Timeline of Sofia

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Sofia, Bulgaria.

Prior to 14th century

Part of a series on the
History of Bulgaria
Odrysian kingdom 460 BC – 46 AD Roman times 46–681 Dark Ages c. 6th–7th cent. Old Great Bulgaria 7th cent., 632–668 First Bulgarian Empire 681–1018 Christianization Golden Age 896–927 Cometopuli dynasty 968–1018 Byzantine Bulgaria 1018–1185 Second Bulgarian Empire 1185–1396 Second Golden Age 1230–1241 Mongol invasion 1274–1300 Darman and Kudelin 1273–1291 Recovery and expansion 1300–1371 Fragmentation and fall 1371–1396 Vidin Dobruja Lovech Ottoman Bulgaria 1396–1878 Resistance after 1413 National Revival 1762–1878 Early Late Establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate 1870 April Uprising 1876 Liberation War 1877–1878 Third Bulgarian State 1878–present Serbo-Bulgarian War 1885 Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising 1903 Balkan Wars 1912–1913 World War I 1915–1918 World War II 1941–1945 Communist era 1946–1990 Transition era since 1990
List of monarchs Military history Struggle for Macedonia 1893–1944
Main category  Bulgaria portal
v t e

• 2nd C. CE – Serdica founded by Trajan.^[1]
• 268 CE – Serdica raided by Goths.^{[citation needed]}
• 343 CE –
  Council of Serdica convenes (approximate date).^[2]
• 4th C.
  • Church of St. George ^[3]
  • Amphitheatre of Serdica built (approximate date).
  • Saint Sophia Church, Sofia originates.
• 447 – Town burned by Huns.^[1][3]
• 809 -
  • Town becomes part of Bulgarian Empire.^[4][3]
  • Town renamed "Sredetz."^[5][3]
• 987 - Successful resistance to the attacks of the emperor Basil II.^[3]
• 11th C. – Boyana Church built near town (approximate date).
• 1194
  • Town becomes part of Byzantium.^[4]
  • Town renamed "Triaditsa" (approximate date).^[4]

14th–18th centuries

• 13th C. – Church of St. Nicholas built.
• 1329 – Town renamed "Sofia".^[4]
• 1382 – Ottomans take Sofia.^[6]
• 1443 – Town occupied briefly by Hungarian forces under John Hunyadi.^[3]
• 1493 – Kremikovtsi Monastery reestablished near Sofia.
• 1494 – Buyuk Mosque [bg] built.
• 1528 –
  Black Mosque
  built.
• 1576 – Banya Bashi Mosque built.
• 1610 – Catholic See of Sophia established.^[5]

19th century

• 1818 – Earthquake.^[7]
• 1829 – Town occupied by
  Russian forces.^[8]
• 1858 – Earthquake.[7]
• 1863 –
  St Nedelya Church
  rebuilt.
• 1878 – Town liberated by Russian forces.^[1]
• 1879
  • Capital of Bulgaria relocated to Sofia from Veliko Tarnovo.^[1]
  • Area of city: 3 square kilometers.^[9]
• 1881 – Population: 20,501.^[3]
• 1882 – Royal palace built.^[3]
• 1884 – Boris' Garden (park) laid out.
• 1886 – National Assembly building constructed.
• 1888
  • Sofia University founded.
  • Sofia Central Station and Sofia Zoo^[10] open.
  • Dimitar Petkov becomes mayor.
• 1890 – 31 May: "Destructive thunderstorm."^[11]
• 1891 – Eagles' Bridge and Lions' Bridge built.
• 1893
  • Bulgarian Literary Society relocates to Sofia.
  • Population: 46,593.^[3]
• 1897 – Battenberg Mausoleum erected.
• 1898 – Central Hunters' Society headquartered in Sofia.^[12]

