Bulgaria property news and articles

The city of Sofia is one of the oldest cities in Europe. ‘Sofia’ is in fact the city’s fifth name-after Serdica, Ulpia Serdica, Sredetz and Triaditza. There is data on Serdica’s existence 5,000 years ago, and the earliest written evidence for residents on the lands of Serdica date back to the middle of the first millennium bc.’ Serdica’ (the emphasis being on the first syllable) is the oldest-known name of the town; it originates from ‘Serdi’- one of the 22 Thracian tribes that formed the numerous Thracian people.

Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital city, is situated in the central-western part of Bulgaria. According to the official data the population of Sofia is about 1.5 million people, but it is estimated that it actually exceeds two million. Sofia is the crossroads of important international routes from western Europe to Istanbul via Belgrade, and from Greece and Macedonia to the Commonwealth of Independent States. There are daily connections to a number of Balkan and European cities.

Sofia has the largest expatriate community in Bulgaria, with foreign compass, diplomatic missions and the headquarters of large Bulgarian companies jostling for space. It is the only region in the country where there has been a large population increase in recent years, as people have migrated from the smaller towns and cities to find work in the capital. Sofia also has the highest Property prices in Bulgaria.

One of the joys of Rousse is that you are never far from the countryside, and you can get there quickly on roads free of traffic jams. The rural areas around the town are reminiscent of southern England, with rolling hills, scatterings of deciduous forest and wheatfields dotted with tranquil villages. However, fields of sunflowers and vineyards add a more exotic touch than one would find in Sussex. Traditional farmers who use horses and carts co-exist alongside modern farms and brand-new Massey Ferguson tractors.

About 20km south of Rousse is the picturesque nature reserve of Roussenski Lom. Its name comes from the Roussenski Lorn river, which forms a tributary of the Danube

Everything that was to happen later in life had already happened in Rousse.
Elias Canetti, Nobel Prize winner

Rousse is a modern city of 120,000 people and is one of the most important cultural and economic centres in Bulgaria. This is the most European of cities in Bulgaria, both in terms of its architecture and its outward-looking stance.

Though Rousse suffered from economic setbacks after the Changes in the 1990s, it is getting back on its feet through new investment and the interest of domestic and foreign investors. In recent years the historic centre was given a complete facelift by the EU’s Beautiful Bulgaria Project (led by a British urban planner). This trend of renewal is continuing with private investors and new businesses, which are injecting fresh dynamism into the town.

Prices in Veliko Turnovo are increasing, and reflect the region’s ever-increasing popularity. Currently the shell price is on average €600 per square metre for new apartments in the city (without heating, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, lighting and so on). But prices vary, reflecting the wide range of housing stock and their condition. Older apartments can be picked up for €40,000, with prices increasing to over €100,000 for older houses. In the surrounding villages older houses start from €20,000 for those in need of extensive renovation and can cost up to €100,000 for finished homes.

Veliko Turnovo Location
The region of VelikoTurnovo is located in the centre of Bulgaria and slightly north. It lies within the foothills of the Stara Planina mountains and is regally set on four hills on the banks of the River Yantra.The distances to the main cities in Bulgaria are: 220km to Sofia; 220km to Varna on the Black Sea; 230km to Bourgas (the second-biggest coastal city); 130km to Plovdiv; and 110km to Rousse on the River Danube.