Lake Ariana, Sofia

Lake Ariana, Sofia

Ariana is a moderately sized man-made lake situated within Knyaz Boris's Garden in Sofia. It has a distinctive "B" shape, measuring 175 meters in length and 75 meters in width, with a small island located at its narrowest point. Positioned in the northernmost section of the park, right in the city center, it lies between the Eagles' Bridge and the national stadium.

This lake was originally constructed during the late 19th century and has since served as a popular spot for leisurely strolls among the residents of Sofia. Over the years, it has featured water wheels and rowing boats. During the winter months, it often froze over, allowing people to enjoy ice skating on its surface.

In the mid-20th century, an island casino was constructed on the lake. However, in the early 1990s, the municipal government stopped maintaining the lake, leading to its drying up and remaining unused for nearly two decades. Fortunately, in 2007, efforts were made to renovate the lake and its surroundings, restoring it once more as a recreational area.

Interestingly, the lake shares its name with a brewery that used to stand a short distance to the north until it was demolished in 2004.

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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Lake Ariana on Map

Sight Name: Lake Ariana
Sight Location: Sofia, Bulgaria (See walking tours in Sofia)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark

Walking Tours in Sofia, Bulgaria

Create Your Own Walk in Sofia

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.
Sofia Introduction Walking Tour

Sofia Introduction Walking Tour

"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.

The Celtic Serdi provided the name...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles
Communist Era Landmarks Walk

Communist Era Landmarks Walk

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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