With the continuing extension of Sofia’s metro, the question how to better preserve and display the capital’s archaeological treasures re-surfaced again. Some of the planned metro stations fall within the boundaries of the spectacular Serdika – Sredets historical reserve.

Metropoliten Sofia, the city hall-owned metro operator, has called a public procurement procedure for the draw up of constructional plan meant to prepare the area for the exposure of the archaeological level.

The complex arguably includes the antique city of Serdika, which lies under Sofia’s centre, several churches remaining as historical and cultural monuments, a couple of mosques as well as number of other archaeological finds with national significance.

The Largo area, which spreads between Narodno Subranie Square and Moskovska Street, is a vital part of the historical complex, but construction work for a future metro station is also underway, weekly Stroitelstvo Gradut reported.

The plan has to consider the preliminary survey done of the land plot’s idiosyncrasies. Special treatment is required of the surrounding infrastructure; a clear vision is needed of how the ongoing traffic would be re-directed as well as the draining of the underground water. The proposed plan should also have a solution of how possible new archaeological finds would be handled, in addition to properly displaying the already existing ones.

Underpasses in the area around the building of Narodno Subranie and TZUM central department store will remain without constructional changes. Three months is the deadline for the selected company to carry out the project.

Architect Todor Todorov has been entrusted with the details of how the traffic re-direction should be managed. As of now, the idea is to create a pedestrian zone on the side of TZUM and the adjoining Government building, while the traffic towards direction Nezavisimost Square  and Dondukov Boulevard will pass only on the side of the Presidency building.