X-Nico

100 unusual facts about Sofia


1660 destruction of Tiberias

Many Conversos, (Marranos and Moriscos) and Sephardi Jews fled to the Ottoman provinces, settling at first in Constantinople, Salonika, Sarajevo, Sofia and Anatolia.

1989 Winter Universiade

The 1989 Winter Universiade, the XIV Winter Universiade, took place in Sofia, Bulgaria.

A.E.P. Olympias Patras

The most famous athlete of the department was Nikos Angelopoulos, who achieved victory in the Balkan Track And Field Games in Sofia, in 1980, in the men's 200m with a record time of 20.71.

Aleksandar Protogerov

Alexandar Protogerov (1867 Ohrid, Ottoman Empire, today Republic of Macedonia - 1928, Sofia) was a Bulgarian general, politician and revolutionary as well as a member of the revolutionary movement in Macedonia, Thrace and Pomoravlje.

Alexander Kirilow Drenowski

Alexander Kirilow Drenowski (22 July 1879, Ruse -24 April 1967, Sofia) was a Bulgarian entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera.

Anatoli Todorov

Anatoli made his official debut for Lokomotiv in a match against Lokomotiv Sofia on 1 March 2008.

Arsenije III Čarnojević

The passing Ottoman armies plundered the local populace mercilessly; the worst of them all was the one under notorious Jegen Osman-pasha who for two years (1687-1689) robbed the area from Belgrade to Ohrid and from Sofia to Peć.

Asen Bukarev

In June 2009 he had been appointed as an assistant coach of Velislav Vutsov in Slavia Sofia.

Association of Special Fares Agents

The administrative office of ASFA moved in 1998 to Sofia, Bulgaria.

Balgariya tarsi talant

Auditions were held in the three biggest cities in Bulgaria - Varna, Plovdiv and Sofia.

Balkanton

Balkanton's plant in Sofia was equipped for all aspects of record manufacturing from recording the masters and pressing the vinyl records to printing the cover.

Bencho Obreshkov

He graduated under P. Klissurov and I. Angelov from the Sofia Academy of Fine Arts in 1920, and specialized in painting under Oskar Kokoshka in Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden in 1926 and sculpture under Antoine Bourdelle, Paris in 1925 - 1927.

Binka Zhelyazkova

Zhelyazkova graduated from the Sofia Theatre Institute in 1956 and briefly worked as an assistant director at Sofia Film Studios "Boyana" before directing her first feature Life Flows Quietly By... (1957).

Borislav Dichev

He also played for Akademik Sofia, Septemvri Sofia, Dunav Rousse, Svetkavitsa, Beroe Stara Zagora, Belite orli Pleven and Vidima-Rakovski Sevlievo.

Bozhidar Boyadzhiev

He is also a two-time Olympian, and a member of Levski Sofia Wrestling Club in Sofia, under his personal coach Peter Kasabov.

Bozhidar Dimitrov

Because of this he was taken down from the post of BSP municipal councillors leader in Sofia.

Bozhidar Grigorov

Grigorov is best known for his career with Slavia Sofia, for whom he made over 300 appearances in 12 seasons with the club.

Bulgaria–Republic of Macedonia relations

Rules for governing good neighbourly relations were agreed between Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia in the Joint Declaration of February 22, 1999 and reaffirmed by a joint memorandum signed on January 22, 2008 in Sofia.

Bulgarian Helsinki Committee

The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee was founded on July 14, 1992 with a headquarters in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Bulgartabac

Bulgartabac produces over 50 cigarette brands and sub-brands in its modernized factories in Sofia and Blagoevgrad using both domestic and imported tobacco.

Buxton Brothers Boulevard

The neighbourhoods located along Buxton Boulevard, listed in a north to south order, include Buxton, Pavlovo on the western side of the boulevard and Manastirski Livadi West on the eastern side.

Charles Champaud

According to the Bulgarian Olympic Committee, Champaud, a Swiss national living in Bulgaria and working as a gymnastics teacher at a Sofia high school, competed for that country at the first modern Olympics.

Chelopech Municipality

The Chelopech Municipality includes only one village - Chelopech, which is located on the Southern side of the Balkan Mountains, on the main road from the capital Sofia to Burgas.

