What is the capital of Bulgaria?

The capital of Bulgaria is Sofia. It is Bulgaria’s largest city and lies in the Sofia Valley at the foot of Vitosha mountain in the country’s west.

Sofia has one of Europe’s deepest urban histories. Human settlement in the area dates back at least to 7000 BC. In antiquity, the city was known as Serdica, after the Celtic Serdi tribe. The Romans conquered it in 29 BC and developed it as an important regional centre. After it entered the First Bulgarian Empire in 809, it became known as Sredets; the name Sofia became dominant later, associated with the city’s Church of Saint Sofia.

Sofia became the capital of the autonomous Principality of Bulgaria in 1879, following the Russo-Turkish War. It continued as the capital when Bulgaria became a kingdom in 1908 and later a republic. Bucharest is the capital of neighbouring Romania, while Varna and Plovdiv are major Bulgarian cities. Plovdiv is particularly notable for its ancient history, but it does not serve as Bulgaria’s national capital.