This is Malko Tarnovo Street — one of our favourite spots in the city, and what we like to call a “street of time”, because beneath it lie all kinds of traces from the city’s long and layered past.

In 2021, we took a deep dive into Sofia’s history as seen through this #soSofia spot, and shared it through a special event with guest designer Filip Boyadzhiev.

In just 60 metres, Malko Tarnovo Street hides remains dating back to 4500 BC. In the Middle Ages, it was known as Clock Street, because Sofia’s Clock Tower once stood here. According to local legend, it was deliberately set on fire by the city’s clockmakers so it would not get in the way of their trade. The entrance to today’s comedy club was once the doorway to the famous Luna bar, where legend has it that Tsar Boris III would stop in for a drink in his slippers. Right opposite is the “basement at 5 Moskovska”, made famous in a blues song by Georgi Minchev, where the cells of the State Security service were once housed.

The earliest archaeological finds from the street date back to 4500 BC, and in the 2nd century AD this part of Serdica was home to a vast Roman theatre, built under Emperor Trajan and said to have rivalled the Colosseum in scale.