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Sofia was liberated from Turkish rule on 4 January 1878 by Russian military troops under the command of General Gurko. At that time the town’s population was of 11649 citizens. On 3 April 1879, on the proposal of the eminent Bulgarian scholar Prof. Marin Drinov, the Constituent Assembly proclaimed Sofia as a capital of the Principality of Bulgaria. The consideration of the central location of Sofia within the lands populated by ethnic Bulgarians gained ground in favor of this choice. Today approximately 1,247,000 people, not counting the temporary residents, live in the Bulgarian capital.
Symbols of the Capital In 1911 the motto reading ‘Grows up but doesn’t grow old’ was appended to the coat of arms. The name of the capital – Sofia – means ‘Holy Wisdom’, a term derived from the Solomon’s Book of Proverbs in the Bible’s Old Testament. Sofia is the seat of the state governmental authorities. The buildings of the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers and the President’s Office are situated in it. |