The Oborishte Park in Bulgarian capital Sofia is literally unavoidable, since it is part and parcel of the green area which spreads out over no less than 47 hectares in the city’s centermost district of the same name. It is also known under the name of Doctors’ Park and is located in what has been arguably deemed the city’s smartest residential district.
Get to Know Oborishte Park
If you’ve been pounding the streets of the Bulgarian capital all day long, possibly on one of the English-speaking walking tours organized daily by local NGOs, you will definitely want a breather. There is no better place for such a break than within the Doktorska Gradina, or Doctors’ Garden, also known as Oborishte Park.
The neat, well-maintained English-garden-style park is located between the Oborishte and Shipka streets. It sits right behind the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library and most of the sights worth seeing in Sofia are very close by.
The park was named after the most important monument it hosts, erected in 1883, in memory of the medics who lost their lives during the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878).
Good to Know about Oborishte Park
The park is a preferred meeting spot for locals, thanks to its ultra-central location, right at the heart of the city. It is also one of the local pigeons’ favorite spots – if you like birdwatching, you will definitely get the opportunity to feed them here.
The Doctors’ Monument was constructed between 1883 and 1884, in remembrance of the Russian Red Cross doctors that fell during the battles of Pleven, Plovdiv, Mechka and Shipka. The author is a Russian architect of Czech origin, by the name of Atoniy Osipovich Tomishko.
What to See Near Oborishte Park
Since the Oborishte Park is located right in downtown Sofia, basically everything you might want to see in the Bulgarian capital is located within walking distance. And if you don’t know exactly what ‘everything’ is, then be informed that there are no less than fifteen monuments, 40 memorial plates, 211 cultural monuments and nine churches.
Some of the most important cultural institutions in the area include the National Opera and Ballet House, the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library, the National Gallery for Foreign Art and the National Museum of Military History. The National Gallery for Foreign Art will bring before your very eyes art from Europe, Asia (Japan and India included), as well as African art. Renoir, Chagall, Picasso, Miro and Dali are all featured in the contemporary art and engraving sections.
The Aleksander Nevsky Cathedral is also a sight not to be missed, since it is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox Cathedrals in the world. You will be mesmerized by massive metal gates, the impressive slabs of marble featured inside, as well as by the Venetian mosaics.
