8000-Year-Old Neolithic Settlement to Become New Tourist Attraction of Sofia

A billboard advertising the neolithic settelement in the neighbourhood of Slatina. Photo: Wikipedia

The neolithic settlement in the Slatina neighbourhood will become one of the tourist attractions of the Bulgarian capital next year.

This was announced by Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, Cross news agency reports.

The settlement is 8000 years old and is the oldest in the Sofia valley.

It used to be much larger, but part of it was destroyed in the 1970s to make room for the Red Banner sport complex and later for the tramway line.

Archaeological excavations uncovered the remains of nine buildings of sizable dimensions, which is not characteristic for such settlements.

The municipality plans the approval of a project for uncovering and conservation of the ancient ruins and ennoblement of the area.

For this purpose a detailed development plan is being devised a special tourist route including the settlement is being prepared.

Part of the archaeological finds from the settlement – axes, adzes, sharpening stones, flint knives, sickles for harvesting and mowing, weights for looms will be displayed at the new Sofia Museum of History, which will be unveiled on September 17.

A tourist centre will be constructed next to the settlement, where school pupils will be able to hold their history classes.

The municipal culture programme will provide funding for turning the settlement into a tourist attraction.

Fandakova assured that the works on uncovering the palace of Emperor Constantine will continue next summer.

She highlighted that in the past years the municipality has invested BGN 8 M in uncovering the cultural-historical heritage of Sofia.

The mayor revealed that the new tourist information centre located at the underground crossing next to Balkan (Sheraton) Hotel was in the process of being fitted with equipment.

It is expected that the centre will start functioning and providing information to visitors by the end of September.

A total of 500 000 tourists visited the capital in the first half of the year, 300 000 of whom were foreigners.

Visitors form Germany, Greece, the UK, Italy, Turkey and the US were the most numerous and there was an increase in the number of tourists from Israel, Ukraine, Japan and China in the first six months of the year.

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