20th century

• 1903
  • Bulgarian Social Democratic Workers' Party (Narrow Socialists) headquartered in Sofia.
  • Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Church
    inaugurated.
• 1904 – National Theatre founded.^[3]
• 1905 –
  National Archaeological Museum
  opens.
• 1907
  • Central Military Club built.
  • Population: 82,187.^[3]
  • The Monument to the Tsar Liberator was inaugurated on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard in Sofia
• 1908
  • Bulgarian Opera Society established.
  • City becomes capital of the Kingdom of Bulgaria.^[5]
• 1909 – Sofia Synagogue built.
• 1910 – Population: 102,812.^[7]
• 1911
  • Central Sofia Market Hall opens.
  • Union of Bulgarian
    Chitalishta headquartered in Sofia.^[12]
• 1912 –
  Alexander Nevsky Cathedral built.^[10][3]
• 1913 – L'écho de Bulgarie newspaper begins publication.[13]
• 1914
  • Levski Sofia (sports club) founded.
  • Russian Church consecrated.
  • Vrana Palace built near Sofia.
• 1919 – Simplon Orient Express (Paris–Sofia) begins operating.
• 1922 –
  National Opera
  established.
• 1925
  • 16 April:
    St Nedelya Church assault
    .
  • Thracian student society founded.^[12]
• 1926 – Vladimir Vazov becomes mayor.
• 1927 – Kino Vlaikova (cinema) established (approximate date).^[14]
• 1929 – Ivan Vazov National Theatre rebuilt.^[10]
• 1930 – Church of St Paraskeva built.
• 1934
  • City becomes seat of
    Sofia Oblast.^[4]
  • Population: 287,095; department 1,152,053.[1]
  • French Institute built on Slaveykov Square.^{[citation needed]}
• 1939
  • Bulgarian National Bank built.^[10]
  • Area of city: 42 square kilometers.^[9]
• 1940 – Sofia Court House built on Vitosha Boulevard.
• 1943 – Bombing of Sofia in World War II by Allied forces.
• 1944 – Bombing of Sofia in World War II by Allied forces.
• 1946 – City becomes capital of the People's Republic of Bulgaria.
• 1949 – Sofia Power Plant commissioned.
• 1951 – Vecherni Novini newspaper begins publication.^[15]
• 1953 –
  National Opera and Ballet
  building open.
• 1955 – Communist Party Centre built.^[10]
• 1956 – Park Hotel Moskva built.
• 1959 – Borisova Gradina TV Tower erected.
• 1962 –
  Boyana Film
  studio established.
• 1963 –
  Georgi Asparuhov Stadium
  opens.
• 1964 – Population: 739,200 urban agglomeration.^[16]
• 1965 – Theatre 199 founded.
• 1968 – City hosts World Festival of Youth and Students.^[17]
• 1974 – Sofia Central Station rebuilt.
• 1976 – Hemus Hotel built.
• 1977 – Princess Hotel Sofia built.
• 1978 – CITUB Administrative Building built.
• 1979 –
  Vitosha New Otani
  (hotel) built.
• 1981 – National Palace of Culture opens.
• 1984 – Population: 1,097,791 (estimate).^[18]
• 1991
  • New Bulgarian University and Higher Islamic Institute^[19] established.
  • Aleksandar Yanchulev becomes mayor.
  • Odeon Cinema active.
• 1993 – June: Union of Democratic Forces demonstration.^[15]
• 1995 – Stefan Sofiyanski becomes mayor.
• 1997
  • January: 1997 Bulgarian protest [bg].^[20]
  • Sofia Film Festival begins.
• 1998 – Sofia Metro begins operating.

21st century

• 2001
  • November: Protest.^[21]
  • Iceberg Sofia hockey team formed.
• 2003
  • Radio Nova begins broadcasting.
  • City plan "Sofia 2020" adopted.^[9]
• 2004 – Central Bus Station Sofia opens.
• 2005
  • Boyko Borisov becomes mayor.
  • Suhodol, Sofia [bg] landfill protest.^[22]
• 2006
  • Mall of Sofia in business.
  • Kino Cineplex opens.^[23]
  • Cathedral of St Joseph rebuilt.
• 2007
  • Olympia Sofia women's football club established.
  • Bulgaria becomes part of the European Union.^[24]
• 2008
  • Sofia Pride begins.
  • 3 July: 2008 Chelopechene explosions.
• 2009
  • Sofia Middle East & North Africa Film Festival begins.^[25]
  • Yordanka Fandakova becomes mayor.
  • Benchmark Tower built.
• 2011
  • September: Anti-Roma demonstration.^[21]
  • Armeets Arena
    and Sofia Arsenal Museum of Contemporary Art opens.
  • Sopharma Business Center towers built.
• 2012
  • Line 2 of Sofia Metro began operation.
  • Population: 1,241,396.
• 2013
  • February:
    Protest against the Borisov cabinet
    .
  • June:
    Protest against the Oresharski cabinet.^[26]
• 2015 – Capital Fort became the tallest building in Sofia with its 126 meters (413 ft).
• 2017 – Millennium Center was completed.
• 2020 – Sofia Metro Line 3 is set to open.

See also

• History of Sofia
• List of mayors of Sofia
• Timelines of other cities in Bulgaria: Plovdiv, Varna
• List of the oldest buildings in Sofia

References

This article incorporates information from the Bulgarian Wikipedia.

Bibliography

• "Sophia", Handbook for Travellers in Turkey (3rd ed.), London:
  OCLC 2145740
• "Sofia". Chambers's Encyclopaedia. London. 1901.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• "Sofia", Türkei, Rumänien, Serbien, Bulgarien [Turkey, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria],
  hdl:2027/njp.32101064637836
• Bourchier, James David (1910). "Sofia" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). pp. 344–345.
• Benjamin Vincent (1910), "Sofia",
  Haydn's Dictionary of Dates
  (25th ed.), London: Ward, Lock & Co.
• S. Vailhe (1913). "Sardica". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• William Harman Black (1920). "Bulgaria: Sofia". The Real Europe Pocket Guide-Book. Black's Blue Books. New York: Brentano's.
• "Sofia". Bulgaria Guide Book. Bulgaria: Balkantourist. 1959.
• Philip Ward (1993). Sofia: portrait of a city. Cambridge, England: Oleander.
  ISBN 0906672651
  .
• "Bulgaria: Sofia", Eastern and Central Europe (17th ed.), Fodor's, 1996,
  OL 7697674M
• Trudy Ring, ed. (1996). "Sofia". Southern Europe. International Dictionary of Historic Places. Vol. 3. Fitzroy Dearborn.
  OCLC 31045650
  .
• Irina Gigova (2011). "The City and the Nation: Sofia's Trajectory from Glory to Rubble in WWII". Journal of Urban History. 37.
• ISBN 978-0-8139-3114-2
  .
• Roman A. Cybriwsky (2013). "Sofia". Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture.
  ISBN 978-1-61069-248-9
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sofia.

• Europeana. Items related to Sofia, various dates.
• Digital Public Library of America. Items related to Sofia, various dates