", Jen Fitz. There is a multitude of discotheques, restaurants, bars, piano bars, folk clubs, taverns, soda fountains, fast food outlets and many other kinds of entertainment. ", National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria, "Sofia Council - 2019-2023", ":: 27 2019", "The party of Kuneva overcomes the falsified ballots with machines", "Escaped from Arena Armeets tell about the nightmare", "The head of the electoral commission in Sofia is resigning at the request of Borissov", " :: 2015", " ? Sofia and the immediate vicinity also boast a great many spa complexes. Sofia is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Bulgaria alongside coastal and mountain resorts. Three mountain passes lead to the city, which have been key roads since antiquity, Vitosha being the watershed between Black and Aegean Seas. [101] Additionally, there were fountains and hammams (bathhouses). In 1867 was inaugurated the first chitalishte in Sofia a Bulgarian cultural institution. Sofia is the 13th largest city in the European Union. Sofia also connects The Near East and The Middle East, lying between the banks of the Danube and the shores of the White Sea on the one hand, and between the Black Sea and the Adriatic on the other. [99] Several of the city's governors were members of the Bulgarian imperial family and held the title of sebastokrator, the second highest at the time, after the tsar. The National Opera and Ballet of Bulgaria is a combined opera and ballet collective established in 1891. There is also a wide variety of hostels and smaller family guesthouses. - . Another Christian monument in the region is the Saint Joseph Catholic Cathedral. Three freeways begin in Sofia: Trakia, Lyulin, and Hemus. Serdica Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Serdica. During the decline of the Roman Empire, the city was raided by Huns, Visigoths, Avars and Slavs. Out of 464,865 homes 432,847 have connection to the communal sanitary sewer, while 2,732 do not have any. [205][206] The American College of Sofia, a private secondary school with roots in a school founded by American missionaries in 1860, is among the oldest American educational institutions outside of the United States. ", "Bulgarian Crime Where killing is a habit", "BBC NEWS Europe Romania and Bulgaria join the EU", Crime Rates in Bulgaria's Sofia on the Rise, " 10 000 , 7000 ", "UPDATE: Stallone Returning to NU BOYANA Film Studios in Bulgaria for 'Rambo 5', "Journey.bg History of the Sofia velodrome", "Swimming pools in Sofia (including Spa centers)", "Population | National statistical institute", " ", "Population and Demographic Processes in 2014 (Final data) National statistical institute", "Sofia ranks 30th in GDP/capita, employment growth 20132014 global report", "Global Metro Monitor An Uncertain recovery", "10 Top Cities Around The World To Launch Your Startup", "Regional gross domestic product (PPS per inhabitant at current market prices), by NUTS 3 regions", "Average monthly wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts", "Coca-Cola Opens Its 2nd Largest Globally IT Center in Sofia", "VMware to invest 23M and Grow the Site in Sofia to over 1500 People", "Bosch Group Officially Opened its New Office in Sofia", "Financial Times Expands Its Team in Sofia", "The Software Company Experian Opened its New Office Building in Sofia", "American Control System Solutions Manufacturer Woodward Opens Production in Sofia", "Festo to Invest 25.6 mln. : +359 2 4918345 E-mail: tourist@info-sofia.bg, Tel. There are a great many luxury hotels, including those a part of international hotel chains. Stalinist Gothic public buildings emerged in the centre, notably the spacious government complex around The Largo, Vasil Levski Stadium, the Cyril and Methodius National Library and others. Sofia offers many places for its children to play. Vitosha mountain is a popular hiking destination due to its proximity and ease of access via car and public transport. All facility staff assigned to classification duties shall be adequately trained in the facility's classification process. [72] In response to hazardous spikes in air pollution, the Municipal Council implemented a variety of measures in January 2018, like more frequent washing of streets. Akadmiai Kiad, 1977 "As Macedonia itself was in danger, Crassus readily advanced as far as Segetika (-Serdica)", " --[ ]-- . - 18771878 . [71], Particulate matter concentrations are consistently above the norm. [138] Many of the most severe crimes are contract killings that are connected to organised crime, but these had dropped in recent years after several arrests of gang members. The valley has an average altitude of 550 metres (1,800ft). Winters are relatively cold and snowy. Kiradzhiev, Svetlin (2006). There are around 13,000 taxi