Computer Space forum

Computer Space forum is one of the oldest computer art festivals, organized by the Student Computer Art Society (SCAS) in Sofia every year during the last 18 years.

Daniel Mladenov

However, the team from Sofia had already been eliminated from the competition.

Daniel Pancu

Pancu made his official debut for CSKA Sofia in the 3-2 win against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Sofia, scoring his first goal for the club.

Daniela Yordanova

She tested positive for testosterone in an out-of-competition doping test in Sofia on 13 June 2008, which eventually got her kicked out of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria

At the last legislative elections, 25 June 2005, DSB won 7.0% of the popular vote and 17 out of 240 seats, their support coming mainly from big cities (appr. 18% of voters in Sofia).

Dhimitër Beratti

Beratti was elected General Counsel of Albania in Sofia in 1924, returning to Albania in 1926 where he worked as a secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

East Bulgarian

The East Bulgarian began to be developed at the end of the 19th century at the "Kabiuk" stud farm (former Vassil Kolarov) near Shumen and at stud farm in Bozhurishte near Sofia, in Bulgaria, by crossing local horses with Arabians, Anglo-Arabians, Thoroughbreds and English half-breds.

Enina Apostle

Discovered in a poor condition in 1960 during restoration work in the central Bulgarian village of Enina, the partially preserved parchment manuscript is housed in the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library in Sofia.

Eternal derby of Bulgarian football

The Eternal Derby of Bulgarian Football or simply The Eternal Derby is the name of the local derby football match between the two most popular and successful football clubs in Sofia and Bulgaria - PFC Levski Sofia and PFC CSKA Sofia.

FC Septemvri Sofia

Septemvri starts the 1948/49 season in the newly formed A Republican Football Group, but only six months later is separated from Chavdar and removed from the division, with the current title given to CDNV, Chavdar's new name, which would ultimately become CSKA Sofia.

That same season, Septemvri finishes in 5th place and claims the Bulgarian Cup after a dramatic 4:3 win over Lokomotiv Sofia in extra time.

Georgi Karaslavov

A school in Sofia is named for Karaslavov, and there is a bust of Karaslavov in the park behind Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia.

Gheorghe Ciolac

In September 1929, he was for the first time the captain of the national team, in a match against Bulgaria, played on the Levski Stadium in Sofia.

Gottfried Schenker

In rapid succession, Gottfried Schenker founded branches in Budapest, Trieste, Prague, Belgrade, Sofia, Salonika, and Constantinople.

Gymnastics at the Friendship Games

Rhythmic gymnastics was held in Sofia, Bulgaria, between 17 and 19 August 1984, with 5 events (all of them women's).

Heraclea Sintica

Professor Lyudmil Vagalinski, of the National Institute with Museum of Archaeology in Sofia, noticed strange structures above it: tunnels and an arch.

Himni i Flamurit

The hymn was first published as a poem in Liri e Shqipërisë (in English: Freedom of Albania), an Albanian newspaper in Sofia, Bulgaria, on April 21, 1912.

Iliya Zhelev

His paintings are owned by the National Art Gallery Sofia, many galleries and collections in Germany, United States, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden United Arab Emirates, UK, Austria, Greece, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Russia and Israel.

Ivan Vedar

Later, new lodges were founded in Varna (where the first Great lodge was located for a short time), Sofia, and some other cities, but in 1887 Vedar was forced to "put asleep" all lodges, because of the danger that their activity gets spoiled by political and interpersonal struggles, so common in the young and inexperienced country.

July 2007 in Africa

The 5 Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian assistant, imprisoned in Libya for 8 years and that had been sentenced to death, in several trials based on allegations of having inoculated AIDS to children, are leaving Libya and returning to Sofia with Mrs Sarkozy who negotiated their liberation.

Karl Binding

In 1918, during the First World War, Binding left Germany to lecture German soldiers in Macedonia and Bulgarian intellectuals in Sofia.

Katarina-Sofia

Katarina-Sofia was made up of the eastern half of Södermalm and Hammarby Sjöstad (Södra Hammarbyhamnen).

Kiril Bratanov

His academic career began in 1940 when he became Assistant Professor at the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sofia.

