SOFIA-CENTRE HISTÒRIC (Sofia, Bulgària - agost 2022)
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 4.11 mi
- Elevation gain
- 59 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 59 ft
- Max elevation
- 1,843 ft
- TrailRank
- 57
- Min elevation
- 1,783 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Moving time
- one hour 6 minutes
- Time
- one hour 41 minutes
- Coordinates
- 1050
- Uploaded
- August 14, 2022
- Recorded
- August 2022
near Krasno Selo, София-град (България)
Viewed 212 times, downloaded 17 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
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i ️ Lost in translation? 🇪🇺🇬🇧 ... and more
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PALACE OF CULTURE-HISTORICAL CENTER- PALACE OF CULTURE
(Sofia, Bulgaria)
(Sunday, August 14, 2022)
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Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, offers visitors more than two thousand years of history. It is impressive to contemplate the old churches of early Christianity (St. Georgi Rotunda and the basilica of Sta. Sofia, for example); but there is more. The result of its spirit of national identity, which had its renaissance in the second half of the s. XIX, the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky was erected, the largest Orthodox temple in the Balkans. By the way, the leader of Bulgarian nationalism was also called Alexander Nevsky and his statue can be seen in front of the Parliament building, very close to the cathedral. A walk through the historical center of Sofia is a good opportunity to admire, not only the religious ensemble of its churches but also the monumentality of civil buildings and, in some of them, the vestiges of the Soviet culture of the former USSR .
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DATA - DATA - DATE
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ℹ️ Clarification
In case it is of interest, on the sporqueret blog: A TAST OF BULGARIA , you will find more information about refreshments, signage and other details of this tresc (general account of the region, places of interest, bibliography, web graphics, images, etc. ).
i ️ Photo gallery
Not all photos shown are chosen for their quality or spectacularity. The selection is arranged, above all, with the aim of facilitating the interpretation of the reference points ("waypoints") and, save often scant signage at forks and crossings, help to continue on the "good way"!
ℹ️ Do you have a short time in Sofia?
This circular urban route is a proposal for those who have some time (morning or afternoon) in the city, do not know it, and want to take a minimally informed flight through the city.
ℹ️ Attending a celebration in an Orthodox church
The religious celebrations of the Orthodox Church are not only of long duration. One of its most relevant attractions, rituals apart, is the relevance that Orthodox religious observance gives to the function of the heart. Therefore, entering and hearing the majestic melody of the choir chants transports us to transcendence. If the visit to the city falls on a Sunday, the celebration to be enjoyed (in whole or in part) is the one that starts at 9.00 in the morning in the church Sveta Nedelya (the quality of the choir is much better even than that of the choir of the cathedral, we are informed). The location of the church is very convenient: at one end of Vitosha Boulevard, the nerve center of Sofia.
➡️ Start and end point of the urban tour: Parque de la Casa de la Cultura (Vitosha Boulevard )
The starting point of this urban circular route is the park (gardens and fountains) of the Palau Nacional de la Cultura. It coincides with the end of Vitosha Boulevard (Sofia's promenade). It seems that this place is an excellent place to start this circular itinerary through the historic center of the city.
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TRACK TO TRACK
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➡️ And urban treasury
Park and National Palace of Culture - Parliament Building and Alexander Nevsky Statue - Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - Hagia Sophia - Russian Church of St. Nicholas - Old Royal Palace - Presidential Palace - Church of St. Jordi Rotunda - Former Communist Parliament - Church of Sta. Petka, s. XI - Sofia Mosque - Central Market - Sofia Synagogue - Women's Market - Sofia Statue - Sveta-Nedelya Church - Vitosha Boulevard - National Palace of Culture.
i ️ Note about the route
Naturally, the time spent on this route will always depend on individual availability or willingness to spend more or less time in each place or even in other interesting places not marked on this route. The marked route was done twice: the first, with a local guide and with a duration of about four hours; the second was a race against time to record it. Therefore, it can be extended or shortened depending on the time available and also the personal preferences of the visitor.
