The Largo ( bg, Ларго, definite form Ларгото, ''Largoto'') is an architectural ensemble of three Socialist Classicism edifices in central

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 h ...

, 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 Macedo ...

, designed and built in the 1950s with the intention of becoming the city's new representative centre. Today it is regarded as one of the prime examples of Socialist Classicism architecture in

Southeastern Europe Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a geographical subregion of Europe, consisting primarily of the Balkans. Sovereign states and territories that are included in the region are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (a ...

, as well as one of the main landmarks of Sofia. The yellow-cobblestoned square around which the ensemble is centred is called Nezavisimost (Independence) Square. Independence Square is formed by the Knyaz Aleksandar Dondukov Boulevard and Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard merging from the east to continue as Todor Aleksandrov Boulevard west of the Largo. The ensemble consists of the former Party House (

Bulgarian Communist Party The Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP; bg, Българска Комунистическа Партия (БКП), Balgarska komunisticheska partiya (BKP)) was the founding and ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 198 ...

headquarters building), briefly used in 2020-2021 as the seat of the

National Assembly of Bulgaria The National Assembly ( bg, Народно събрание, Narodno sabranie) is the unicameral parliament and legislative body of the Republic of Bulgaria. The National Assembly was established in 1879 with the Tarnovo Constitution. Ordin ...

, and two side edifices: one today accommodating the TSUM department store and the

Council of Ministers of Bulgaria The Council of Ministers ( bg, Министерски съвет, ''Ministerski savet'') is the main authority of the executive power in the Republic of Bulgaria. It consists of the Prime Minister of Bulgaria and all the specialized ministers ...

and another that is today occupied by the President's Office, the Sofia Hotel Balkan and the Ministry of Education.

History

A Council of Ministers of Bulgaria

decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used ...

was published in 1951 regarding the construction of the Largo. The lot in the centre of the city, damaged by the

bombing of Sofia in World War II The Bulgarian capital of Sofia suffered a series of Allied bombing raids during World War II, from mid 1941 to early 1944. Bulgaria declared war on the United Kingdom and the United States on 13 December 1941. The Southern Italy-based Allied a ...

, was cleared in the autumn of 1952, so that the construction of the new buildings could begin in the following years. The Party House building, once crowned by a red star on a pole, was designed by a team under architect Petso Zlatev and completed in 1955. The Ministry of Electrification office, later occupied by the State Council and today by the President's Office, the work of Petso Zlatev, Petar Zagorski and other architects, was finished the following year, while the TZUM part of the edifice, designed by a team under Kosta Nikolov, followed in 1957. The fountain between the President's Office and the older National Archaeological Museum, was shaped in 1958. The Largo also once featured a statue of

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

, which was later removed and replaced by the one of St. Sophia in 2000.

Refurbishment

Following the democratic changes after 1989, the symbols of

communism 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 ...

in the decoration of the Largo were removed, with the most symbolic act being the removing of the red star on a pole atop the former Party House using a

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

and its substitution by the

flag of Bulgaria The flag of Bulgaria ( bg, знаме на България, zname na Bǎlgariya) is a tricolour consisting of three equal-sized horizontal bands of (from top to bottom) white, green, and red. The flag was first adopted after the 1877–1878 Rus ...

. In the 1990s there have been suggestions to reshape the former Party House, sometimes regarded as an imposing remnant of a past ideology, by introducing more modern architectural elements. According to the new architectural plan of Sofia, Independence Square is being reorganized. The lawn and the flags in the centre are replaced by glass domes, so that the ruins of the ancient

Thracian The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied ...

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

city of Serdica can be exposed in an impressive way, thus becoming a tourist attraction. The two underpasses, the one in front of the former Party House and the one with the medieval

Church of St Petka The Church of St Petka of the Saddlers ( bg, Църква „Света Петка Самарджийска“) is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It is a small one-naved building partially dug into the ...

, are also connected to ease the access to the nearby

Serdika Serdika or Serdica ( Bulgarian: ) is the historical Roman name of Sofia, now the capital of Bulgaria. Currently, Serdika is the name of a district located in the city. It includes four neighbourhoods: "Fondovi zhilishta"; "Banishora", "Orlandovt ...

and Serdika II

metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...

stations.

Gallery

Image:Sofia, 1984.jpg, The former Party House in 1984, before the removal of the red star on spire Image:Sofia-former-party-house-ifb.JPG, The former Party House in 2006 Image:P7120045.JPG, Council of Ministers Image:Largo-president-ifb.JPG, President's Office Image:Flags of all Nato member states near Bulgarian parliament in Sofia, Bulgaria September 2005.jpg, TZUM Image:StGeorgeRotundaSofia.JPG, The 4th-century St George Rotunda behind the Sofia Hotel Balkan Image:Sofia-presidents-office-imagesfrombulgaria2.jpg, Guardsmen in front of the main entrance to the President's Office

References

{{Sofia landmarks Buildings and structures in Sofia Stalinist architecture Squares in Sofia Tourist attractions in Sofia Headquarters of political parties Seats of national legislatures Presidential residences 1955 establishments in Bulgaria