Kiril Ognyanov

Kiril Ognyanov (Bulgarian: Кирил Огнянов; born 12 July 1992) is a Bulgarian footballer who plays for Slavia Sofia as a defender.

Krakra of Pernik

As Basil II's forces headed to seize Sredets, however, in 1004 they came up against Krakra's well-defended fortress of Pernik and the emperor was forced to return to Constantinople after sustaining heavy losses.

Kriva Palanka

The town lies near the Deve Bair national border crossing with Bulgaria, as such, there is constant heavy traffic passing through the main road which bisects the two sides of the town (Deve Bair is considered the main border crossing between Macedonia and Bulgaria because it links the capitals Skopje with Sofia).

Livingston Island

Several squares and streets in Bulgarian towns and cities are named after Livingston Island, such as Livingston Island Square in Samuil and Kula, and Livingston Island Street in Gotse Delchev, Yambol, Petrich, Sofia, Lovech and Vidin.

Maia Chiburdanidze

The next defense came against Elena Akhmilovskaya in Sofia in 1986, and Chiburdanidze won the match by 8½–5½.

Mamin Kolyu

He joined the ranks of IMARO as a soldier and after his discharge went for Sofia to become a member of a detachment (cheta) and fight in Macedonia.

Margarita Popova

Margarita Popova graduated Bulgarian philology in University of Sofia in 1980, and later (1989) law in the same university.

Marko Cepenkov

He moved with his family to Sofia in 1888, where he was to live the rest of his life.

Mihail Avrionov

Avrionov started to play football on the junior teams of Levski Sofia.

Miroslav Naydenov

From 2006 to 2009 he was director of the municipal company "Ekoravnovesie" of Sofia Municipality.

MKB Unionbank

MKB Unionbank (Bulgarian: МКБ Юнионбанк, Em Ka Be Yunionbank) is a major Bulgarian retail and commercial bank with headquarters in Sofia.

Montenegrin Orthodox Church

In the Church of St. Paraskeva in Sofia, on March 15, 1998, he was ordained as bishop by Bulgarian Alternative Synod's head Patriarch Pimen and seven Metropolitans and Episcops of his synod.

Nasko Sirakov

From 1986–88, with the club now renamed Vitosha, he helped to another championship, as well as leading the goal charts in both seasons, scoring 64 goals combined – 36 in just 30 matches in the first year, although the championship was eventually lost to PFC CSKA Sofia, by three points.

In his second stint at Levski, Sirakov began appearing regularly, for example scoring 15 goals in only 19 matches in 1984–85 A PFG, as the capital team won the league.

Sirakov closed his career at the age of 36, after three years with another team in the capital, PFC Slavia Sofia, winning a double in his last season in professional football, although his league presence was testimonial (one game).

National Gallery for Foreign Art

The NGFA is situated in the very centre of Sofia, at St. Alexander Nevsky Square, behind the building of the National Assembly and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

Nikephoros Xiphias

Towards the end of the same year he campaigned from Mosynopolis to the region of Triaditza (Sofia), razing its environs and capturing the fort of Boyana.

Nikola Marinov

Marinov has also done a great number of frescoes in churches in Plovdiv, Lovech, Biala Cherkva, Pernik and Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia.

After the returning in Bulgaria in 1906 he consecutively worked as a teacher in Sofia until 1919 and with the Ministry of Education and Science (1919–1921).

Nikolay Binev

In 1959, after several months on the stage with the Ruse Theater, Binev entered the Mladezhki Theater, Sofia where he stayed until the end of his life.

During most of his career he was the soul and history of the Mladezhki Theater, Sofia and remained devoted to it until the end of his life.

Panteley Kiselov

After the war he learned that a military school was to be opened in the new Bulgarian capital of Sofia and decided to continue his education there.

In 1908, he was unexpectedly recalled to Sofia and assigned commandant of the city for several months but was soon dispatched by the Bulgarian General Staff to receive further training in France.

Pat Moss

Her most notable results were 3rd at the Acropolis Rally and 4ths at the Liège-Sofia-Liège and the RAC Rally.

Peace of Szeged

They had several advantages over the Ottomans, allowing them to win the first encounters, such as forcing Kasim Pasha of Rumelia and his co-commander Turakhan Beg to abandon camp and flee to Sofia, Bulgaria to warn Murad of the invasion.

