Sofia City News
The Sofia Municipality opened the applications for its annual “Academy for VISIONERS” – an initiative that supports smart solutions for the benefit of the community and innovative ideas for a cause of young people aged 15 to 29. Participants will work with mentors and renowned experts in four thematic areas – Culture and Art, Environmental Protection, Science and Innovation, and Animals at Risk. Part of the academy are training and practical sessions and support from ideation, through implementation, to assessment and reporting of the impact, as well as organizational and logistical support, assistance in promoting the projects, and more. The best ideas to be supported with funding of up to BGN 5,000. For more information and a registration link, please visit the website here.
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The international agency S&P Global Ratings confirmed Sofia’s long-term credit rating – ‘BBB with a stable outlook. According to the analysis, the Sofia Municipality demonstrates stable economic indicators, which are better than the average for the country, a diversified local economy, and low unemployment, as well as good financial discipline. The stable long-term credit rating of the city gives the municipality the opportunity to obtain good financial conditions for funding large infrastructure projects necessary for the development of the city.
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The sixth edition of the “My Green School, My Green Kindergarten” program has been launched. This year, nearly 50 institutions will take part in the initiative, and more than 600 trees will be planted by the children themselves. In Sofia this year, more than 4,000 trees will be planted on the sidewalks near streets and boulevards, as well as in parks, gardens, and green areas. The “New Forest” initiative is also underway. The forest planted a few years ago near the Suhodol landfill is growing, and last year the planting of a new forest near the village of Negovan with 86,000 saplings began. The Sofia Municipality is planning a third new forest near Novi Iskar.
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After two years of negotiations between the Sofia Municipality and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, the Sofia Zoo was approved to be the home of two black jaguars. The animals are part of the Association’s special program for priority species breeding in zoo settings and come from a national park in France. In 2018, the Sofia zoo expanded the cages of the big cats and created conditions for the animals according to international requirements. This summer, two elephants are expected to arrive from Germany – the animal is the symbol of the Sofia Zoo.
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The first of a total of 29 new low-floor trams, which will run on lines 4, 5 and 18 of the City Transport, have already been delivered. Thus, the total number of new trams becomes 67, which is more than half of the trams on the territory of the city. The new trains are air-conditioned, with a platform for strollers and people with disabilities, and have a stop button for getting off, as well as sound signaling for visually impaired people. The trams are equipped with a highly efficient electric heating system and two separate air conditioning systems – for cooling the passenger compartment and the driver’s cabin.
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The restoration of the mineral bath in Ovcha Kupel begins. The emblematic building will be restored while completely preserving the facade, the interior, and the pools. Strengthening of the building structure, restoration of the original elements on the facade and on the ceilings of the two pools, the multi-colored terracotta floors, as well as the metal railings on the stairs, the roof structures of the conservatories and decorative grills on the windows are planned. In accordance with the latest requirements for mineral centers, a relaxation area, a steam bath, an infrared sauna, an aroma sauna, a Finnish sauna, and a cold shock pool, will also be built. The bath will host a Center of Excellence with research laboratories to study the effects of mineral water on human health.
The Ovcha Kupel Bath is one of the most significant facilities in the architectural work of Georgi Ovcharov on the territory of Sofia. Its construction began in 1920 and continued until 1933. The bath was closed in the late 1980s and began to crumble, and in 2017 a fire broke out, which further damaged the iconic building. Since 2019, ownership of the bath has been transferred from the state to the Sofia Municipality, and the city administration started planning its restoration.
