See Bulgaria's capital Sofia through my eyes, and discover country's treasures like the Belogradchik Rocks and Magura cave, holding prehistoric paintings dating from 10'000 BC - 600 BC.
Picture 1 - Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia
Picture 2 - Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, Sofia
Picture 3 - The National Palace of Culture, Sofia
As you’ve might already read, I am born and raised in Sofia, which is one of the oldest cities in Europe. Every time I go back to my home country I am trying to see and experience its different angles like it’s my first time and it is quite exciting to get to know your home country as you’ve never been there before.
The perspective that living abroad gives me, is so enriching and now I appreciate even more my roots. Bulgaria might not be perfect, but it’s authentic and have great nature, history and places to discover.
I am so proud to tell you some info and show you few pictures from this 111’000 square kilometres big country, bordered by the Black Sea to the east. Other borders: Greece, Romania, Turkey, Serbia and North Macedonia.
As written in Wikipedia, Bulgaria is one of the earliest societies in the lands of modern-day. In the 6th to 3rd century BC, the region was a battleground for Thracians, Persians, Celts and ancient Macedonians. However, now I won’t cover the entire history on this territory, but want to show you some iconic places from Sofia and after will be jumping to Belogradchik, which is around 180km away from Sofia.
SOFIA
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
This is one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Bulgaria and in my opinion in Europe. The domes are covered in real gold. Alexander Nevsky has 12 bells, the biggest of which weighs 12 tons. Another interesting tip or fact is that in the crypt of the cathedral, there is a small museum dedicated to Christian art, where you can see a collection of unique icons and murals characterizing the development of the Bulgarian religious art.
Ivan Vazov National Theatre
The Bulgaria’s National Theatre Ivan Vazov is the oldest and one of the most famous theatres and landmarks in the country. It is located in the centre of Sofia, facing the City Garden.
Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker
It is a Russian Orthodox church in the centre of Sofia. The five domes are coated in gold.
Interesting tip for the believers: You can go in the crypt of the church and write a wish on paper. The crypt is housing the remains of Saint Archbishop Seraphim and is located beneath the main floor.
The National Palace of Culture
It is the largest, multifunctional conference and exhibition centre in south-eastern Europe.
Ancient Serdika Complex
The complex is meant as an open-air museum, and will also hold concerts, theatres and other events under the glass dome between the administration of the President's house and the Cabinet.
Part of the 9000 square meters are the foundations of an early Christian basilica from the 4th century, the House of Felix, the House of Leontius and many others.
I stop speaking about Sofia here because I want to show you another beautiful Bulgarian sight – the Belogradchik Rocks, where the Belogradchik Fortress is built. The rocks consist of hundreds of caves, the biggest and most impressive of which is the Magura Cave.
Belogradchik Rocks
The Belogradchik rocks began forming 230 million years ago as sediment at the bottom of a shallow sea. They form a 3 km wide and 30 km long strip. Some of them reach 200 meters in height. They are located in northwest Bulgaria and come in so many shapes. Most of them are named after the shape they have and the legend they tell.
Some of the names of the rock formations are Adam and Eve, The Monks, The Bear, The Schoolgirl, The first slab stone, The Mental stone, The Madonna, The Dervish and many others.
The Magura Cave
There are hundreds of caves to be discovered in those rocks, but the most famous one is the Magura Cave, where the bones of prehistoric species like cave bear and cave hyena were found. Inside the cave, there are paintings dating from 10’000 BC – 600 BC.
!!! Currently, the paintings are closed for visitors as they want to preserve them the best possible way. Most probably they will do a chamber with copies of the paintings which the visitors will be able to see, but nothing is sure yet.
Belogradchik Fortress
The Belogradchik Fortress is dating back to Roman times and has such an incredible role for the Balkan history. It is located alongside the Belogradchik rocks, as the rock formations in the are served as natural protection. The Fortress was used mainly for surveillance, not strictly defence. P.S. The paintings picture is from Internet as unfortunately, I was not able to see the paintings myself. I am willing to show you more from Bulgaria in the future. Hope I can inspire you to add this rich on history country in your travel list. :)
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