Pernik sword

The sword is preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Bulgaria in Sofia under inventory number 2044.

PFC Akademik Sofia

In the next campaign Akademik finished fourth and reached the final of Bulgarian Cup, losing 0-1 to CSKA Sofia.

PFC Minyor Pernik

They have legendary hatred for Levski Sofia and the fans of both teams have some big fights over the years some of which even invole rifles.

Minyor's fans are also famous for their general hatred for Sofia.

Pyotr Suvchinsky

) Suvchinsky emigrated from Russia in 1922 and lived in Berlin and Sofia, where he founded the Russian-Bulgarian Publishing House; then in Paris, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Radostin Kishishev

During the 1997-98 A PFG season, he was found to have been ineligible for two of Litex's games - an away fixture against PFC Velbazhd Kyustendil and a home one vs. Levski Sofia - due to not being properly registered following his transfer from Bursaspor, but despite suffering 3-0 default losses, the team from Lovech won their first title.

Raziq Faani

Faani received his primary and secondary education in Afghanistan, and earned a Master’s degree in political economy in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1967.

Richard Dunne

He played in all ten games helping Ireland finish second and qualify for a play-off whilst also scoring goals in both 1–1 draws with Bulgaria, as well as winning the man of the match award in the away game held in Sofia.

Slatina Peak

Named after the Bulgarian settlements of Slatina in Montana, Lovech, Plovdiv, Silistra and Sofia regions (the last one now part of the city of Sofia).

Sofia boys choir

The performers, aged 8–15, are selected from schools in Sofia.

Sofia's Choice

This would be the first of several "websites" (set up by The Walt Disney Company) featured in the series that actually lead to the show, since the websites don't exist.

Staro Groblje

It is bordered on the west by the neighborhood of Bubanj, on the south by the neighborhood of Tutunović Podrum, on the east by the neighborhood of Palilula and on the north by the railroad connecting Niš with Sofia, Bulgaria.

Stefan Nerezov

These successful military operations couldn't prevent the Romanian Army from threatening the rear of the Bulgarian Army and reaching the vicinity of capital Sofia which forced the Bulgarian capitulation.

Stefan Toshev

On 10 May 1879 he graduated the Military School in Sofia in its first year.

General Stefan Toshev died on 27 November 1924 in Plovdiv and was buried in Sofia.

Stoyan Ormandzhiev

The most successful period in his career cames when he joins Lokomotiv Sofia.

Technical University of Sofia

It has had its present name and university status since 21 July 1995 and has 14 main faculties based in Sofia, Plovdiv and Sliven, as well as 3 additional ones with education only in foreign languages — German, English and French.

The Rhodopi International Theater Collective

It was founded by Karapetkov, Stein, RDT Artistic Director Krustyo Krustev, and American dramaturg Benjamin Nadler, with the partnership of the RDT, the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) in Sofia, The HyperMedia Studio at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Zagreb's Academy of Dramatic Art.

The Turkish Gambit

Upon arrival, Varvara is reunited with Pyotr, and Fandorin delivers his message: the Turkish army is advancing towards the Bulgarian town of Plevna, which sits on the road to Sofia and must be taken so the Russian army can easily advance through Bulgaria and into Turkey.

Toplo

The story develops at the end of the seventies, the time of the vast expansion of the centralized system for heat- and warm water supply, in Sofia.

V-Ray

The core developers of V-Ray are Vladimir Koylazov and Peter Mitev of Chaos Software production studio established in 1997, based in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Vasil Kutinchev

He began his military career in 1879 after graduating from the Military School in Sofia .

Vasil Levski Boulevard

Some of the most prominent landmarks of the capital are situated along the boulevard, including the National Academy of Arts, SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library, Sofia University, the State Agency of Youth and Sports, Battenberg Mausoleum, the Monument to Vasil Levski and others.

Ventsislav Hristov

Hristov continued his fine form by scoring the second goal in Beroe's 2–0 win over Slavia Sofia in the first round of 2013–14 A PFG season on 22 July.

On 1 August 2010, he made his debut in a 1–0 home loss against Lokomotiv Sofia.

Vinkenti Peev

He succeeded Archbishop Roberto Meni on 14 October 1916 as Vicar Apostolic of Sofia and Plovdiv.

