Studentski grad ( bg, Студентски град , 'Students' town/city') is the student campus area for most universities in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, 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 capital of

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 Mac ...

, and also one of the 24 districts of Sofia. It was created in the 1980s and now has over 40,000 residents. The real number of people living temporarily there can hardly be estimated. It is one of the most diversified areas in Sofia, with old dwellings from the

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

era which are inhabited by the students of different Sofia universities, and new

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

s, trade, business and residential centres. The construction boom has already taken its toll as overdevelopment appears ubiquitous. Parking lots and green areas remain inadequate. The year 2011 marked the set-up of the largest skatepark on the Balkans situated within the park area in front of the

University of National and World Economy The University of National and World Economy ( bg, Университет за национално и световно стопанство) is a university in Sofia, Bulgaria. Notable alumni of the university are five Prime Ministers of Bulg ...

. Two multifunctional halls, Hristo Botev and the Winter Palace of Sports, host a number of events on regular basis. Because of the usually cheap rent (less than €20 per month), it is very attractive for living. Recent renovations have brought about improvements in many dormitories, including those hosting foreign students. They are mostly from the Bulgarian diaspora in Macedonia, Moldova, Ukraine, Serbia, and since 2004, non-Bulgarians from Turkey. The area is famous for its busy

nightlife Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ...

. A variety of taverns and disco clubs make the campus one of the central night entertainment locations of Sofia. Studentski grad hosts a district police department that strives to tackle the fast-growing alcohol-driven offenses, thefts, vandalism, football fans clashing, etc. The brutal murder of the student Stojan Baltov by drunken youths outside a disco club sparked debates on social environment and security issues, including the development of an integral video surveillance system. Places for eating out vary from high-end restaurants to cheap pizzerias. Particularly popular is the so-called Mandzha street where a number of

banitsa Banitsa ( bg, баница, , also transliterated as banica and banitza) is a traditional pastry dish made in Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Southeastern Serbia (where it may also be referred to as gibanica), prepared by layering a mixture of whi ...

pastry, burger,

Döner kebab Doner kebab (, ; tr, döner or , ), also spelled döner kebab, is a type of kebab, made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Seasoned meat stacked in the shape of an inverted cone is turned slowly on the rotisserie, next to a vertical cook ...

and pancake shops are lined up. Unlike most campus areas in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

and

Northern America Northern America is the northernmost subregion of North America. The boundaries may be drawn slightly differently. In one definition, it lies directly north of Middle America (including the Caribbean and Central America).Gonzalez, Joseph. ...

, Studentski grad is a common living place for most of the students of Sofia's numerous universities rather than being in the vicinity of one particular university. This helps students from different higher education institutions meet and interact, but on the other hand causes major transportation issues as the bulk of Sofia's university faculties are situated relatively far from the city center and public transport is often unable to cope with Studentski grad's needs. The traffic is frequently congested especially during rush hours in the mornings and late afternoons. Regular buses run on average every ten minutes. Fixed-route minibus taxis called

marshrutka ''Marshrutka''German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

city of Stuttgart.

Universities located in Studentski grad

Technical University of Sofia The Technical University of Sofia ( bg, Технически университет - София) is Bulgaria's largest and foremost academic establishment for higher engineering education. The university is a state-owned entity with academic self- ...

* University of Mining and Geology *

University of Forestry, Sofia The University of Forestry ( bg, Лесотехнически университет (ЛТУ), often abbreviated as LTU), based in Sofia, is a state university with six faculties with a total of 30 departments. It is located in Sofia, the capit ...

* University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy *

National Sports Academy, ''Vassil Levski'' National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

File:Bulgaria-Sofia-Students-town.jpg, View of Studentski grad with the chapel and the polyclinic File:Блок59 2006.jpg, A student dormitory in Studentski grad File:Studentski-Grad-Zimnia-Dvorets.jpg, The Winter Palace of Sports on the right along "Akad. Boris Stefanov" Str.

References

External links

Studentskigrad.com
{{Districts of Sofia Districts of Sofia