Weekend Offer: The Bells (PHOTOS)
Bells Park is one of the emblematic of Sofia. We all know where it is (hopefully), but how many of us know its history?! The place where the impressive monument is located is extremely beautiful and is only a kilometer from Mladost district.
The area offers the opportunity to walk in nature, and you can certainly find quieter picnic areas if you prefer privacy. Before that, however, be sure to take a walk to see the many bells from around the world, especially if you have children – a lot of fun.
What is a Bell Park?
This is a complex whose official name is the International Park of Children of the World. It is located near the Sofia village of Bistritsa at the foot of Vitosha Mountain. It was opened in 1979 on the idea of Lyudmila Zhivkova because of the hosting of our country at the International Children’s Assembly “Flag of Peace” under the auspices of UNESCO (Children’s Art Festival).
Photo: NUKK
The complex is designed by the sculptors Krum Damyanov and Mihail Benchev, the architects Blagoy Atanasov and Georgi Genchev and eng. Anton Maleev. It was built in just 30 days and in its center there is a monument with a height of 37 meters. It consists of 4 vertical pylons, oriented according to the directions of the world. At the top there is a sphere that symbolizes the planet, and 7 bells – for each of the continents. Many more bells (over 130) are located in a circle around the main monument.
Curious about the Bells:
- We can find a copy of a bell from the 4th century BC;
- The oldest original bell is from the 11th century;
- One of the bells (from Latin America) took part in a real uprising;
- In 1996, a few bulldozers were about to demolish the monument;
- The Bulgarian bell weighs 1300 kg, and the reason – in honor of the 1300th anniversary of the founding of our country.
How to Get There?
You can use public transport – buses 314, 111, 112, or the more convenient option – by car (there is a place to park). Unfortunately, you can’t rely much on signage, so you’d better turn on your GPS navigation.
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And we are waiting for you in Art Hotel Simona, where you will enjoy a cozy, artistic atmosphere, unique design rooms, interesting culinary offerings, impeccable hygiene and special treatment. And all this only 3 km from the center of Sofia.
A Journey Into the Past: How Sofia Became a Capital of Bulgaria
The history of the largest city in Bulgaria – Sofia, begins long before the creation of our country. The earliest data on the inhabitation of the territory are from the early Neolithic. Over the centuries the city did not stop developing, but it was declared the capital only in 1879.
Before that we can trace interesting events from its prehistory, as well as from the Thracian, Roman and Medieval eras. We will tell you about them some other time, and now let’s follow when and how the city rises to the most important administrative center of the Third Bulgarian State.
Name Development
Today’s Sofia in the past bore different names. The oldest documented is Serdonopolis (translated from Greek “city of the Serds”) and according to researchers the Serds inhabited the area in the first century BC. Emperor Trajan officially gave the city the name Ulpia Serdica, often abbreviated only to Serdica. After the region joined Bulgaria at the beginning of the 9th century, it became known as Sredets, and the name Triaditsa is also used in ancient Greek sources. In the 14th century it was already mentioned as Sofia on behalf of the Church of St. Sophia.
How Did Sofia Become a Capital?
For centuries, Sofia has played a particularly important role as a central center and a natural crossroads connecting East and West. And indeed, as the motto of our capital states, the city is growing, but not aging, and therefore it has more than 7,000 years of history.
After the Liberation of Bulgaria from Turkish slavery, a temporary Russian government was formed with headquarters in Plovdiv, which was significantly larger in terms of population at that time. The head of the temporary administration is the Russian prince Alexander Dondukov-Korsakov, who later moved to Sofia and this became a sign of the future strategic location of the city.
A little later, at the suggestion of Marin Drinov, the city was chosen as the capital of the Principality of Bulgaria (April 3, 1879). This led to a rapid increase in population and Sofia became a large and important political, administrative, economic, scientific and cultural center.
The Early Capital
When Sofia was declared the capital, the population was just over 11,000, and urbanization lagged far behind. At that moment there were only two schools, almost no administrative buildings, and only 3,000 houses. But the situation changed very quickly, because the city had good communication lines and a key location for the construction of the future railway network of the Principality.
Transformation of Sofia
In the same year (1879) the first urban plan of Sofia was prepared by the city engineer S. Amadie, who transformed the city. Some of the most prominent architects and builders at that time came to help build the new look. Bold changes began and the center shifted from the square at Banya Bashi Mosque to the square around the Cathedral “St. King ”(today’s Holy Sunday Church).
The first city architect – the Czech Antonin (Adolf) Kolar, created the Ministry of War, Hotel Bulgaria, the Military Club, etc., and Chitalishte Slavyanska Beseda, the buildings of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Bulgarian National Bank and the mausoleum of Prince Alexander Battenberg were conceived by the Swiss Hermann Meyer. A famous Viennese architect of Bulgarian origin (Konstantin Jovanovic) designed the building of the National Assembly. The emblematic Eagle Bridge, which is considered the symbolic gate of the city, was designed by the chief architect Kolar and Vaclav Prosek in 1891. The name, as you know, comes from the bronze statues of eagles on the bridge.
