St. Cyril and Methodius National Library (Biblioteka)

The National Library is a massive building, with a statue of Saints Cyril and Methodius directly in front, presiding over a neatly planted flowerbed. The brothers are credited with developing the first version of the Cyrillic alphabet to best suit the needs of the Slavic language. Underneath, in the basement, is a very popular bar with live music most nights, named - naturally - The Library.

St. Kliment Ohridski University

As the pupil of Cyril and Methodius, who further developed the Cyrillic alphabet, Kliment Ohridski's name now adorns the nation's first and largest university. Constructed late in the 19th century, just after the war with the Turks ended, the institution began admitting students in 1888. The first female students were admitted 1902. Standing (or rather sitting) guard over the stairs are statues of brothers Evlogii and Hristo Georgiev, who graciously donated money and land to found the university.

Further down Shipka Street is the Russian Cultural Centre, where the spacecraft Vostok, which took the dog Leika into space in 1963, is displayed.

Eagles Bridge and the Parks

The 19th century Eagles Bridge (Orlov Most) is east of the university.

It is visible at the end of Tsarigradsko Shosse ("King and City Highway"), which begins at the Evlogii Georgiev Blvd. canal and heads southeast out of Sofia, towards Plovdiv. In the area are several large parks with Soviet Socialist-style monuments to the Russian Army who helped liberate Bulgaria from the Ottomans in 1878. The largest park is Borisova Gradina, or Boris' Garden, a huge area of trees, paths, tennis courts, two stadiums, multiple playgrounds and fountains (now sadly dry).

Going across the canal and Eagles Bridge from Borisova Gradina brings you to another interesting but smaller park. Skateboarders, rollerbladers and bikers congregate and perform acrobatics on makeshift ramps under the shadow of the towering Monument to the Soviet Army and various other Socialist-style statues, now unfortunately painted with graffiti and covered with poster adverts. The monument itself is immense, with a 9 metre high bronze statue of a Russian soldier, side-by-side with a Bulgarian worker and a peasant mother and her child, on top of a 34 metre high obelisk-shaped column.