Studentski grad ( , 'Students' town/city') is the student

campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corp ...

area for most universities in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

, the capital of

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, and also one of the 24 districts of Sofia. It was created in the 1980s and now has over 40,000 residents, although it is difficult to estimate the true number of temporary residents. It is one of the most diversified areas in Sofia, with old dwellings from the

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

era which are inhabited by the students of different Sofia universities, and new

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

s and trade, business and residential centres. The construction boom has already taken its toll, as overdevelopment appears ubiquitous. Parking lots and green areas remain inadequate. The year 2011 marked the set-up of the largest skatepark on the Balkans situated within the park area in front of the

University of National and World Economy The University of National and World Economy () is a public research university in Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot o ...

. Two multifunctional halls, Hristo Botev and the Winter Palace of Sports, host a number of events on a regular basis. Recent renovations have brought about improvements in many dormitories, including those hosting foreign students. They are mostly from the Bulgarian diaspora in North Macedonia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Serbia, and, since 2004, non-Bulgarians from Turkey. The area is famous for its busy

nightlife Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ...

. A variety of taverns and disco clubs make the campus one of the central night entertainment locations of Sofia. Studentski grad hosts a district police department that strives to tackle the fast-growing alcohol-driven offenses, thefts, vandalism, football fans clashing, etc. The brutal murder of the student Stojan Baltov by drunken youths outside a disco club sparked debates on social environment and security issues, including the development of an integral video surveillance system. Also, on the night of May 18, 2024, a woman was abducted by sex traffickers in the area, but she was rescued by police the same night. Places for eating out vary from high-end restaurants to cheap pizzerias. Particularly popular used to be the so-called Mandzha street where a number of

banitsa Banitsa ( Bulgarian: баница), also transliterated as banica and banitza, is a traditional pastry made in Bulgaria. It is also made in Budjak, where it is known as milina by Ukrainian Bulgarians; North Macedonia; and southeastern Serbia. ...

pastry, burger, Döner kebab and

pancake A pancake, also known as a hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack, is a flat type of batter bread like cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based Batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk, and butter, and then cooked on a ...

shops were lined up. A multifunctional building has now replaced this once-famous spot. Unlike most campus areas in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, Studentski grad is a common living place for most of the students of Sofia's numerous universities rather than being in the vicinity of one particular university. This helps students from different higher education institutions meet and interact, but on the other hand causes major transportation issues, as the bulk of Sofia's university faculties are situated relatively far from the city center and public transport is often unable to cope with Studentski grad's needs. The traffic is frequently congested, especially during rush hours in the mornings and late afternoons. Regular buses run on average every ten minutes. Fixed-route minibus taxis called

marshrutka ''Marshrutnoye taksi''German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

city of

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

Universities located in Studentski grad

Technical University of Sofia The Technical University of Sofia () is Bulgaria's largest and foremost academic establishment for higher engineering education. The university is a state-owned entity with academic self-governance. Founded on 15 October 1945 as part of the Highe ...

* University of Mining and Geology *

University of Forestry, Sofia The University of Forestry (, often abbreviated as LTU), based in Sofia, is a state university with six faculties with a total of 30 departments. It is located in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria and is close to the Technical University and the ...

* University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy * National Sports Academy, ''Vassil Levski'' File:Bulgaria-Sofia-Students-town.jpg, View of Studentski grad with the chapel and the polyclinic File:Блок59 2006.jpg, A student dormitory in Studentski grad File:Studentski-Grad-Zimnia-Dvorets.jpg, The Winter Palace of Sports on the right along "Akad. Boris Stefanov" Str.

References

External links

Studentskigrad.com
{{Districts of Sofia Districts of Sofia