European Cities

ECM Intranet Login

Welcome Guest. :: Login :: To use all functions of Organisers section.

Destination finder

Sofia

Description

Founded seven thousand years ago, Sofia is the second oldest city in Europe. It has been given several names in the course of history and the remnants of the old cities can still be seen today. Serdika was the name of the central dwelling of the ancient Thracian tribe known as “Serdi”. It bore that name when it became part of the Bulgarian state at the beginning of the nineth century and was soon recognised as one of the most important feudal towns, acquiring the Slavic name Sredets. Near Sofia lies the Boyana church, which is one of the most valuable memorials of Bulgarian and European culture. The church boasts frescoes, acclaimed by specialists as “the best examples of Eastern mediaeval art during its twelve century history”. The decline of Sofia during the Ottoman Empire was followed by the rejuvenation after the liberation in 1879, when Sofia was chosen as the capital of Bulgaria at the First National Constituent Assembly. The plans of 1881-1882 were followed by a brisk and straight-forward period of construction. In 1900 the City Council approved the emblem of Sofia and the motto “It Grows but Does not Age”.

Contact information

Name: Christo Drumev
Position: Chairman of Sofia Convention Bureau
Address: 1 Bulgaria Square, Sofia 1414, Bulgaria
Email: chairman@sofiacb.com
Web: http://www.sofiacb.com
Phone: +359 2 952 62 24, +359 2 916 67 60
Fax: +359 2 954 31 31

 

Access information

Airport name: Sofia International Airport

Distance to city centre: 10 km from the Central Business District

Number of International airlines: 21

Highways: E79, E80, E871

Number of international trains daily: 11

Special events

Martenitsa, the coming of spring is celebrated by wearing red and white tassels, throughout the city.	February-March
St Trifon's Day, a vine growing and wine making festival, celebrated in the villages outside the city.	14 February
Liberation Day, a national holiday celebrating liberation from Ottoman rule in 1878, throughout the city.	3 March
Sofia International Film Festival, 10-day showcase of films from around the world.	March (10 days)
Orthodox Easter, celebrated throughout the city.	March-April
Labour Day, a national holiday, celebrated throughout the city.	1 May
Salon des Arts – held at the National Palace of Culture, Congress Centre-Sofia.	11 May-23 June
St George's Day, Orthodox festival, official holiday, agricultural celebration heralding the end of spring and the beginning of summer.	6 May
Bulgarian Culture and Slavonic Script Day, a national holiday honouring Saints Cyril and Methodius for devising the Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet. Celebrations throughout the city.	24 May
Festival of European Co-productions, an international annual non-competitive feature film festival, Lumière Cinema, National Palace of Culture-Congress Centre-Sofia.	early June
Day of Unification, a national holiday, celebrated throughout the city.	6 September
Independence Day, a national holiday, celebrated throughout the city.	22 September
Cinemania, a film festival, showing the newest and best international and Bulgarian films, National Palace of Culture.	November, three-weeks
St Nicholas' Day, celebrated throughout the city.	12 December
New Year’s Music Festival, held at the National Palace of Culture	20 Dec - 1 Jan
Christmas, a national holiday.	25 December
New Year's Eve, festivities throughout the city.	31 December

City overview

City:	Total Bedrooms	Capacity of the biggest meeting hall	Maximum Exhibition space of the biggest conference facility [m2]	Maximum Exhibition space of the biggest conference facility [sq. foot]
Sofia	4723	4000	20150	216893

 

Accommodation & Conference facilities

Send RFP