Dean Christakos« Returned to the USA | Main | Today in Interesting Numbers »
July 22, 2006
Some wanderings in Sofia
So, oddly, it seems that most nights in Sofia there are fireworks being fired off into the sky. It's like a celebration every night.
There are two major monuments to the Russians in Sofia. One is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which was built to honor the role that the Russians played in liberating Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish war of 1877. The Russians suffered losses of around 200,000 soldiers. These massive casualties probably should have tipped off the Russian czar that if, say, 40 years hence the country were to be attacked by Germany, they'd run into some military problems, but apparently no one thought that anything was amiss.
In the crypt of the cathedral is a large collection of icons from all over Bulgaria in a large variety of different styles, from traditional Byzantine to a more Russian style to a highly westernized aesthetic.
Another monument in Sofia is dedicated to the Soviets for ending Bulgaria's alliance with Nazi Germany and bringing Bulgaria over to the side of the Allies during World War II. However, local residents seemed more transfixed by the half-pipe that was right beside the monument:
Posted by Dean at July 22, 2006 10:45 AM
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