BULGARIA : THE CAPITAL SOFIA - HISTORY
Sofia has a history that goes back thousands of years.
Sofia was originally a Thracian settlement named Serdica, named after
the Thracian tribe of Serdi. It was captured by Rome in AD 29. When
Diocletian divided the province of Dacia into Dacia Ripensis on the
shores of the Danube and Dacia Mediterranea, Serdica became the capital
of Dacia Mediterranea.. Today there are many archaeological sites in
Sofia, that display the city's diverse history - the castle gates and
towers of Serdica, public buildings and streets thousands of years old.
A large part of the ancient city of Serdica is underneath important
modern buildings. The ancient city council (bulefteris) is hidden under
the "Sheraton" hotel, while a number of basilicas are below the National
Historical Museum. The Roman thermal baths are under the Sofia Mineral
Baths and a Roman residence with elaborate mosaics is below the "Rila"
hotel.
It was destroyed by the Huns in 447. The city was rebuilt by Byzantine
Emperor Justinian I and renamed Triaditsa. Sofia was first captured by
the Bulgarians in 809. Afterwards it was known as Sredets, the name
given to it by the Slavs. It was renamed Sofia (meaning "wisdom" in
Greek) in 1376.
Sofia was taken by the Ottomans in 1382 and became the capital of the
Turkish province of Rumelia.
Sofia was liberated by the Russians in 1878, and became the capital of
the independent Bulgaria in 1879. Rapidly the city's image changed from
an Oriental, to a European. Today many streets, buildings, parks, and
even whole neighborhoods preserve the architectural style from the turn
of the century. Between 1879 and 1939, the population of Sofia grew from
20 000 to 300 000, while today 1 250 000 people live in Sofia.
During World War II, Bulgaria became part of the Axis and Sofia was
heavily bombed in British and American raids – 3000 buildings were
destroyed and 9000 damaged, which accounts for its newness today.
When the war ended in 1944, Russian soldiers took the capital and
Bulgaria became part of the Eastern Bloc. Under Communism, Sofia
underwent a period of rapid industrialisation – new factories and
high-rise apartment blocks grew up to form extended suburbs and the
city’s population escalated as thousands migrated from rural areas. The
regime officially came to an end in 1989, although remains the most
obvious legacy in contemporary urban culture and architecture. Despite
these impositions, Sofia retains and is reclaiming its sense of European
elegance and identity.
