Central Sofia Market Hall, Sofia

Central Sofia Market Hall, Sofia

The official name in English is Central Sofia Hall, but it is popularly known as "The Market Hall." It is a covered market in the center of town on Marie Louise Boulevard. It was designed by Bulgarian architect Naum Torbov and it opened in 1911. Until 1950 the city rented out 170 shops in the Hall. The market was closed in 1988 for alterations.

The market was modernized and it opened again at Easter time in 2000. The Central Sofia Market Hall employs more than 1,000 people. There are three floors of shops for foodstuffs, fast food, clothing, jewelry, and accessories. The building as designed by Torbov remains. It is regarded as his best work.

The style of construction is Neo-Renaissance with Neo-Byzantine and Neo-Baroque elements. On the facade, above the main entrance, is the coat of arms of Sofia installed by artist Haralampi Tachev. The clock tower has three clock dials. There are four entrances, but not all are in use. There is a parking area in front of the hall.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Sofia. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Central Sofia Market Hall on Map

Sight Name: Central Sofia Market Hall
Sight Location: Sofia, Bulgaria (See walking tours in Sofia)
Sight Type: Shopping
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Sofia, Bulgaria

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Create Your Own Walk in Sofia

Creating your own self-guided walk in Sofia is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
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In the not-so-distant past Bulgaria was part of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc. Today, this is one of the few countries where you can still find numerous relics of the Communist era manifested in monumental architectural landmarks. Concrete and metal were the main materials as a symbol of the industrialized nation, and the size was important too as a common architectural characteristic prescribed by...  view more

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 6.6 Km or 4.1 Miles
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"Ever growing, never aging" This is the motto of Sofia, capital city of Bulgaria. Under different names, the area of Sofia has had a 7,000 year history. Organized settlements around the area's hot water springs existed as early as the third millennium BC. A Thracian state union there was raided by Philip II of Macedon in 339 BC.

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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles

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