National Assembly (Bulgaria)

The National Assembly Building is used by the Bulgarian parliament for parliamentary debates. The main building has been proclaimed a monument of culture for its historic significance. Situated in downtown Sofia, it was designed in Neo-Renaissance style by Konstantin Jovanović, a Serbian-Bulgarian architect who received his education in Vienna and Switzerland and whose other works include the Parliament of Serbia building. It was constructed between 1884 and 1886 by Friederich Wilhelm Gustav Liebe, a young builder from Saxony who was only 22 years old when construction began. The building was originally painted in an off-white hue, but since the latter part of the 20th century has been white. In August 1990, the current national assembly building (the former party house) was set on fire by communist partisans.The building is depicted on the reverse of the Bulgarian 20 leva banknote, issued in 1999 and 2007. Due to insufficient space in the main building at Parliament Square, some administrative offices of the National Assembly are now housed by the former headquarters of the Bulgarian Communist Party, located at the Largo. There has been a proposal that the entire National Assembly be permanently moved to the Party House, with its inner courtyard being converted into an interior space for the plenary chamber.Since September 2020, it has been moved to the Party House. Surprisingly, after the April 2021 Bulgarian parliamentary election, the National Assembly moved again to the old Parliament House because the new opposition led-majority (ITN, Democratic Bulgaria, ISMV) viewed the Party House building as a symbol of Bulgaria's communist past.

The Monument to the Tsar Liberator (Bulgarian: Паметник на Цар Освободител, Pametnik na Tsar Osvoboditel) is an equestrian monument in the centre of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It was erected in honour of Russian Emperor Alexander II who liberated Bulgaria from Ottoman rule during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. The Neoclassical memorial's author is Italian sculptor Arnoldo Zocchi, who won the project in competition with 31 other artists from 12 countries (and with a total of 90 artists from 15 countries being interested) in the end of the 19th century. Bulgarian architect Nikola Lazarov participated in the monument's architectural design. The foundation stone was laid on 23 April 1901, St George's Day, in the presence of Knyaz Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, and the monument was completed on 15 September 1903. Ferdinand also attended the monument's inauguration on 30 August 1907 together with his sons Boris and Kiril, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander II, together with his wife and his son, as well as other notable figures. Erected of black polished granite from Vitosha, the Monument to the Tsar Liberator consists of a pedestal, a middle part with figures and a massive Neo-Renaissance cornice finished with the sculpture of the Russian Tsar on a horse. The bronze wreath at the foot was donated by Romania in memory of the Romanian soldiers that died during the war. The main bronze bas-relief in the middle part depicts a group of Russian and Bulgarian soldiers led by the goddess of victory (Nike in Greek mythology and Victoria in Roman mythology), who raises her sword high above. Portraits of Grand Duke Nicholas Nicolaievich, Count Ignatiev and the generals Joseph Vladimirovich Gourko and Mikhail Skobelev surround the group. Other bas-reliefs feature scenes from the Battle of Stara Zagora, the signing of the Treaty of San Stefano and the opening ceremony of the Constituent National Assembly in Veliko Tarnovo, as well as portraits of Petko Slaveykov, Stoyan Zaimov, Ivan Vazov, Stefan Stambolov and other prominent figures from the period. The Monument to the Tsar Liberator is on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard, facing the National Assembly of Bulgaria and with the InterContinental hotel behind it.

The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (abbreviated BAS; Bulgarian: Българска академия на науките, Balgarska akademiya na naukite, abbreviated БАН) is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy, with headquarters in Sofia, is autonomous and consists of a Society of Academicians, Correspondent Members and Foreign Members. It publishes and circulates different scientific works, encyclopaedias, dictionaries and journals, and runs its own publishing house. The activities are distributed in three main branches: Natural, mathematical and engineering sciences; Biological, medical and agrarian sciences and Social sciences, humanities and art. They are structured in 42 independent scientific institutes, and a dozen of laboratories and other sections. Julian Revalski has been the president of the BAS since 2016. As of 2022, its budget was 119,860 million leva (€61,28 million).

St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Bulgarian: Храм-паметник "Свети Александър Невски", Hram-pametnik "Sveti Aleksandar Nevski") is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and it is believed to be one of the 50 largest Christian church buildings by volume in the world. It is one of Sofia's symbols and primary tourist attractions. St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia occupies an area of 3,170 square metres (34,100 sq ft) and can hold 5,000 people inside. It is believed to be among the 10 largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings. It is the largest cathedral in the Balkans. It is believed that until year 2000 it was the largest finished Orthodox cathedral.

