Vrana Park

Vrana Park was built in 1900, 22 years after the liberation of Bulgaria from Turkish rule, as part of a 140-hectare mansion belonging to the Bulgarian kings Ferdinand I and Boris III.. The construction of the park took place when the art of horticulture and parks in the country was just beginning to develop in the context of the political, economic and cultural life of the then young Bulgarian state just beginning to develop. This led to the fact that it took 43 years for the park to be substantially completed.

The area where Vrana Park began to be built was an empty plain that was cleared in the Turkish era. Only the Iskar River flows nearby, to some extent the park enlivens the monotonous surrounding landscape.

At that time, the park was built as a landscape outside the intimate residence of the Bulgarian monarchs, beginning with the family of King Tzar Ferdinand I - who ruled the country after Liberated Ottoman rule in 1878.

In 2001, the park was donated to the Sofia City Government by the son of Tsar Boris III, Simeon Koburgotski, and in 2003 the park was officially opened to the public on weekends.

The lack of planting material in greenhouses and nurseries to produce flowers and shrubs when newly built forced the park to import a large number of young plants and flower seeds from all continents. Besides, the king's love for botany also contributes to the huge diversity of plant species in the park. Today, 821 species of plants can be seen in the park, some as rare and as old as the park itself, on less than 100 hectares of land.

Vrana Park is quite a special place, it gives a real royal atmosphere even though the monarchy era has passed more than 70 years. And a walk in the park, among the green trees on a cool morning, listening to the birdsong of hundreds of species around will be an unforgettable impression in anyone's heart.

Currently, all visitors to Vrana can only see the palace from the outside, although it is expected to be rebuilt and open to the public as soon as the park welcomes visitors. This fortunate thing has not happened yet.

The park is easily accessible by various means of public transport, and there is also a restaurant right in front of the park's entrance for those intending to spend the day.

Website : www.parkvrana.com

Hours of Operation :

10:00 - 16:00 Saturday and Sunday

Ticket price :

For children 7 years and under and retirees - free of charge

For children from 7 to 18 years old - BGN 2.00

For people over 18 years old - BGN 5.00

Family ticket - BGN 8.00 (Note: One/two parents traveling with children aged 18 and under will receive one family ticket)