Античен културно-комуникационен комплекс Сердика

Archaeological Complex Serdika - Serdika Metro Station


Useful Information

Location: bul "Todor Alexandrov", pl "Nezavisimost", 1000 Sofia Center.
Tickets at Nezavisimost Square №1.
(42.697858, 23.321145)
Open: Largo area: All year daily 7-22.
Ancient Serdika: All year daily 10-18, last entry 17:30.
[2021]
Fee: Largo area: free.
Ancient Serdika: Adults BGN 6, Children (6-18) BGN 2, Children (0-6) free, Students BGN 2, Doctoral Students BGN 2, Seniors free, Disabled free.
Family (2+*) BGN 10, Group (12+) BGN 55, School Class (10+) BGN 6.
Guide BGN 30, English Guide BGN 60.
[2021]
Classification: SubterraneaUnderground Railway SubterraneaUnderground Museums
Light: LightIncandescent natural light through windows
Dimension: Ar=9,000 m².
Guided tours: self guided
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: yes
Bibliography:  
Address: Archaeological Complex Serdika, Serdika Metro Station, Nezavisimost Square №1, 1000 Sofia Center.
Антична Сердика, бул. "Мария Луиза" №2, 1000 Sofia Center.
Ancient Serdika, 2 Maria Luiza Blvd., 1000 Sofia Center.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

31-OCT-2000 Metro station opened.
31-AUG-2012 station becomes interchange between the Red and Blue lines.
2010 and 2012 Knyaginya Maria Luiza site excavated.

Description

The subway station Метростанция „Сердика“ (Serdika Metro Station) is listed on showcaves.com. We normally do not list subway stations, neither do we list all subways, there are other websites which are specialized on this topic. This site is specialized on underground tourist sites, so we list subways only if they have a special touristic interest. An example are numerous stations in Moscow or Paris, which are of great artistic and architectural interest. And this station is the only one in Sofia we list, but not because of its design, which is nice but not exceptional. This is a subway station of the Roman City Serdika, from which Sofia developed. So this is a subway station of a Roman city, if you exit the train and walk up the staircase you are in the middle of the ancient Roman city.

Like any subway station, this station is quite long and huge. It is located in the center of Sofia beneath bul "Todor Alexandrov" and pl "Nezavisimost". It was built below the road under a crossing. The former Communist Party House is on one end, the Sweta Nedelja Cathedral on the other, there is the Римокатолическа енория "Свети Йосиф" (St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church), and the Zum shopping mall. The small orthodox Sveta Petka church is located in the middle of the road, and actually the subway station is right below the church. When the station was built at the turn of the century, with massive financial support from the European Union, the excavation works revealed the foundations of the ancient city. The train station is now located below the excavations, the excavations have a ceiling on which the surface and the traffic happens. Only a few glass windows in the ceiling allow a little sunlight into the underground structure.

The Античен културно-комуникационен комплекс Сердика (Ancient cultural and communication complex Serdika) are the remains of the city center of the ancient Roman city Serdika. They were laboriously uncovered and partially restored on an area of approximately 9,000 square metres. The excavation covers eight streets of the ancient city, an early Christian basilica, six large buildings, mineral springs and a medieval church. There is an early example of a water and sewage system, and ornately tiled floors were discovered. The buildings are from the 1st to 6th century AD.

The site is managed by the Регионален исторически музей София (Sofia Regional History Museum). There are actually two different sites nearby, the first is called Ларго (Largo area) and is the part in the subway station below Independence Square. In the adjacent Tsum or Zum shopping center is an exhibition called Антична Сердика (Ancient Serdika), which is also called Княгиня Мария Луиза (Queen Maria Luiza) after its address.

The Largo area is a huge underground space with numerous ruined walls, which is integrated into a venue for cultural events. It is the main street of ancient Serdica decumanus maximus, which connects the eastern and western gates of the city. South of this road is a large residential building, which occupies an entire insula (ancient neighborhood, block). The ground floor ahs numerous small commercial premises, where passers-by and travelers bought food and other goods. A lapidarium with monuments from the fund of NAIM-BAS, which were found in previous decade in this area, was arranged adjacent to the residential building. The Largo Zone has three halls, a hall for conferences, public lectures and discussions, an exhibition hall with a separate information point, and a hall for temporary exhibitions and projects. Various cultural and social events are held in the underground space, classical and modern concerts, film productions, performances and exhibitions. The European Night of Scientists and the European music festival Cantus Firmus are held annually. In 2019 the international Webit.Festival 2019 opening ceremony was held here.

The Queen Maria Luiza section was discovered more than a decade later, during the reconstruction of the central part of Sofia and the construction of the second metro line. It was obviously known, that the ancient city continues into this direction. Several insulae were the homes of the Roman city elite, with significant dimensions, equipped with heating system and bath, and rich in interior decoration. On an area of 6,000 m² six streets, two early Christian basilicas, baths and five buildings with residential, industrial, and commercial functions were excavated. A highlight is the Felix mosaic. Most building are from the 4th to 6th century, a time when the Roman Empire was Christian, so there are numerous early Christian churches, one probably hosted the Council of Serdica in 343, and the residence of Archbishop Leontius from the late 6th century.