B R E AT H I N G
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S P A C E
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Image Credit: Lauren True
editor’s note
Welcome to the fourth edition of Breathing Space, in which we present to you the incredible (and affordable) Sofia, Bulgaria. It has been an adventure representing the vibrant culture of this city and we hope to satisfy at least one curiosity about it for each of our readers.
This issue explores Bulgaria’s ‘Student City’. Inside you’ll find a wide range of featured content, from Mariah John-Leighton’s insightful interviews with young locals, to Evey Winter’s profiles of up-and-coming Bulgarian artists. You’ll also find realistic, simple guides on how best to travel the city, where to stay and which landmarks you can’t afford to miss. We want to reduce the worries associated with travel, helping you to experience the awe of a tourist and the confidence of a local. As always, we want our magazine to spark wanderlust in those who browse it, igniting a desire to see the world, learn new things and – most importantly – take time and space to breathe.
Image: Ruby Winter
Illustration provided by Ruby Winter
S O FI A CONTENTS AT A GLANCE SNAPSHOTS OF SOFIA
7 8-9
LOCAL TALENT: ART AND MUSIC
10-13
LANGUAGE!
14-15
WHERE TO GO...WHAT TO SEE
16-17
THE STUDENTS PERSPECTIVE: INTERVIEW
18-23
FROM TRAM TO TRAIN: PUBLIC TRANSPORT
25
LOCAL TALENT: FASHION HIDDEN TREASURES
26-27
28
TAKE FLIGHT: TRAVEL INFORMATION AND PROMOTIONS
29
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? PAST EDITIONS
30 31-32
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Bulgaria At A Glance By Evey Winter
ulgaria is situated in South-East Europe in the Balkan Peninsula. It borders Greece and Turkey to the South, Macedonia and Serbia to the West, the Danube River and Romania to the North and the Black Sea to the East. Bulgaria was influenced for a long time by Byzantine culture. It was then part of the Ottoman Empire for 500 years before gaining independence in the 19th century. They go by Eastern European time (UTC) and use the currency Bulgarian Lev (BGN). The currency symbol for BGN is лв. The country’s official language is Bulgarian. The most popular foreign languages spoken in Bulgaria are English, German, Russian, French, Spanish, and Turkish. They use the Cyrillic alphabet. The main religion is Eastern Orthodox (the second-largest Christian Church), with 85% of Bulgaria’s population identifying as such. 8% identify as Muslim. Bulgaria as a country has a population of 7.2 million. The capital city, Sofia, is home to 1.3 million people. The Bulgarian climate can be described as continental. Winter is usually snowy. Over the winter months Northern Bulgaria’s temperature can
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drop to -10°C. In the summer, however, it is usually warm with occasional thunderstorms. Rainfall is usually in the spring and autumn months. Bulgaria’s main attractions include its museums and landmarks (ideal for history and culture enthusiasts), its parks, mountains, lakes and hot springs (for the nature lovers among us), and the ski, snow and water sports available in the mountains and on the coast of the Black Sea (for sports fanatics). Bulgaria also has a thriving food scene which is enough to keep many foodies happy! 5
Snapshots Religion
By Charlotte Ewing Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic with no state religion but there are a number of religions practiced in the country. Over 80% of Bulgarian citizens identify as Eastern Orthodox Christians. Bulgaria is also home to one of Europe’s largest Muslim populations. Bulgaria is also the birthplace of Danovism. Danovism combines elements of paganism and Christianity with practices like yoga and vegetarianism. The Square of Religious Tolerance in Sofia is the only square in Europe containing places of worship for four major religions – Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Islam and Judaism.
Food & Drink
Banitsa – A traditional pastry, usually found at coffee shops as it goes very well with coffee! It is made of filo pastry, butter and Bulgarian cheese. Tarator – A light refreshing soup perfect for hot summer nights. Yoghurt is its base ingredient, but it also includes cucumbers, garlic, dill and ice cubes! Meshana Skara – This dish is essentially the ‘mixed grill of Bulgaria’. It includes pork meat and kyufte (meatballs much like the Indian Kofte). Tikvenik – A Bulgarian pastry filled with pumpkin puree, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. Rakia – This fruity brandy is fairly potent, with store-bought Rakia having an alcohol by volume percentage of around 40%. 6
Traditions ‘Koleduvane’ – A ritual that takes place on 24th December.Only young and unmarried men take part. Once the ritual has finished, the Bulgarians understand that Christmas is now here and Jesus Christ was born. They congregate in one house, dressed up in special clothes. Afterwards they walk around singing Christmas songs ‘Jordans Day’ – Christian Bulgarians mark Epiphany and the Baptism of Jesus on 6th January each year with traditions that make use of icy waters. For example, a priest may throw a cross into the water and all willing men will jump in to retrieve it. The man that catches the cross is said to be happy and healthy throughout the year. Another tradition is called the ‘icy round dance’ which involves men dancing in a freezing river to traditional Bulgarian tunes.