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If you have a way to the capital Sofia, welcome to Art Hotel Simona, which is located very close to the city center. We will accommodate you in interesting design rooms and we will make sure that you have eaten well with the specialties in the Simona Restaurant.
We are expecting you!
Shopska Salad – One of the Favorite Salads of the Foreigners
Bulgaria is popular around the world with its beautiful women, yogurt and rose’s butter. However, there is one more thing – the Shopska salad (also known as Bulgarian salad), which is one of the most consumed in our country. Preparing is easy and all foreigners like this salad. That is why “Shopska salata” (it is bulgarian prononsiation) is among the first phrases that guests learn in Bulgarian language.
How to make Bulgarian salad?
We are sure that every Bulgarian can answer to this question. It contains finely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted or raw peppers and onions, a little bit oil and a little vinegar, and all is covered with grated or crushed cheese and finely chopped parsley. It looks a lot like a Greek salad, but the vegetables are not wholesale, therefore the different tastes are mixed. However, the Bulgarian salad is an interesting mix of flavors and that is what appeals to everyone.
The history of Bulgarian salad
For the first time, the term „Shopska salad” has been featured in a cookbook since 1940, but in practice it is a recipe for Luthenica (vegetable relish – peppers, aubergines, carrots, garlic, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, and tomatoes). Totally different from the familiar Shopska salad nowadays. It was not until 1956 the recipe of the Shopska salad began to approach our present idea of it, but it is without cheese.
In the years that followed, various variations began to emerge. A cooking book from 1970 shows four options – with onion and cheese; without onions and with cheese; with roasted peppers and cheese; without sweet but with hot peppers and cheese.
The Shopska salad has established itself as a national culinary symbol in the 1970s and 1980s. There is the same salad in Serbian and North Macedonia’s restaurants, too. The salad is also known in Romania under the name Salată bulgărească (Bulgarian salad). Shopska salad is also quite popular in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is on the menus of the establishments, but with slight changes – no roasted peppers and sometimes no onions. In Slovakia, they serve the salad with sugar.
How has been the Shopska salad invented?
The idea for the Bulgarian salad is from 60s of the last century. Contrary to expectations, it did not come from a village, but from the Bulgarian state association Balkantourist, whose chefs created it at the Chernomorets restaurant in the then Druzhba resort (now St. Konstantin and Helena).
Fear of red tomatoes
In fact, the village avoided the usege of red tomato because it was considered for bad. Therefore, ripe red tomatoes had been served primarily as animal feed or had been discarded directly. However, such fear is not only a Bulgarian phenomenon, but it has also existed in other Western European countries in the 18th and 19th centuries.
In the Netherlands and Denmark, for example, in the past, red tomatoes had been believed to be poisonous. The reason for this is that the high-lead metal vessels used at that time were widely used. In contact with them, the acid in the tomatoes allows the vessels to secrete harmful substances, which leads to indigestion.
The Rhodope narrow-gauge in the top 10 of the best train journey
Here you are one good reason for national pride for all bulgarians. The Rhodope narrow-gauge is included in the Top 10 best train travel in Europe of the prestigious British newspaper The Guardian. It is also getting one more recognition – the most scenic train journey on the Old Continent according to the readers.
If you have not yet travelled on the this line – Septemvri-Dobrinishte, Bulgaria, which is the only working narrow-gauge line in Bulgaria, you have to do it. The distance between the stations is 125 km and it takes about 5 hours at an average speed of 25 km/h. The slow travelling gives you the way to enjoy the magical nature. The railway pass through 3 mountains, 2 valleys and 6 rivers.
Narrow gauge in Bulgaria
“Time moves slow on the Septemvri-Dobrinishte railway in south-west Bulgaria (150km south of Sofia). Two weeks into a fairly austere trip in the Balkans, we found ourselves whisked away by the slow, narrow-gauge train that connects the Upper Thracian Plain with the Rhodopes, Rila and Pirin mountains, winding its way through narrow gorges and idyllic river valleys for five hours. The line features suited station-masters ushering families into the spartan carriage: it was a rare treat to stand in the open-air passages between them. We stopped for the night in the spas of Velingrad (2½ hours from Septemvri), imagining ourselves as extras in a Wes Anderson rip-off, before continuing on to Razlog”, The Guardian.
- Tickets (€9) bought at stations, not available online, bdz.bg
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If you want to enjoy the unique atmosphere and great service welcome to the Art Hotel Simona. We offer not only accommodation but a real experience. Free parking is available, smoking area and modern 24/7 restaurant.
