In the heart of Sofia, right next to the yellow cobblestones, you’ll come across a small but significant landmark in history – the tomb of Alexander I Battenberg. He was the first Bulgarian prince after the Liberation and reigned between 1879 and 1886, before abdicating and leaving the country.

After he died at the age of just 36 in Graz (then part of Austria-Hungary), Bulgaria decided to bring him home – literally. This was also his final wish.

The tomb itself was built a little later – construction began in 1895 to a design by the Swiss architect Hermann Meyer and was completed in just two years. Until then, the prince’s remains had been kept in the Rotunda Church of St George.

The architecture? An elegant blend of Neoclassicism and late Baroque – symmetry, four arched niches and a dome topped with a brass crown. Inside, the interior was designed by Haralambi Tachev, as evidenced by the fine details.

The actual tomb lies beneath the floor; what you see is a symbolic sarcophagus made of polished marble.

The tomb also has its own dramatic interlude – it closed in 1946, the crown was removed, and the artefacts were sent to a museum. The good news? It has been open again since 1991 and is now part of Sofia’s cultural heritage, under the auspices of the Museum of the History of Sofia.