Ariana Lake
The Arianasee ( Bulgarian езеро Ариана / Esero Ariana) is an artificial lake in the center of the Bulgarian capital Sofia . The lake, better known as a pond or boat pond because of its size, was and is a meeting place for generations of residents of the city.
The lake is approx. 175 m long and 75 m wide, has an area of 8900 m², is 1.20 m deep and is located in the city center, in the north-western part of the Borisowa Gradina Park , at the intersection of the boulevards Christo and Evlogi Georgiewi ( bulg. Христо и Евлоги Георгиеви) and Zarigradsko schose (bulg. Цариградско шосе), at the Eagle Bridge . The Bulgarian National Stadium Wasil Levski is also nearby .
Building history
Lake Ariana was built in the late 19th century. Construction began in 1879 and was finally completed in 1904 by Ing.Markow. The building was under the patronage of Dimitar Petkow - from 1888 to 1893 mayor of Sofia, then Prime Minister of Bulgaria. Since then, the lake has been a popular destination for the people of Sofia. At first the lake was smaller and deeper than it is today. Because the pond was swampy, the head of Borisova Gradina Daniel Neff reconstructed and clad the lake in 1898. It was enlarged and got an island, which was connected to the shore by a small, white, stone vaulted bridge (built in 1904). If the lake initially got its water from the Perlowska reka river next door, it was filled with tap water in later years.
At first the lake didn't have a name, it was simply called "the lake in Borisowa gradina" (Bulgarian "езерото във Борисовата градина"). The name Arianasee only came up after 1889. The "Ariana" restaurant (until the early 1970s), whose name was carried over to the lake, was located on the small island in the lake.
In the middle of the 20th century a casino was built on a small island in the lake. In 1972 "singing fountains" were built in the lake, with colorful lighting and music.
In 1984 the water was pumped out of the lake due to pending repair work, which then did not start, so the lake was shut down for two decades. The renovation of the lake and its surroundings was only started in 2006 due to lack of funds and was completed in 2007. In September 2007 the lake was filled with water again. It took 10 days to fill the lake with water from a nearby well. On April 11th, 2008, the lake was reopened by Mayor Boyko Borissow .
In 2006, Mayor Borisov signed a 5-year contract with the private company Profuds (Bulgarian Профудс) to use the lake and its surroundings (mainly catering facilities). Since this contract was awarded without a tender, it was heavily criticized. Borisov justified himself with the fact that no other company was willing to invest 3 million leva in the reconstruction of the lake. According to other sources, the Bulgarian mobile operator Globul (bul. Глобул) was the main sponsor for the renovation of the lake.
The lake has pedal boats and row boats. In winter, a 1200 m² ice rink is set up on the lake. Use of the train was free for almost 100 years, but now entry is charged. The original water depth of the lake was 1.80, but after two accidents on the winter ice rink, the water depth was reduced to 1.20 m. For the winter ice rink, the water of the lake is almost drained. On one side there is space for ice skating and on the other side of the lake there are snow ramps for snowboarders.
The brewery "Sofia Bier" (bulg. "Софийско пиво" / Sofijako piwo) introduced the beer brand Ariana (bulg. Ариана) in 1995. The brewery of the same name was a few hundred meters away to the north, on San Stefano Street, opposite the Bulgarian TV building , before it was demolished in 2004. This brewery was originally founded in 1884 by the Czech brothers Jiří Prošek and Theodor Prošek . The Ariana beer brand continues to exist, but is now brewed in Stara Sagora , in the Sagorka brewery belonging to the Heineken Group .
In addition to the boat rental, there used to be a small sports base for rowing on the lake . But this was later moved there after the construction of the Pantscharewo reservoir (southeast of Sofia).
Web links
- 360 ° panorama
- historical postcard views: picture 9 to 20
- historical photos of Lake Ariana
- youtube film: Winter ice rink on Lake Arianasee
Coordinates: 42 ° 41 ′ 21 ″ N , 23 ° 20 ′ 11.7 ″ E