➡️ SECTION 1 - (km 00 - 3.3)
National Palace and Park of Culture - Parliament Building and Alexander Nevsky Statue - Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - Hagia Sophia - Russian Church of Saint Nicholas - Old Royal Palace - Presidential Palace
From the fountains in the National Palace of Culture park, walk along Patriarch Evtimiy Boulevard to the Parliament building. My recommendation, if I were to do this route again, would be to continue straight on Bulevard Patriarch Evtimiy until you reach Tsar Ivan Shishman Street (so do not turn left on the street marked Georgi S. Rakovsk), but continue straight up to two streets ahead). Tsar Ivan Shishman street leads directly to the Alexander Nevsky statue and Parliament. In addition, if you walk along this street, you can visit the beautiful Orthodox Church of the Seven Saints (Sveti Sedmochislenitsi), located on the left hand side of the street.
Continuing straight along Tsar Ivan Shishman street you will reach the Parliament, square and statue to Alexander Nevsky (national hero). From there, a few steps away, you reach the Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky, with its golden domes and its spectacular interior. From the cathedral we will go to the basilica of Saint Sophia (before, on the left hand side the palace of the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Bulgaria is clearly visible. Having visited Saint Sophia, crossing the avenue, we will pass by a small street market where the famous icons can be purchased. From there, turning right, we will see the small and magnificent Russian Orthodox Church (worth a respectful visit). We continue on our way and, located in the middle of a small cement esplanade, we can admire which was the royal palace of Bulgaria. This small cement esplanade has history: here was the mausoleum of Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgarian Soviet communist leader (imitation of the Lenin mausoleum in Moscow. With the fall of the Soviet regime and a few years later, the mausoleum was dynamited; only the cement square remains! From the cement square, crossing the park area, we go to the Presidential Palace, with the permanent guard (the guard changes every hour). It is not the grand spectacle of the palace of buckingham,
➡️ SECTION 2 - (km 3.3 - 6.61)
Presidential Palace - Church of St. Jordi Rotunda - Former Communist Parliament - Church of Sta. Petka, s. XI - Sofia Mosque - Central Market - Sofia Synagogue - Women's Market - Sofia Statue - Sveta-Nedelya Church - Vitosha Boulevard - National Palace of Culture
Crossing below the Presidential Palace we can admire the jewel of the church of Sant Jordi Rotunda, the oldest Christian church in the city. Going back, passing in front of the palace, we will come to see the monumental building of what was the communist parliament of the Soviet era. We will continue on our way and we will reach the small church of Santa Petka (Christian martyr of the 3rd century), from the s. XI. From this same place we will see the spire of the minaret of the famous Banya Bashi mosque in Sofia. Yes, he can enter, but barefoot, of course. We will pass by and, on the other side of the avenue (with trams coming and going), we will see the Sofia Central Market building (under construction today).
From the Central Market we will walk along Ekzarh Yosif Street to visit the Sofia Synagogue, just to the left of the street and behind the Central Market; it is the largest synagogue in Europe. Then, continue along the same street to Tsar Samuil Street (two streets down) and turn right to reach, a few meters away, Stefan Stambolov Boulevard. Here, along the boulevard, is the Women's Market. It is a fruit and vegetable market visited by tourists; this is already a good reason to visit it. There are a couple of interesting stalls: one for fabric products and one for traditional ceramic products (the guide informs us that these stalls are Sofia's most trusted in their specialty).
Having visited the Women's Market, we retrace our steps in the direction of the Synagogue and the Central Market. Walking past the main gate of the market, we will soon see the statue in Sofia (controversial monument to Saint Sophia) and cross the underground passage to continue in the direction of Vitosha Boulevard. Before the boulevard, however, on our left we will see the famous Sveta Nedelya church; it's worth a visit, of course. From Sveta Nedelya, we will now do the final section of the route through the middle of Vitosha Boulevard. On a clear day, you will see the Vitosha mountain in front of us and, at the end of the boulevard, we will reach the National Palace of Culture.
