Boyana ( bg, Бояна ) is a neighbourhood of the

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

n capital of

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

, part of Vitosha municipality and situated 8 km south of the city centre, in the outskirts of

Vitosha Vitosha ( bg, Витоша ), the ancient ''Scomius'' or ''Scombrus'', is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing. Conveni ...

. Boyana is one of the most expensive parts of Sofia to live in. The residents are primarily wealthy business people, government officials and other prominent members of Bulgarian society. Formerly an outlying village, it was incorporated into Sofia in 1961.

History

Boyana's name was first mentioned in the 11th-century ''Vision of

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

'' in the excerpt РЄЧЄТЬ ОУ БОІАНѢ ѠСТАВИТЄ ТОУ ПЛѢНЬ. The name is most likely derived from the personal name

Boyan Boyan may refer to: People * Bojan, a common Slavic given name spelled as Boyan in Bulgarian * Boyan (bard) (10th–11th century), a bard active at the court of Yaroslav the Wise * Boyan (given name), a common Bulgarian given name * Boyan (Hasid ...

. An alternative suggested etymology from

Vulgar Latin Vulgar Latin, also known as Popular or Colloquial Latin, is the range of non-formal Register (sociolinguistics), registers of Latin spoken from the Crisis of the Roman Republic, Late Roman Republic onward. Through time, Vulgar Latin would evolve ...

Balkan Latin Common Romanian ( ro, româna comună), also known as Ancient Romanian (), or Proto-Romanian (), is a comparatively reconstructed Romance language evolved from Vulgar Latin and considered to have been spoken by the ancestors of today's Romania ...

''*boiana'' ("herdsman's

iver Iver is a large civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England. In addition to the central clustered village, the parish includes the residential neighbourhoods of Iver Heath and Richings Park. Geography, transport and economy Part of the 43-square- ...

, from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''boviana'' ("herdsman's") is considered less likely. In connection with the 1040 uprising of

Peter Delyan Petar II Delyan (reigned 1040–1041) ( bg, Петър II Делян, Greek: Πέτρος Δελεάνος) was the leader of an uprising against Byzantine rule in the Theme of Bulgaria during the summer of 1040. He was proclaimed Tsar of Bulgari ...

and the

Pecheneg The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks tr, Peçenek(ler), Middle Turkic: , ro, Pecenegi, russian: Печенег(и), uk, Печеніг(и), hu, Besenyő(k), gr, Πατζινάκοι, Πετσενέγοι, Πατζινακίται, ka, პა� ...

invasion of 1048, an important stronghold under the name of ''Boyan'' (''Боян, Βοιάνος'') is mentioned in the area, where a garrison led by a voivod called Botko was stationed.

Architecture

The famous

Boyana Church The Boyana Church ( bg, Боянска църква, ''Boyanska tsărkva'') is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church situated on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, in the Boyana quarter. In 1979, the building was added to the UNESCO W ...

, part of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNES ...

, is located in the neighbourhood. Other landmarks include the

Boyana Waterfall Boyana Waterfall is the largest waterfall in the Bulgarian Vitosha mountain, with a height of 25 meters. Location Boyana Waterfall is formed under the waters of the Boyana River, which streams down the northern hills of Vitosha mountain. The ba ...

, the Kopitoto area and the National Historical Museum in the palatial former Boyana Residence, designed by Alexander Georgiev Barov. The

Nu Boyana Film Nu Boyana Film Studios ( bg, Ню Бояна Филм) are film studios situated in Sofia, Bulgaria. The film production complex was opened in 1962 and was state owned until 2005 when it was bought by one of the longest-running independent film c ...

studios and the

Big Brother Bulgaria ''Big Brother'' is a reality show based on the ''Big Brother'' series by Endemol. The show originates from the Netherlands, where in 1999 the first season was aired. At present, the format is spread in a number of countries around the world. ...

house are also located in Boyana.

References

Neighbourhoods of Sofia Geography of Sofia Vitosha {{sofia-geo-stub

History

Architecture

See also

References