History A timeline of the history of Sofia 1018 – 1185 – Bulgaria is part of the Byzantine Empire. 1396 – The Ottoman Empire conquers Bulgaria, introducing the era of ‘Turkish yoke’. 1876 – A nationwide uprising against Ottoman rule is violently suppressed. 1908 – Bulgaria declares itself an independent kingdom. 1914 – 1918 – Bulgaria allies itself with Germany in WWI. 1939-1945 – WWII. The Soviet army invades Bulgaria in 1944. 1947 – A new constitution along Soviet lines establishes a one-party state. 1971 – Zhikov becomes president. 1989 – Reforms in the Soviet Union inspire demands for democratisation. Zhikov ousted. 1991 – A new constitution proclaims Bulgaria a parliamentary republic.
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Local Talent Sofia is brimming with young talent. The city is home to numerous artists, writers and culinary geniuses. Breathing Space has listed some of Sofia’s up-and-coming talents. By Evey Winter
Severina Eneva everina Eneva is a Bulgarian artist whose paintings and work focus on the human body and water.
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She studied at the St. Luke National School of Applied Arts and in 2013 won first prize at the national contest, for nude paintings.
In an interview with Radio Bulgaria, Eneva talked of how she conveys human nature and expression in her artwork: ‘Humans are bizarre – they rarely express what they are thinking. What I wanted to convey with this work was the image of the thoughts in my head – a
She also came second in the textile tangle of motion…’ arts category. Her submission piece, called Thought, is as much fabric as it She went on to speak of her inspirations is sculpture. and influences: Eneva says that to her, art is a dream, a flame and a passion that pushes her forward. Although she has numerous artistic interests – extending even to the treatment of glass – she says that painting is inside her heart.
‘I was inspired by a sculptor who submerges his sculptures to the bottom of the sea where they are slowly covered in molluscs and other sea creatures. It was he that pointed me in the way of discovering human 8
‘Bulgaria is the place I want to work. We are Bulgarian and we should be creating the history of this, not of some other country’. Since 2017, she has been displaying her work in series as part of an online collection on the artist portfolio domain Behance.
Under one of her collections entitled Water, Eneva writes: ‘Water is fascination of mine, another dimension, another reality, yet part of everything.’ Under another, Reverse Perspective, she muses that the concept is ‘simple, yet not, the reverse perspective is one of the strangest art discoveries.’ With several national awards and a promising portfolio of work already under her belt, Eneva is an artist to watch in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Credit: Severina Eneva
nature, of seeing what is inside us all, of what we want to say but do not…’ Eneva has travelled to many places in Europe but is a Sofia native and passionate about her nationality. She feels strongly about the art and culture of Bulgaria.
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B ulgarian L an Origins he Bulgarian language is a Slavic language. It uses the Cyrillic Alphabet. Three main factors were behind the formation of the Bulgarian language.
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1. The Substrates (these are languages from various Slavic tribes and Thracian tribes, who lived on the territory of Bulgaria before the Slavs). 2. The Adstrat – this is the name for the Bulgarians who invaded the Balkan Peninsula in the 7th Century. They founded the state. 3. Turkish influence from the 14th Century when Bulgaria was under Turkish slave rule. They imposed the Turkish language and although most Turkish words were replaced by Bulgarian after liberation, some Turkish words remain. Russian has influenced Bulgaria since the 19th century by enriching the literary vocabulary with new terminology in the socio-political, military and scientific fields.
Varieties The Bulgarian language is made up of two major variety groups; the Eastern norm and the Western norm. They are differentiated by the Eastern norm using the process of palatalisation of consonants. This means that consonant sounds are voiced with more contact between the tongue and the hard palate of
the mouth. Official Bulgarian is based on the Eastern norm.
