Vitosha Boulevard

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Vitosha Boulevard

Vitoshka, as seen from near NDK, with the St Nedelya Church in the distance.

Vitosha Boulevard (Bulgarian: булевард „Витоша“, often called just „Витошка“, Vitoshka) is the main commercial street in the centre of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and is famous for the many brand name shops and boutiques on it. Possessing a shop on the boulevard is thought of as a matter of image and advertising for companies operating in Bulgaria.

The boulevard is named after Vitosha, the mountain just next to Sofia. It was an unadjusted street during the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria and acquired the name Vitoshka ulitsa ("Vitosha Street") after the Liberation, in 1883. The street was initially built up with low one-storey houses, but turned into an imposing trade street in the Interwar period as massive public buildings were constructed, changing Vitoshka's appearance completely.

According to a 2005 Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. study, Vitosha Boulevard is the world's 22nd most expensive trade street. [1][2] [3][4]