cabs operating in the city. It is a favorite place for a days outing for young and old alike. On the lower slopes of Mount Vitosha, in the Boyana District, is located the National Museum of History, with its collection from prehistoric times to the present day. [25], The population of Sofia declined from 70,000 in the late 18th century, through 19,000 in 1870, to 11,649 in 1878, after which it began increasing. We provide training, technical assistance, and information resources on all phases of new-jail planning. The city houses many cultural institutes such as the Russian Cultural Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute, the Hungarian Institute, the Czech and the Slovak Cultural Institutes, the Italian Cultural Institute, Confucius Institute, Institut Franais, Goethe Institut, British Council and Instituto Cervantes which regularly organise temporary expositions of visual, sound and literary works by artists from their respective countries. It was the capital of the important Sanjak of Sofia as well, including the whole of Thrace with Plovdiv and Edirne, and part of Macedonia with Thessaloniki and Skopje. When the Romanian Army entered Vrazhdebna in 1913, then a village 11 kilometres (7 miles) from Sofia, now a suburb,[113] this prompted the Tsardom of Bulgaria to capitulate. This web site uses cookies. [93] In 343 AD, the Council of Sardica was held in the city, in a church located where the current 6th century Church of Saint Sophia was later built. 18792004". [citation needed] During the war, Sofia was flown by the Romanian Air Corps, which engaged on photoreconnaissance operations and threw propaganda pamphlets to the city. Skiing equipment can be rented and skiing lessons are available. The city is known for its 49 mineral and thermal springs. [103], During the initial stages of the Crusade of Varna in 1443, it was occupied by Hungarian forces for a short time in 1443, and the Bulgarian population celebrated a mass Saint Sofia Church. The citys average altitude is 550 meters above sea level, the climate is moderate and continental, characterized by cold winters and relatively cool summers. [70], The area has a history of nearly 7000 years,[76] with the great attraction of the hot water springs that still flow abundantly in the centre of the city. Public investments in infrastructure, education and local economy brought greater diversity to the city. [166] In 2015, Forbes listed Sofia as one of the top 10 places in the world to launch a startup business, because of the low corporate tax (10%), the fast internet connection speeds available one of the fastest in the world, and the presence of several investment funds, including Eleven Startup Accelerator, LAUNCHub and Neveq. There are two golf courses just to the east of Sofia in Elin Pelin (St Sofia club) and in Ihtiman (Air Sofia club), and a horseriding club (St George club). Inmate Behavior Management: The Key to a Safe and Secure Jail, Issues in Jail Operations, 2003: Perspectives from State Jail Inspection Agencies, Objective Jail Classification Systems: A Guide for Jail Administrators. [75] Particulates are now largely measured by a network of 300 sensors maintained by volunteers since 2017. In the churchs crypt, there is an exhibit of Orthodox Christian art. In 1530 Sofia became the capital of the Ottoman province (beylerbeylik) of Rumelia for about three centuries. [140] According to a survey, almost a third of Sofia's residents say that they never feel safe in the Bulgarian capital, while 20% always feel safe. Sofia is also home to Bulgarias most prestigious and largest educational institutions universities, colleges, and middle schools that offer solidly-grounded, up-to-date instruction in such disciplines as Architecture, Medicine, The Humanities, Engineering, Music and Choreography, and Fine Arts. The common head of Sofia Municipality and all the 38 settlements is the mayor of Sofia. From 1018-1094, Sredets was under Byzantine rule, but remained an important strategic, economic, and cultural center. Cyril and Methodius National Library, the foremost information repository in the country, holds some 1,800,000 books and more than 7,000,000 documents, manuscripts, maps and other items.[151]. A fundamental principle of ODRC classification processes is to place individuals in the least restrictive setting possible that is still sufficient to ensure the safety and security of persons, the institution, and the community. ERH - A security level for individuals who commit or lead others to commit violent, disruptive, predatory, riotous actions, or who otherwise pose a serious threat to the security of the institution as set forth in the established ERH criteria. [112], In the Second Balkan War, Bulgaria was fighting alone practically all of its neighbouring countries. Serdica's citizens of Thracian descent were referred to as Illyrians[80] probably because it was at some time the capital of Eastern Illyria (Second Illyria).