Brief History The development of the Bulgarian language can be divided into four major periods. The first is the Prehistoric Period. This time period contained the invasion of the Slavic tribes and the adoption of the Cyrillic alphabet. Also during this time, Slavic languages absorbed the local Thracian ones to form a hybrid. After the collapse of the Bulgarian Empire, the Bulgarians came from Asia and established a state on the Balkans, co-living with the Slavic tribes. Thus, 10
nguage H istory a new language was formed, based on Slavic but influenced by Bulgarian. The language, the state and its official terms were taken from Bulgarian and most of the remaining vocabulary was taken from Slavic. The second period, called Old Bulgarian began in the 9th century. At that time, Christianity had just become the official religion and the language that developed during this time is largely known as ‘Old Church’ Slavic. It is the language from which the main Slavic languages evolved, including modern Bulgarian. The key event for this period was the adoption of the Cyrillic alphabet. The third period is known as Middle Bulgarian, and covers the period of the second Bulgarian Empire during the 12th to 15th centuries. It marked the consolidation of the state and nation, as well as a period of major glory for the Kingdom of Bulgaria. The Modern Bulgarian period starts with what the Bulgarian’s call the ‘dark years’ of Turkish domination, which lasted for five centuries. During this period, development slowed down until the Bulgarian Renaissance (or the élan). The élan was triggered mainly by literate people, for example the clergy, and started with the first attempts to write a history of the country in Bulgarian after the collapse of the Kingdom. By Evey Winter
Common Phrases English: Hello Bulgarian: Здравейте Pronunciation: zdrah-VEY-teh
E: Please B: Моля те Pronunciation: MO-lya
E: Goodbye B: Довиждане Pronunciation: doh-VIZH-dah-neh
E: Thank you B: Благодаря ти Pronunciation: bla-go-da-RYAH 11
where to go. . . Planning a trip can be stressful, especially as we realise just how much money and time will be spent during our time away. But don’t fret! We have you covered. LAUREN TRUE provides us with a comprehensive list of the budget ‘must-dos’ of Sofia. s you can see from the map, in order to access the best of Sofia’s attractions, it is wise to stay in the city centre. Not only this, but the centre of Sofia is actually considered to be the safest part of the city. There are many hotels, hostels and places to stay in Sofia, so we have done some investigating and decided on our favourite. The best value hostel in this area, according to both customer reviews and reviews from professional critics, is Hostel Mostel (see orange dot). This hostel is known for being clean and tidy, with friendly staff and complimentary beer, internet access, tours, luggage storage and breakfast. In terms of budget says, a private room for four is the best deal at this hostel (costing the equivalent of £9.03 per person per night).
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However, depending on your party size, you can reserve a bed in a dormitory or book various sizes of private rooms. The hostel is within walking distance of the
Central Mineral Baths (light green
dot), the Lover’s Bridge (red dot), the National Art Gallery (grey dot) and most other central attractions. It is important to know that you do
need to spend a fortune in order to
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engage with the culture of Sofia. In fact, many of the events and opportunities that best connect you to the life of the place are completely free. Tours abound taking you on culinary, architectural and artistic routes throughout the city, and for most of these the only thing you spend is time. Examples of such tours are the Balkan Bites Free Food Tour (dark green dots) and the Graffiti Tour (light blue dots).
12 Image Credit: Lauren True
KEY points of interest: Serdika Metro Station This station is a fine example of the architecture of Sofia as well as a great place to travel from. Designed by arch. Kr. Andreev, the station has pink granite flooring and a suspended ceiling. It mixes antiques from past centuries with its more contemporary elements of design. Central Bus Station This is the central hub for public transport in Sofia. Tens of thousands of travellers pass through it every week! The bus station has over forty ticket offices, where tickets can be bought by card or cash. And don’t worry if you have to wait a while for a bus – the waiting room alone covers 1500 square metres! Ivan Vazov National Theatre Bulgaria’s largest theatre was founded in 1904 by Bulgarian artists and named after prominent writer Ivan Vazov. Even if you don’t see a play, it is worth visiting due to its grandiose architecture, designed by Viennese theatre architects Helmer and Fellner.
Image Credit: Ruby Winter
St Nikolas, Russian Church Often called ‘the prettiest church in Sofia’, the Church of St Nicholas the Miracle-Maker was built in 1914. In the crypt of this church lies the tomb of the former Bishop Serafin. It is believed that if you drop a note into a box beside the tomb, your wishes will be granted.
. . .what to see 13
s oFIA
The
Students
magine leaving your family, your friends and everything you have ever known to move not only to an another country but to one of the most famous cities in the world, where you don’t know anyone - all for an education. Well, that’s what these girls did. Meet Antonia and Violeta, who prefer to go by Toni and Vio. Best friends since childhood, the two are inseparable even though they constantly insult each other. They do everything together; they hang together, laugh together, live together, and they even moved over to England at the tender age of 16 together. The architecture of Sofia is a huge contrast to where they reside now in London. Toni is studying Psychology at University College of London and Vio is studying International Relations at Queen Mary University. Although they now consider London their home, Sofia still holds a special place in their hearts. The two consider themselves proud Bulgarians and spend the majority of their holidays back in Sofia, enjoying all that the vibrant city has to offer. Trips back home for them are filled with visits to Pancharevo Lake, music, picnics in the parks and late nights in the Studenski Grad. I sat down with the duo to find out about Sofia from the perspective of former local students.
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So, you guys are from Sofia? Photo taken by Mariah John-Leigthton
Toni: Sort of. I was actually born in Plovdiv, which is to the east of the city, but my family moved to Iztok, Izgrev (Sofia) when
Perspective By Mariah John-Leighton
Each issue of Breathing Space aims to provide students with enough information to explore a specific, lesser-known city on a realistic budget. We collect a wealth of local knowledge and real student experience from each city we visit, develing beyond the obvious to provide exciting features, insight and traveller’s tips often overlooked by mainstream travel guides. In this issue we introduce you to Sofia, Bulgaria, hoping you will fall in love with this Student City as much as we have
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