Cheers and good morning,
EsPorqueret
Open page with Google Chrome and activate the auto translator in the language of your choice.
Open the page with Google Chrome and activate the translator in the preferred language.
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
PALACE OF CULTURE-HISTORICAL CENTER- PALACE OF CULTURE
(Sofia, Bulgaria)
(Sunday, August 14, 2022)
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, offers visitors more than two thousand years of history. It is impressive to contemplate the old churches of early Christianity (St. Georgi Rotunda and the basilica of Sta. Sofia, for example); but there is more. The result of its spirit of national identity, which had its renaissance in the second half of the s. XIX, the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky was erected, the largest Orthodox temple in the Balkans. By the way, the leader of Bulgarian nationalism was also called Alexander Nevsky and his statue can be seen in front of the Parliament building, very close to the cathedral. A walk through the historical center of Sofia is a good opportunity to admire, not only the religious ensemble of its churches but also the monumentality of civil buildings and, in some of them, the vestiges of the Soviet culture of the former USSR .
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
DATA - DATA - DATE
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
ℹ️ Clarification
In case it is of interest, on the sporqueret blog: A TAST OF BULGARIA , you will find more information about refreshments, signage and other details of this tresc (general account of the region, places of interest, bibliography, web graphics, images, etc. ).
i ️ Photo gallery
Not all photos shown are chosen for their quality or spectacularity. The selection is arranged, above all, with the aim of facilitating the interpretation of the reference points ("waypoints") and, save often scant signage at forks and crossings, help to continue on the "good way"!
ℹ️ Do you have a short time in Sofia?
This circular urban route is a proposal for those who have some time (morning or afternoon) in the city, do not know it, and want to take a minimally informed flight through the city.
ℹ️ Attending a celebration in an Orthodox church
The religious celebrations of the Orthodox Church are not only of long duration. One of its most relevant attractions, rituals apart, is the relevance that Orthodox religious observance gives to the function of the heart. Therefore, entering and hearing the majestic melody of the choir chants transports us to transcendence. If the visit to the city falls on a Sunday, the celebration to be enjoyed (in whole or in part) is the one that starts at 9.00 in the morning in the church Sveta Nedelya (the quality of the choir is much better even than that of the choir of the cathedral, we are informed). The location of the church is very convenient: at one end of Vitosha Boulevard, the nerve center of Sofia.
➡️ Start and end point of the urban tour: Parque de la Casa de la Cultura (Vitosha Boulevard )
The starting point of this urban circular route is the park (gardens and fountains) of the Palau Nacional de la Cultura. It coincides with the end of Vitosha Boulevard (Sofia's promenade). It seems that this place is an excellent place to start this circular itinerary through the historic center of the city.
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
TRACK TO TRACK
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
➡️ And urban treasury
Park and National Palace of Culture - Parliament Building and Alexander Nevsky Statue - Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - Hagia Sophia - Russian Church of St. Nicholas - Old Royal Palace - Presidential Palace - Church of St. Jordi Rotunda - Former Communist Parliament - Church of Sta. Petka, s. XI - Sofia Mosque - Central Market - Sofia Synagogue - Women's Market - Sofia Statue - Sveta-Nedelya Church - Vitosha Boulevard - National Palace of Culture.
i ️ Note about the route
Naturally, the time spent on this route will always depend on individual availability or willingness to spend more or less time in each place or even in other interesting places not marked on this route. The marked route was done twice: the first, with a local guide and with a duration of about four hours; the second was a race against time to record it. Therefore, it can be extended or shortened depending on the time available and also the personal preferences of the visitor.
