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 Mac ...

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. Conve ...

and Lozen 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 was blocked and the whole valley became a lake, causing the gritty and clay-like soils that now cover most of the valley. The lake ceased to exist when the river drove through the Stara Planina, forming the Iskar Gorge. The Sofia Valley is rich in mineral springs 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 (Bulgarian: Овча купел) administrative district. It i ...

, Pancharevo and Bankya, which are, together with the valley's predisposal to seismic activity, the result of its fault character. Sofiafromsimeonovo

References

Valleys of Bulgaria Landforms of Sofia City Province Landforms of Sofia Province Valleys of Europe {{sofia-geo-stub