The Largo

Three buildings put up in the late 1950s on the site of blocks destroyed by bombing - a complete example of Stalinist Empire style in the Bulgarian capital. The central block with the spire was built as the Party House and is now occupied by the administration of the National Assembly; the two symmetrical wings are given over to the presidential office and to government ministries. The composition is designed to be seen in perspective: a broad square, arcades along the ground floors, the rhythm of pilasters, a heavy cornice. The red star was taken off the spire in 1990, and a flag stands there now. The ensemble sits directly above ancient Serdica: during the metro construction of the 2010s the streets, houses and baths of the Roman city were uncovered, and the excavation is now covered by a glass dome and open to walk through - you can go down into it and pass beneath the square. Nearby survives the fourth-century Rotunda of St George, the oldest building in Sofia, hemmed into a courtyard between the blocks.

On the map