Vladimir Atlantov

In 1967 Atlantov won the first prize at the 3rd International Competition in Sofia and the fourth prize winner at the International competition in Montreal.

Wilfred Burchett

Burchett moved to Bulgaria in 1982 and died of cancer in Sofia the following year, aged 72.

Yordanka Fandakova

She graduated the 35th Russian Language School in Sofia and the University of Sofia, majoring in Russian Studies.


Ariana Brewery

The Ariana Brewery is a defunct company, founded in 1884 in Sofia, Bulgaria under the name Sofia Brewery, changing to Ariana in 1996.

Bamba Sutherland

Bamba Sofia Jindan Daleep Singh was the eldest daughter of Duleep Singh Sukerchakia and his first wife Bamba Müller.

Belgrade Book Fair

So far, the Prize winners were the Austrian publisher Wieser Verlag from Klagenfurt (2007), French publisher Gaia Editions from Bordeaux (2008), Hungarian publisher Jelenkor from Pécs (2009), Italian publisher Zandonai from Rovereto (2010), Bulgarian publisher Siela from Sofia (2011) and Slovak publisher Kaligram from Bratislava (2012).

Bulgaria Оn Аir

In 2009 the canal was acquired by the owners of the airline company Bulgaria Air and moved to Sofia, from where he began building a national network.

Ceuta Heliport

Destinations include more than one hundred cities in Europe (mainly in the United Kingdom, Central Europe and the Nordic countries) but also the main cities of Eastern Europe: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Budapest, Sofia, Warsaw, Riga and Bucharest), North Africa, the Middle East (Riyadh, Jeddah and Kuwait) and North America (New York, Toronto and Montreal).

Charles Champaud

In Bulgaria, Charles Champaud also played an important role in introducing football to the country and was the person to bring the sport to the capital city of Sofia in 1895 (the first football game in Bulgaria being in Varna in 1894, organized by another Swiss teacher, Georges de Regibus).

Fannysmackin'

In the front lobby of the station, two young men claim to Sofia and Brass that they were the latest fannysmacking victims and had been robbed of $10,000.

Farsighted for Two Diopters

The scenes when they test the car, while going to Old Pano's village, are filmed on the road from Sofia to the villages of Bistritsa and Zheleznitsa in Pancharevo suburban district.

Friedrich von Scholtz

His Army Group Headquarters was moved from Skopje to Jagodina, but the situation continued to deteriorate, and some Bulgarian soldiers even mutinied and headed towards Sofia.

Gabriele Nissim

On 6 November 1998 the Sobranie (Sofia's Parliament) knighted him Sir of Madera, the highest cultural honor in Bulgaria, for discovering Dimitar Peshev, the saviour of the Bulgarian Jews.

Georgi Asparuhov Stadium

Many reconstructions of the stadium started in 1969 after the unification of the sport and football clubs Levski Sofia and Spartak Sofia.

Georgi Bliznakov

In 1949 he joined the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Polytechnic Institute in Sofia (now the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy) as an assistant where he stayed until moving to the Department of Inorganic Chemistry at Sofia University in 1951, becoming full professor and head of department in 1960.

Graffiti in Russia

An example of this is the Russian Red Army soldiers on a monument in Sofia, Bulgaria, which has been turned into popular superheroes and cartoon characters (including Superman, Santa Claus, Ronald McDonald, and the Joker) by an anonymous graffiti artist.

Gus Lawson

Gus Lawson was born on April 3, 1882 in Norrköping, Sweden to Lars Gustaf Larsson (1847–c1940) and Emma Sofia Sundberg (1845–1888).

Industry of Bulgaria

This is followed in size by the Sofia basin in the Sofia valley (840 mln t.), the Elhovo basin (656 mln t.), the Lom basin (277 mln t.) and the Maritsa Zapad basian (170 mln t.).

Johan Ramstedt

Johan Ramstedt was born in Stockholm, son to clothing manufacturer Reinhold Ramstedt and his wife Maria Sofia Haeggström.

Jules Védrines

After Prague he proceeded via Sofia, Constantinople (where he pleased the Sultan by dropping a Turkish flag on the Imperial palace), reaching Beirut on 25 December, Jaffa on the 27th, and finally, on the 29th, landing on the polo ground at Heliopolis, where he was greeted by a representative of the Khedive and by the French Agent, who placed a laurel wreath bound with a tricoleur around his neck.