[89]. During that time Sofia was the largest import-export-base in modern-day Bulgaria for the caravan trade with the Republic of Ragusa. Among the architects invited to work in Bulgaria were Friedrich Grnanger, Adolf Vclav Kol, and Viktor Rumpelmayer, who designed the most important public buildings needed by the newly re-established Bulgarian government, as well as numerous houses for the country's elite. According to the census, 1,056,738 citizens (87.9%) are recorded as ethnic Bulgarians, 17,550 (1.5%) as Romani, 6,149 (0.5%) as Turks, 9,569 (0.8%) belonged to other ethnic groups, 6,993 (0.6%) do not self-identify and 105,762 (8.8%) remained with undeclared affiliation. The earliest works where this latest name is registered are the duplicate of the Gospel of Serdica, in a dialogue between two salesmen from Dubrovnik around 1359, in the 14th-century Vitosha Charter of Bulgarian tsar Ivan Shishman and in a Ragusan merchant's notes of 1376. [204] The city also hosts 23 of Bulgaria's 51 higher education establishments and more than 105,000 university students. Three of those are operated by the BAS; one by Sofia Tech Park and one by the Faculty of Physics at Sofia University.[218]. Lines 5 and 13 are shorter and provide connections to Kulata and Bankya, respectively. [73] Even areas with few sources of air pollution, like Gorna Banya, had PM2.5 and PM10 levels above safe thresholds. Their inmate to correctional officer ratio is a lot higher than the previous two security levels. "Guttenberg". [101] The 16th century was marked by a wave of persecutions against the Bulgarian Christians, a total of nine became New Martyrs in Sofia and were sainted by the Orthodox Church, including George the New (1515), Sophronius of Sofia (1515), George the Newest (1530), Nicholas of Sofia (1555) and Terapontius of Sofia (1555).[104]. 61. The decision was announced in November 2014 by the Evaluation Committee of ACES Europe, on the grounds that "the city is a good example of sport for all, as means to improve healthy lifestyle, integration and education, which are the basis of the initiative.". The median age is 38 though. The Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum, where Dimitrov's body had been preserved in a similar way to the Lenin mausoleum, was demolished in 1999. This process will consider behavior and such other objective factors as are available and relevant when assessing an individual's institutional security needs. [77] Remains from another neolithic settlement around the National Art Gallery are traced to the 3rd4th millennium BC, which has been the traditional centre of the city ever since. [163] It is the economic hub of Bulgaria and home to most major Bulgarian and international companies operating in the country, as well as the Bulgarian National Bank and the Bulgarian Stock Exchange. [69][70] As a result, air pollution levels in Sofia are some of the highest in Europe. Three of the ten Pan-European Transport Corridors cross the city: IV, VIII and X. In July 2016 the Vitosha Metro Station was opened on the M2 main line. [153] Tennis is increasingly popular in the city. 125 years a capital. Some of the biggest telecommunications companies, TV and radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and web portals are based in Sofia, including the Bulgarian National Television, bTV and Nova TV. Bulgarian rule was restored in 1878. The largest group of the population aged over 20 are recorded to live within marriage (46.3%), another 43.8% are recorded as single and another 9.9% as having other type of coexistence/partnership, whereas not married in total are a majority and among people aged up to 40 and over 70. In the 3rd century, it became the capital of Dacia Aureliana,[88] and when Emperor Diocletian divided the province of Dacia Aureliana into Dacia Ripensis (at the banks of the Danube) and Dacia Mediterranea, Serdica became the capital of the latter. complete the classification process; 2. [79], In 339 BC Philip II of Macedon destroyed and ravaged the town for the first time. It was proposed as a capital by Marin Drinov and was accepted as such on 3 April 1879. The oldest church in Sofia is the Saint George Rotunda. [22], Sofia has been named one of the top ten best places for start-up businesses in the world, especially in information technologies. [141] As of 2015[update], the consumer-reported perceived crime risk on the Numbeo database was "high" for theft and vandalism and "low" for violent crimes; safety while walking during daylight was rated "very high", and "moderate" during the night. 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