The National Academy of Arts (Bulgarian: Национална художествена академия) is an institution of higher education in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the oldest and most renowned school of arts in the country.

Vasil Levski Boulevard (Bulgarian: Булевард Васил Левски) is a major boulevard in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It lies between the Freight Station Square at the Slivnitsa and Danail Nikolaev Boulevards and the area of the National Palace of Culture. It is named after Bulgaria's national hero Vasil Levski. 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. 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. The boulevard is served by many public bus and trolley bus lines and also SU St. Kliment Ohridski Metro Station.

The Italian ambassador in Sofia is the official representative of the Government in Rome to the Government of Bulgaria.

Yalta Club (Bulgarian: Ялта) is a nightclub in Sofia, Bulgaria. It was ranked among the Top 100 Clubs by DJ Mag in its annual rankings in 2009 and 2010. Yalta is located next to Sofia University in the downtown area of the city. In 2011 Yalta club was ranked 19th place and a year later the club reached 12th place.

The National Gallery for Foreign Art (Bulgarian: Национална галерия за чуждестранно изкуство, Natsionalna galeriya za chuzhdestranno izkustvo) of Bulgaria is a gallery located on St. Alexander Nevsky Square in Sofia. It serves as the country's national institution for non-Bulgarian art. It is situated in the 19th-century Neoclassic edifice of the former Royal Printing Office.

Sofia University, "St. Kliment Ohridski" at the University of Sofia, (Bulgarian: Софийски университет „Св. Климент Охридски“, Sofijski universitet „Sv. Kliment Ohridski“) is the oldest higher education institution in Bulgaria. Founded on 1 October 1888, the edifice of the university was constructed between 1924 and 1934 with the financial support of the brothers Evlogi Georgiev and Hristo Georgiev (whose sculptures are now featured on its façade) and has an area of 18,624 m² and a total of 324 premises. The university has 16 faculties and three departments, where over 21,000 students receive their education. The current rector is Anastas Gerdzhikov. It has been consistently ranked as the top university in Bulgaria according to national and international rankings, being constantly among the best four percent of world universities according to QS World University Rankings.

The Monument to the Unknown Soldier (Bulgarian: Паметник на Незнайния воин, Pametnik na Neznayniya voin) is a monument in the centre of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, located just next to the 6th-century Church of St Sophia, on 2 Paris Street. The monument commemorates the hundreds of thousands of Bulgarian soldiers who died in wars defending their homeland. Ceremonies involving the President of Bulgaria and foreign state leaders are often performed here.The monument was designed by architect Nikola Nikolov and opened on September 22, 1981, the 1300th anniversary of establishment of the Bulgarian state.The Monument to the Unknown Soldier features an eternal flame, turf from Stara Zagora and Shipka Pass, sites of two of the most important battles of the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation (the Battle of Stara Zagora and the Battle of Shipka Pass), a sculpture of a lion (a national symbol of Bulgaria) by the noted sculptor Andrey Nikolov, as well as a stone inscription of a stanza (part of The New Graveyard Above Slivnitsa 1885 poem) by the national writer Ivan Vazov: БЪЛГАРИЙО, ЗА ТЕБЕ ТЕ УМРЯХА,ЕДНА БЕ ТИ ДОСТОЙНА ЗАРАД ТЯХ И ТЕ ЗА ТЕБ ДОСТОЙНИ, МАЙКО, БЯХА! O BULGARIA, FOR YOU THEY DIED,ONLY ONE WERE YOU WORTHY OF THEM AND THEY OF YOU WORTHY, O MOTHER, WERE! After the end of the First World War, a group of Bulgarians proposed building the monument. However, strong opposition to the building of this monument arose. Some Bulgarian intellectuals argued that a monument of an unknown soldier is unacceptable since it would imply that the names of the soldiers have been forgotten. "Not a single soldier shall be forgotten who gave his life in this war and in all other wars for the freedom of Bulgaria!".The monument was designed but was not displayed because of the above-mentioned arguments. The lion itself was considered an abuse for a long time because it was sitting. The pose was considered a metaphor of surrender to the national ideas.

The Saint Sofia Church (Bulgarian: църква „Света София“, tsarkva „Sveta Sofia“) is the oldest church in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, dating to the 4th century. In the predecessor building took place the Council of Serdica held most probably in 343 and attended by 316 bishops. In the 14th century, the church gave its name to the city, previously known as Serdika (Сердика).