Unique Archaeology Site Discovered During Metro Construction in Bulgaria’s Capital
BalkanTravellers.com
Construction work was frozen temporarily, until a special experts commission – appointed by culture minister Vezhdi Rashidov, inspects the site and comes up with measures that would allow construction to proceed while preserving the finds.
Rashidov, along with Sofia’s Chief Architect Petar Dikov, inspected the site on Tuesday, under the guidance of archaeologist Snezhana Goryanova from the National Archaeology Institute.
The new findings, located right next to the TZUM department store, include the remains of a church with preserved murals dating back to the twelfth century, the remains of early medieval buildings dating to the fifth and sixth centuries and several medieval graves.
Stating he was impressed with the discoveries, Rashidov said that the authorities have to do whatever is needed in order to preserve them.
According to Goryanova, a temporary shelter must be constructed in order to preserve the finds.
There are, according to archaeologist Mario Ivanov, two ways to preserve the discoveries – either by taking them out of the site and placing them in a museum, or by keeping them on their original spot and putting the metro line deeper below them.
Construction of the second metro line is going to continue only after a decision has been made on what to do with the finds, Sofia’s chief architect Dikov said and promised to comply with the recommendations of the experts of the Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Institute.
This is the latest archaeological find in downtown Sofia, which is rich in remains from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Just a stone’s throw away, near the Presidency and Sheraton Hotel, stands the Early Christian red-brick rotunda of St. George [in the opening photograph], which dates to the fourth century and is considered the oldest preserved building in Sofia.
As BalkanTravellers.com reported last year, another project intends to display under glass the remains of the fourth-century palace of Emperor Constantine the Great, currently located underneath Sofia’s Sheraton Hotel.
Read more about Bulgaria on BalkanTravellers.com
Use BalkanTravellers.com's tips to organize your trip to Bulgaria
Epicure
Macedonia
Restaurant “Yugoslavia” to Open in Macedonia’s Capital
October 2009 | In the latest move marked by nostalgia for the socialist past, a new restaurant named “Yugoslavia” will soon open its doors in Skopje. Full Story
Curiosity Chest
Macedonia
Recycled Life: Bottle Collectors in Skopje, Macedonia
Like quicksand, poverty is hard to escape - the harder you fight, the worse it can get. In Skopje, some work hard scouring the city for "treasures." They are bottle collectors, spending the day in search of recyclable plastic which they can sell for a subsistence income.
Full Story
Useful Reads
Balkans
Through Another Europe (2009) | Edited by Andrew Hammond
When Henry Blount journeyed through Bosnia in the 1630s, two things struck him: the purity of the water and the great height of the Bosnians, which, he noted, “made me suppose them the offspring of those old Germans noted by Tacitus and Caesar for their huge size.”
Full Story
Music
Macedonia
Macedonia: Esma Redžepova's Passion for Humanity
"A Gypsy from the city of Skopje", as she calls herself, Esma Redžepova has more than 40 years of singing and humanitarian efforts under her belt. Full Story
-
Photogalleries
-
A Perfect Shot
Koprivshtitsa Fair, Bulgara. Photographs by Neva Micheva
In Homo Urbanus Europeanus, exhibited May 9-24 in front of the National Theatre in Sofia, Jean-Marc Caracci presents his photographs of people in the urban environment of European capitals.
RED&WHITE SOFIA. On the 1st of March Bulgarians say goodbye to the winter. They buy each other red&white threads to carry around until they see a stork and spring can begin. Photography by Lode Desmet
BULGARIA D'OR: The Bulgarian countryside, patinated with the noble golden dust of the autumn. Photographs by Lode Desmet
360 degrees Bulgaria, an exhibition by photographer Alexandar Ivanov, is on display at the Sea Garden in Varna until August 28. It will be shown at Plovdiv’s Central Square from Sept 5.
The exhibition Photographs of a Trip Through Bulgaria by Hungarian photographer András Balla can be seen in Sofia's Hungarian Cultural Institute, at Aksakov 16 Street, until August 22
Instant Spring in Sofia | Photographs by Lode Desmet
Off-the-season Beauty of Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast | Photographs by Adelina Iliev
Bulgaria's Northern Black Sea Coast
Photographs by Albena Shkodrova
excellent smugs
