About Sofia

Sofia (ancient Serdica or Sardica) is the capital of Bulgaria, in Sofia Region, on an elevated plain at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, in the western part of the country. It is Bulgaria's largest city and its chief commercial, manufacturing, transportation, and cultural center. Major manufactures include metal, wood, and rubber products, machinery, chemicals, electronic and transportation equipment, processed food, textiles, clothing, footwear, and printed materials. Government activities, construction, and tourism are also important in the city's economic base. Sofia is the site of the University of Sofia (1888); higher institutes of chemical technology, engineering, forestry, mining, economics, and fine arts; the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1869); the Academy of Medicine (1972); the Bulgarian State Conservatory (1904); and Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius National Library (1878). Among the city's many museums are the National Natural History Museum; the National Archaeological Museum; the National Art Gallery, with a collection of Bulgarian and foreign art; the National Ethnographical Museum, with displays of regional ethnography and folklore items; and the Museum of Sofia's History. Other points of interest include the 4th-century Church of Saint George, the oldest structure in the city; the ruins of the 6th-century Church of Saint Sofia; Alexander Nevsky Cathedral; and the 15th-century Buyuk Dzhamiya Mosque.