Team Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria.
Known as Serdica in Antiquity and Sredets in the Middle Ages, Sofia has been an area of human habitation since at least 7000 BC. The recorded history of the city begins with the attestation of the conquest of Serdica by the Roman Republic in 29 BC from the Celtic (or Thracian, still disputed) tribe Serdi. Roman emperors Aurelian (215–275) and Galerius (260–311) were born in Serdica. The city expanded and became a significant political and economical centre, more so as it became one of the first Roman cities where Christianity was recognised as an official religion. For Constantine the Great it was 'Sardica mea Roma est' (Serdica is my Rome). He considered making Serdica the capital of the Byzantine Empire instead of Constantinople.
In 809, Serdica was incorporated into the Bulgarian Empire and became known as Sredets. Sredets was a major administrative, economic, cultural and literary hub until its conquest by the Ottomans in 1382.
From 1530 to 1836, Sofia was the regional capital of Rumelia Eyalet, the Ottoman Empire's key province in Europe.
Bulgarian rule was restored in 1878. Sofia was selected as the capital of the Third Bulgarian State in the next year, ushering a period of intense demographic and economic growth.
Sofia is currently the 13th largest city in the European Union, with a population of 1.3 mln.