➡️ SECTION 1 - (km 00 - 3.3)
National Palace and Park of Culture - Parliament Building and Alexander Nevsky Statue - Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - Hagia Sophia - Russian Church of Saint Nicholas - Old Royal Palace - Presidential Palace
From the fountains in the National Palace of Culture park, walk along Patriarch Evtimiy Boulevard to the Parliament building. My recommendation, if I were to do this route again, would be to continue straight on Bulevard Patriarch Evtimiy until you reach Tsar Ivan Shishman Street (so do not turn left on the street marked Georgi S. Rakovsk), but continue straight up to two streets ahead). Tsar Ivan Shishman street leads directly to the Alexander Nevsky statue and Parliament. In addition, if you walk along this street, you can visit the beautiful Orthodox Church of the Seven Saints (Sveti Sedmochislenitsi), located on the left hand side of the street.
Continuing straight along Tsar Ivan Shishman street you will reach the Parliament, square and statue to Alexander Nevsky (national hero). From there, a few steps away, you reach the Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky, with its golden domes and its spectacular interior. From the cathedral we will go to the basilica of Saint Sophia (before, on the left hand side the palace of the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Bulgaria is clearly visible. Having visited Saint Sophia, crossing the avenue, we will pass by a small street market where the famous icons can be purchased. From there, turning right, we will see the small and magnificent Russian Orthodox Church (worth a respectful visit). We continue on our way and, located in the middle of a small cement esplanade, we can admire which was the royal palace of Bulgaria. This small cement esplanade has history: here was the mausoleum of Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgarian Soviet communist leader (imitation of the Lenin mausoleum in Moscow. With the fall of the Soviet regime and a few years later, the mausoleum was dynamited; only the cement square remains! From the cement square, crossing the park area, we go to the Presidential Palace, with the permanent guard (the guard changes every hour). It is not the grand spectacle of the palace of buckingham,
➡️ SECTION 2 - (km 3.3 - 6.61)
Presidential Palace - Church of St. Jordi Rotunda - Former Communist Parliament - Church of Sta. Petka, s. XI - Sofia Mosque - Central Market - Sofia Synagogue - Women's Market - Sofia Statue - Sveta-Nedelya Church - Vitosha Boulevard - National Palace of Culture
Crossing below the Presidential Palace we can admire the jewel of the church of Sant Jordi Rotunda, the oldest Christian church in the city. Going back, passing in front of the palace, we will come to see the monumental building of what was the communist parliament of the Soviet era. We will continue on our way and we will reach the small church of Santa Petka (Christian martyr of the 3rd century), from the s. XI. From this same place we will see the spire of the minaret of the famous Banya Bashi mosque in Sofia. Yes, he can enter, but barefoot, of course. We will pass by and, on the other side of the avenue (with trams coming and going), we will see the Sofia Central Market building (under construction today).
From the Central Market we will walk along Ekzarh Yosif Street to visit the Sofia Synagogue, just to the left of the street and behind the Central Market; it is the largest synagogue in Europe. Then, continue along the same street to Tsar Samuil Street (two streets down) and turn right to reach, a few meters away, Stefan Stambolov Boulevard. Here, along the boulevard, is the Women's Market. It is a fruit and vegetable market visited by tourists; this is already a good reason to visit it. There are a couple of interesting stalls: one for fabric products and one for traditional ceramic products (the guide informs us that these stalls are Sofia's most trusted in their specialty).
Having visited the Women's Market, we retrace our steps in the direction of the Synagogue and the Central Market. Walking past the main gate of the market, we will soon see the statue in Sofia (controversial monument to Saint Sophia) and cross the underground passage to continue in the direction of Vitosha Boulevard. Before the boulevard, however, on our left we will see the famous Sveta Nedelya church; it's worth a visit, of course. From Sveta Nedelya, we will now do the final section of the route through the middle of Vitosha Boulevard. On a clear day, you will see the Vitosha mountain in front of us and, at the end of the boulevard, we will reach the National Palace of Culture.
Cheers and good morning,
EsPorqueret
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1,824 ft
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