Serdika, Sredets, Sofia… during the course of its existence, the city went through various stages of development, and several name changes. In the span of 140 years, since its proclamation as capital, Sofia was transformed from a small settlement with streets ‘knee-deep in mud’ into a significant dynamic city with a personality, spirit, and culture of its own.

The exhibition follows the capital city’s life and development through the works of generations of Bulgarian artists. This unique tour of Sofia landmarks and milestone events is ‘guided’ by the canvases of Anton Mitov, Nikola Petrov, Ivan Getsov, Tsanko Lavrenov, Nikola Tanev, Zlatyu Boyadzhiev, Dechko Uzunov, Tekla Alexieva, Ivan Kirkov, Lachezar Boyadzhiev, Nadezhda Oleg Lyahova, Cyril Prashkov, Samuil Stoyanov, etc.

Through the images of landmark buildings and sites on paintings and picture postcards, through the impressions and reflections of travelers and intellectuals, we relate stories. The bygone era of post-Liberation excitement, the cultural boom between the two world wars, historic events associated with the landmark year of 1944, the controversial socialist past, and the sources of excitement for contemporary artists are but a few of the themes the exhibition touches upon.

Works featured in the exhibition belong to the permanent collections of the Regional History Museum Sofia, the National Gallery of Art, the art galleries of the cities of Kazanlak, Pazardzhik, Pleven, Shumen, Sliven.

Exhibition-related products, including an album, a children’s game book and plenty of Sofia merchandise, will be available at the exhibition venue.

The exhibition was designed so as to include contributions from the Hristo Alexiev Collection, the Lost Bulgaria website, and bulFoto.

The exhibition was brought to life in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, the Capital City Administration, Aurubis AG, UNIQUA Group, the Bulgarian News Agency, the Bulgarian National Television, and the Bulgarian National Radio