The Sofia Valley ( bg, Софийска котловина, Sofiyska kotlovina), or Sofia Field ( bg, Софийско поле, Sofiysko pole, link=no), is a valley in central western
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 ...
bordering
Stara Planina to the northeast, the
Viskyar,
Lyulin,
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 ...
and
Lozen
Lozen (c. 1840 – June 17, 1889) was a warrior and prophet of the Chihenne Chiricahua Apache. She was the sister of Victorio, a prominent chief. Born into the Chihenne band during the 1840s, Lozen was, according to legends, able to use her po ...
mountains to the southwest, the
Vakarel Mountain to the southeast and the low Slivnitsa Heights to the northwest.
After the valley's bottom was formed, the stream of the
Iskar River
The Iskar ( bg, Искър, ; la, Oescus) is a right tributary of the Danube. With a length of 368 km it is the longest river that runs entirely within Bulgaria.[Iskar Gorge The Iskar Gorge is a gorge passing through the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) in Bulgaria. It is the chief pass through the Balkans, which otherwise cross northern Bulgaria in a solid line. The pass connects the capital of Sofia with other major ...]
.
The Sofia Valley is rich in
mineral spring
Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage underg ...
s such as
Gorna Banya
Gorna Banya ( bg, Горна баня) is a neighbourhood in Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria. It is one of the city's oldest villa zones. The town is part of Sofia's Ovcha kupel, Ovcha Kupel (Bulgarian: Овча купел) administrative d ...
,
Pancharevo
Pancharevo ( bg, Панчарево, , also transcribed as Pančarevo) is a resort village and district located on the outskirts of Sofia close to Vitosha, Lozenska and Plana mountains and occupies the southeastern part of the Capital Municipa ...
and
Bankya
Bankya ( bg, Банкя ) is a small town located on the outskirts of Sofia in western Bulgaria. It is administratively part of Greater Sofia.
The district is famous for the mineral springs and baths that have been used for medicinal purposes fo ...
, which are, together with the valley's predisposal to seismic activity, the result of its fault character.
References
Valleys of Bulgaria
Landforms of Sofia City Province
Landforms of Sofia Province
Valleys of Europe
{{sofia-geo-stub