The Acupuncture Points of Sofia

A city just like the human body has its vital “acupuncture” points referred to in Feng shui as the “dragon points”.

When these points are treated with knowledge and care the organism is alive and active.

The opposite often leads to complications and sometimes even to death. The history of cities is shaped by the care for and the good functioning of these points. An active and vibrant city is as charming as a person in a good shape.
Sofia has a rich and long history. Many peoples have passed through here, different cultures and political systems have changed, but the city is alive to this day. There is a point in Sofia, which helped the city to survive through the times and proved to be vital for its organism. I first visited Sofia twenty years ago and being a foreigner I had difficulties finding that point. I strolled along the streets, looking for the church at the big square, so typical for the urban scheme of any European city. I felt overwhelmed by the incomprehensible urban structure of Sofia, which featured the elements of the European cities, yet lacked their integrity and clear logic. Back then I never came upon that point so important for the city. Later on, I realized that it was hidden under a mask I was not even aware of. Now, living in Sofia, I have found out that the main “acupuncture” point of the city is the building of the Central Baths and the area around it.
The area has an unparalleled character. Here the temples of different religions – the Muslim, the Jewish, the Orthodox and the Catholic stand side by side and that’s really impressive. I’d call it “the Jerusalem of the Balkans” if that’d be appropriate.

There is yet another significant element – the temples and the buildings in the area stand on the foundations of the Roman city of Serdica. This is not so by chance, because people have recognized the power of that place since ancient times. To me, it is in the thermal springs that attract diverse people, cleanse them and bring them above the religious and cultural differences. A dynamic dialogue between nature and the humanity takes place here.

The Central Mineral Baths, designed by Architect Petko Momchilov and constructed in the beginning of the 20th century, brought about an extremely successful inclusion of the power of that spot into the city texture. Here the inhabitants and the guests of Sofia stayed in touch with the mineral water and could communicate with each other. People would not only cleanse their bodies, but would also take a moment of relief from the material world, the vanity of secular life and the restrictions of their religious beliefs.

Probably somewhere else the construction of baths in the centre of the town may seem eccentric, but in the case of Sofia that was logical. Ever since the times of Ottoman Turkey, this place featured a mosque and some small baths next to it. The construction of the Central Baths helped a lot for accelerating the modernization of the town, called back then “the little Vienna”. The square in front of the Baths was used as a market place while the little side streets were full of inns, coffee houses and workshops. The street connecting the Baths square and the square in front of the King’s Palace played an important role for the viability and the significance of this place for the city. That was the Trade Street and it was something of an artery for Sofia.

It was often mentioned in the local urban folklore – for example in the lyrics of the song “George the Cute Lad”: Every night I take a walk on Trade Street, And frolic with the ones I meet.