The Minister of Environment and Water Julian Popov opened the exhibition “Sofia – City of Rivers” in the “Crystal” Garden and presented his vision of how the river spaces in the capital could look . The exhibition was created based on his idea, with the conceptual visualisation of selected river spaces realised by architect Dimitar Pushnikov.

Selected river corridors in Sofia are presented as green and accessible spaces that combine the natural, engineering, and recreational functions of the rivers. These are places that can be used for walking, cycling, sport, relaxation, play, socialising, and spending time in nature, noted Minister Popov, emphasising that Sofia offers rich opportunities for the realisation of this idea.

“Sofia has not just one river, but many. They are small, but they form a whole network. We have confined them to rigid channels and it is time to set them free. And this begins with a single, unified vision,” said Minister Popov.

Sofia’s rivers are the city’s natural infrastructure. Originally formed to carry excess water away from the mountain slopes, they create a natural drainage network that has long shaped the urban environment. Due to Sofia’s location at the foot of the mountains, numerous rivers flow through the urban fabric, creating an opportunity to build a connected blue-green system.

The solutions presented in the exhibition demonstrate how heavily urbanised river spaces can gradually be transformed into linear parks, walking and cycling routes, recreational areas and restored river ecosystems. The idea is for riverbeds to be integrated into the urban architecture in a new way – not as hidden technical infrastructure, but as a natural part of city life.

“These are not projects that will see competing stakeholders to implement them. These are visions that are in line with contemporary approaches to the natural restoration of urban rivers – an approach that we should be following,” emphasised Julian Popov.

The Minister explained that much of the infrastructure needed to implement this idea already exists. “In many places, up to 90% of the necessary infrastructure is already in place. What is missing are the connections that would transform the individual sections into a unified blue-green system within the city,” noted the Minister.

“We have almost everything we need to make these visions a reality. In some cases, this can be achieved with minimal intervention,” said Dimitar Pushnikov. He gave the example of the Perlovo River, where a few simple connections could allow people to get from Zaimov Park to the National Palace of Culture in just 10-15 minutes on foot or by bike along the river. More than a century ago, there was already an idea for a linear green corridor there. According to the concept presented, with minimal intervention, the existing spaces can be linked into a continuous route along which pedestrians and cyclists can travel through the city alongside the river.

The opening was also attended by Lyubomir Georgiev, Deputy Mayor for Spatial Planning and Urban Development of Sofia Municipality, who stated that the vision presented fully aligns with the municipality’s understanding of the future of Sofia’s rivers. “Sofia’s rivers can become much more than just engineering infrastructure and provide much greater added value to the city and a better experience for its residents,” he said.

Lyubomir Georgiev announced that Sofia Municipality is preparing a competition for a section of the Vladayska River along Slivnitsa Boulevard between the Lion Bridge and the Central Station, where the river channel is to be transformed into a linear park.

The exhibition “Sofia – City of Rivers” is organised by the Ministry of Environment and Water with the support of Sofia Municipality, which provided the exhibition space free of charge. It will remain in the “Crystal” Garden until 26 April 2026.