten best places for start-up businesses in the world, especially in information technologies. It was Europe's most affordable capital to visit in 2013.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Notable quotes

“Long before the time when the German Emperor Charles V said that he talked German only to his horse, and when the German nobility wrote only in Latin and were ashamed of the German language, in "barbarous" Bulgaria, the Apostles Cyril and Methodius had created and spread the use of the old Bulgarian script.”
— Giorgi Dimitrov, at the , as reported in Mercia MacDermott, A History of Bulgaria: 1393–1885 (1962), p. 18
“Oh, you foolish freaks! Why are you ashamed to call yourself Bulgarians and why don't you read and speak in your mother tongue? Do you believe that the Bulgarians did not have their own czardom and country? For many years, they reigned and were glorious, famous all over the world and they made the powerful Romans and the wise Greeks pay them taxes many times.”
— Paisius of Hilendar, Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya (1762), translation reported in Nations and States in Southeast Europe, 2nd ed. (CDRSEE, 2009), p. 27

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and has many mineral springs, such as the Sofia Central Mineral Baths. It has a humid continental climate. Being in the centre of the Balkans, it is midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, and closest to the Aegean Sea.

Overview

Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and has many mineral springs, such as the Sofia Central Mineral Baths. It has a humid continental climate. Being in the centre of the Balkans, it is midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, and closest to the Aegean Sea. Known as Serdica in Antiquity and Sredets in the Middle Ages, Sofia has been an area of human habitation since at least 7000 BC. The recorded history of the city begins with the attestation of the conquest of Serdica by the Roman Republic in 29 BC from the Celtic tribe Serdi. During the decline of the Roman Empire, the city was raided by Huns, Visigoths, Avars and Slavs. In 809, Serdica was incorporated into the Bulgarian Empire by Khan Krum and became known as Sredets. In 1018, the Byzantines ended Bulgarian rule until 1194, when it was reincorporated by the reborn Bulgarian Empire. Sredets became a major administrative, economic, cultural and literary hub until its conquest by the Ottomans in 1382. From 1530 to 1836, Sofia was the regional capital of Rumelia Eyalet, the Ottoman Empire's key province in Europe. Bulgarian rule was restored in 1878. Sofia was selected as the capital of the Third Bulgarian State in the next year, ushering a period of intense demographic and economic growth. Sofia is the 14th largest city in the European Union. It is surrounded by mountainsides, such as Vitosha by the southern side, Lyulin by the western side, and the Balkan Mountains by the north, which makes it the third highest European capital after Andorra la Vella and Madrid. Being Bulgaria's primary city, Sofia is home of many of the major local universities, cultural institutions and commercial companies. The city has been described as the "triangle of religious tolerance". This is because three temples of three major world religions—Christianity, Islam and Judaism—are situated close together: Sveta Nedelya Church, Banya Bashi Mosque and Sofia Synagogue. This triangle was recently expanded to a "square" and includes the Catholic Cathedral of St Joseph. Sofia has been named one of the top ten best places for start-up businesses in the world, especially in information technologies. It was Europe's most affordable capital to visit in 2013.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Notable quotes

“Long before the time when the German Emperor Charles V said that he talked German only to his horse, and when the German nobility wrote only in Latin and were ashamed of the German language, in "barbarous" Bulgaria, the Apostles Cyril and Methodius had created and spread the use of the old Bulgarian script.”
— Giorgi Dimitrov, at the , as reported in Mercia MacDermott, A History of Bulgaria: 1393–1885 (1962), p. 18
“Oh, you foolish freaks! Why are you ashamed to call yourself Bulgarians and why don't you read and speak in your mother tongue? Do you believe that the Bulgarians did not have their own czardom and country? For many years, they reigned and were glorious, famous all over the world and they made the powerful Romans and the wise Greeks pay them taxes many times.”
— Paisius of Hilendar, Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya (1762), translation reported in Nations and States in Southeast Europe, 2nd ed. (CDRSEE, 2009), p. 27

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

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Sofia across IJR

In the Arcade

Landgrab: Sofia Falcone EditionPaint the map. Hold the line. Take the world. Now starring the Sofia Falcone parody.Landgrab: Baroness Kirsti Sofia Stenbock, Heiress of Toftaholm EditionPaint the map. Hold the line. Take the world. Now starring the Baroness Kirsti Sofia Stenbock, Heiress of Toftaholm parody.Landgrab: Sofia Teodora of Castell-Remlingen EditionPaint the map. Hold the line. Take the world. Now starring the Sofia Teodora of Castell-Remlingen parody.

Studio characters

AnnaSofia MåågAsk the Swedish artist everything the interviews skip.SofianoAsk the Burkinabé singer everything the interviews skip.Sofia VassilievaThe late-night sketch version — live in your chat.

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