SOFIA Dramatically ringed by the Balkan Mountains to the north and the Vitosha Mountains to the south, Sofia stands on an open plain 550m (1,804ft) above sea level in western Bulgaria. Although its neo-classical Stalinist architecture is prominent, visitors to Sofia will love its side streets and century-old commercial quarter, tree-lined boulevards and balconied buildings by 19th-century Russian and Viennese architects. Locals meet for coffee at open-air cafés in the park, the vast bazaar offers an array of pickles and farm produce, and new designer boutiques keep springing up in the city centre. Shoppers queue to board Sofia's rattling trams while folk musicians serenade the metro users. Central Sofia boasts a clutch of ancient and neo-Byzantine Orthodox churches, and one functioning mosque, virtually all that remains of 500 years of Ottoman domination. Originally known as Serdica, Sofia was founded 3,000 years ago and is still famous for its thermal springs, and an early centre of Christianity. The Turks conquered the city in 1382, but when ousted in 1878, Sofia became the capital and its grand boulevards were constructed. Bulgaria became part of the Eastern Bloc after WWII and Sofia went through rapid industrialisation under the Communist regime, with new factories and high-rise apartment blocks. Ever since the regime ended in 1989, Sofia is reclaiming its sense of European elegance and identity. Although the 1990s saw political instability, soaring unemployment, hyperinflation and rampant corruption, today's Bulgaria benefits from accession to the EU in 2007, regaining credibility and economic stability. Sofia is definitely on the up, and the city's motto, 'Ever growing, never old', is as true today as it ever was.

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