Hotels near Sofia Synagogue

The Sofia Synagogue, consecrated on 9 September 1909 in the presence of Tsar Ferdinand I, is the third largest Sephardic synagogue in Europe after those in Amsterdam and Budapest. Designed by Austrian architect Friedrich Grunanger in a Moorish Revival style with strong Vienna Secession touches, it has a soaring 31-metre central dome, a marble entrance portico, and interior lighting from a 1.7-tonne central chandelier - said to be the largest in Bulgaria. The building comfortably holds 1,200 worshippers, though today Sofia's active Jewish community numbers only a few hundred.

The synagogue houses a small but excellent Jewish Museum documenting the extraordinary story of how almost all 48,000 Bulgarian Jews were saved from deportation to Nazi death camps in 1943, largely through the intervention of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, opposition politicians, and King Boris III. Entry is 5 lev (about 2.50 EUR) and includes the museum. Modest dress is required, and a small kippah is provided at the entrance for men.

Pro Tip: The synagogue is closed on Saturdays for Shabbat. Combine your visit with the Banya Bashi Mosque directly across the intersection and the Central Market Hall next door - the corner of Ekzarh Yosif and Maria Luiza is one of the few places in Europe where a synagogue, mosque, Catholic cathedral, and Orthodox cathedral sit within 300 metres.