The Country Statistics in Brief:
The official name of the country is Republic of Bulgaria and its government is a Parliamentary democracy. The capital of Bulgaria is Sofia. There are mountains to the west and plains to the east. The people of Bulgaria experience cold damp winters and very hot and dry summers.
Other major cities include: Varna, Burgas, and Ruse. The major language is Bulgarian. Eight-five percent of the country is Bulgarian Orthodox; thirteen percent are Muslim; and two percent practice other religions.
The traveler will find that Bulgaria is a great stopover when traveling between Western Europe and Greece or Turkey.
The place to begin your visit is the city of Sofia where more than 1500 years of Orthodox Churches and (lovely old) cobblestone alleys are hidden in the midst of the city's wide boulevards.
Plovdiv houses Roman ruins and art museums and is a brief thirty minutes away from the magnificent Bachkovo Monastery. Rilas Monastery is found in the highest of mountains on the Balkan Peninsula and is considered a masterpiece of Bulgarian art.
Your visit will be complete by making a visit to the beaches of the Black Sea Coast.
It is suggested while making your journey from western Bulgaria to make a stop in the beautiful town of Veliko Turnovo.
First stop is Sofia where the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky was originally erected in memory of the 200,000 Russians who died in the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish War. Here you will be delighted to find an impressive array of religious artifacts and paintings of icons: considered the richest of this kind of collection within the country. The collection is found by accessing a separate entrance left of the main church.
You may find antiques; handmade crafts and handmade lace and embroidery offered for sale at the markets surrounding the city square.
The focal point of Sofia is the Cathedral of St. Nedelya. Inside are beautiful frescoes “blackened” by soot. The church is a reconstruction of the fourteenth century original destroyed by a bomb that was part of an attempt on (then) Tsar Boris III's life in (the year) 1925. The Tsar was able to escape; however 190 generals and politicians were not so lucky
St. George's Rotunda is found in the courtyard behind the Sheraton Hotel and dates back to the fourth century. The church is one of Sofia's most significant sites. Along side it you will find a former Roman bath and the ancient remains of the town of Serdica.
The Church of St. Petya of Samardzhiyska provides layers of frescoes on its ceiling and upper walls. It is rumored that the church originally held the bones of Bulgaria's national hero: Vasil Levsky.
Walk up the way on Maria Luiza and make a left on Tsar Simeon to reach the Synagogue of Sofia. The synagogue has been beautifully restored and provides the visitor with a museum in the upstairs portion of the church where one may learn about the history of the Jews in Bulgaria.
The House of Parliament and the Royal Palace are found on each end of the Tsar Osvoboditel. Midway sits the Russian Church of St. Nicholas built in 1913. The church design includes five Russian Orthodox-style domes.
Museums may be found by heading down Suborna from St. Nedelya and taking your first left on Lege to reach the National Archaeological Museum. The museum “houses” artifacts and items from Thracian, Greek, Roman settlements dating back 2000 years.
The Royal Palace houses the National Museum of Ethnography which provides details of the Armenians' role in Bulgaria. The National Art Gallery considered Bulgaria's finest gallery of art is also within the Palace walls.
You may attain seats for the Ivan Vazov National Theater at Rakovski 98. The Cinemas will often show subtitled Hollywood Movies-the best places to try are Vitosha 62 and pl. Vasil Levski 1.
Smartly dressed Sofians roam the main streets and fill the bars along bul. Vitosha as well as the cafes surrounding the NDK.
Biraria Luciana features beer from seven different countries.
Karaoke is offered at Bibloteka where there are many reproductions of essays and old leather books.
You may find a number of interesting excursions traveling away from Sofia. In example, Rila Monastery was built by Holy Ivan of Rila in the tenth century.
The monastery is the largest and most famous in Bulgaria. The monastery was moved to its current location in the 14th century sheltering manuscript copying and the arts of icon painting during the Byzantine and Ottoman occupations. It remained a cultural oasis for five centuries. The current monastery was constructed between 1834 and 1837. Little remains of the earlier structure. It is suggested you examine the 1200 beautifully colored frescoes (on the central chapel). Also, visit the museum.