Namık Kemal

During his youth, Kemal traveled throughout the Ottoman Empire, staying in Istanbul, Kars, and Sofia, and studied a number of subjects, including poetry.

Nikolay Kedrov, Jr.

His mother was Sofia Gladkaya (1875—1965) was a singer in the Mariinsky Theatre and a teacher of Conservatoire de Paris.

Pirinsko Pivo

Pirinsko is named after the nearby Pirin Mountains and is situated in Blagoevgrad, a city located 90 km south of the capital Sofia.

Qatar Airways

The airline has launched 22 new destinations since 2010, with nine more destinations announced: Ankara, Aleppo, Bangalore, Barcelona, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Hanoi, Montreal, Nice, Phuket, São Paulo, Shiraz, Kolkata, Medina, Oslo, Sofia, Stuttgart, Venice and Tokyo.

Russian Monument, Sofia

The first monument to be built in the capital of the newly liberated Principality of Bulgaria, it was unveiled on 29 June 1882 and is located on the road which Osman Nuri Paşa used to flee from Sofia to Pernik on 22 December 1877.

Santa Sofia, Emilia–Romagna

Santa Sofia borders the following municipalities: Bagno di Romagna, Civitella di Romagna, Galeata, Pratovecchio, Premilcuore, San Godenzo, Sarsina, Stia.

Şemsi Pasha

During Şemsi Pasha's tenure as the Governor-General of Rumelia, it was reported that he left the capital for Sofia in 1565 with such pomp that the people of Constantinople who watched the spectacle of his lavishly clad retinue had never seen a beylerbey (Governor-General) display such 'majesty and grandeur.

Shivachevo

Shivachevo is located 260 km east of Sofia, 35 km west of the city of Sliven (pop. 147,000), and 140 km west of the port city of Bourgas and the Black Sea.

Sofia – Kardam train fire

The Sofia – Kardam train fire occurred on 28 February 2008, when the BDZ night train from Sofia to Kardam caught fire at 11:40 pm near the industrial zone of the town of Cherven bryag, Bulgaria.

Sofia Constantinas

When Steve broke away from his captors, Sofia chased him into an underground cavern where they discovered the bones of Artemis, the first Wonder Woman, as well as a scepter belonging to the goddess Athena.

Sofia ring road

In the northern part of city, the Northern Speed Tangent is planned to be constructed, between the Mramor village and the Hemus motorway.

Sofia's Choice

...To where it all began, at MYW, where Betty, who just after settling into her new job and meeting another unattractive doppelgänger named Ruthie (played by Amanda's actress, Becki Newton), gets her first assignment from Sofia.

Soren Sorensen Adams

He was born Søren Adam Sørensen near Aarhus, Denmark in 1879 to Hans and Sofia Sørensen, and migrated to the US with his family at age four, and grew up in Perth Amboy, New Jersey where his father operated a saloon.

Strazhitsa

Strazhitsa has a railway station on the Sofia-Varna railway line, located some 33 km from the railway station of Popovo and some 27 km from the railway station of Gorna Oryahovitsa.

Sub-Balkan valleys

There is great abundance of mineral waters, the most notable spas being Bankya, Sofia, Banya, Pavel Banya, Sliven Mineral Baths, Aitos.

Tenerife Airport

TFS Tenerife South Airport (1978–present), also known as Reina Sofia Airport

Vasil Levski Boulevard

Vasil Levski Boulevard crosses many of the city's vital transport arteries, such as Georgi Rakovski Street, Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard at Sofia University, Patriarch Evtimiy Boulevard and Graf Ignatiev Street at Patriarch Evtimiy Square.

Victor Jackovich

As a career officer in the U.S. Foreign Service, he held assignments in Kiev (1979–1980), where he helped to start the first U.S. government office in Ukraine; Bucharest (1980–1983); Nairobi (1983–1986); Moscow (1988–1990); and Sofia, Bulgaria (1991).

Yordan Yovkov

Born in the village of Zheravna, Yovkov studied at First Sofia Men’s High School, from which he graduated in 1900 with honours, and became a teacher.