Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria and its largest city with a population of approximately 1.3 million, is the political, economic, and cultural centre of the country. Surrounded by mountains--the most prominent of which is Mount Vitosha--it is situated close to the Serbian border in the west and adjacent to the river Iskar which flows into the Danube.

Many peoples have inhabited the city over the centuries, the first of which were the Serdi: a Thracian tribe that settled in the area about 3000 years ago. They dubbed their settlement Serdica and it became a major stop on the Roman road that linked Constantinople with Belgrade after the settlement was taken in 29 A.D. by the Roman Empire. Destroyed by the Huns in 447, it was rebuilt by the Byzantines in the 6th century and renamed Triaditsa, after which it would become one of the Byzantine Empire's most important strongholds in the Balkans.

In 809, the city was captured by Bulgar Khan Krum and formed part of the first Bulgarian kingdom. Then it reverted to the Byzantines who retook it and held it from 1018 to 1186, only to be returned to the Bulgars as part of the second Bulgarian kingdom. By that time, Traditsa was renamed Sredets by its native Slavs, and once again later renamed Sofia in 1376 after the church Sveta Sofia ("Holy Wisdom"). The newly named Sofia was then captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1382 and became the residence of the Turkish governors of Rumelia--a region of southern Bulgaria.

After it was captured by the Russians in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, Sofia was made capital of newly independent Bulgaria in 1879.

Major landmarks:

• Aleksander Nevski Cathedral: Built over 30 years and completed in 1912, this gold-domed cathedral was dedicated to the Russian casualties of the 1877-78 "War of Liberation" from Ottoman rule.


• Sveta Sofia Church: This 6th century basilica, beside which lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, has survived intact with 1600-year-old mosaics.