Centenary fridge in the city center

Few tourists know, but the oldest refrigerator in Sofia is the Khalit tourist market. Officially, it is called Tsentralni Sofia Khali and is located in the ideal historical center on the boulevard "Maria Luisa" Just opposite the bath, which I wrote about recently. Well, which is the Sofia History Museum.

Central Khali was built in 1911 as part of the improvement of the new Bulgarian capital precisely at this place, because 116 years ago there was a spontaneous Jewish bazaar: they were selling everything to everyone - and meat and fish as well. In order to ensure cleanliness and hygiene, it was decided to put a covered market in this place, in the basement of which ice was produced.

There was enough ice not only for Khalite himself, but also for sale to restaurants, hotels, and rich Sofians.

The construction of this market cost the community more than one and a half million leva, but quickly paid for itself, because the market brought a good income.

Now, in the basement of Khalitė, there are no more ice-making machines, but there you can see the diagonal wall of the ancient fortress Ulpia Serdika, have a tasty and practically free lunch and also have nothing to wear.

On the first floor of the market are shops and cafes.

About ten years ago, the prices here seemed to me higher than the average for Sofia, but then it really was the tourist market. However, it’s been ten years since Bulgaria’s accession to the EU, and souvenirs are now being sold at every corner, because tourists are everywhere, not just here. Therefore, the prices in this market have become equal to the citywide ones, cheap shops have come here and now everyone can shop here :-)

Here you can buy loose coffee and tea of

any kind, siren, sour milk, sausages, wines and banitsy. On the second floor, which is located on the entresol, there is a fur shop, a bank and the cheapest cosmetics shop in the country "Elitys". And also a free toilet.

Behind Khalite stands the only synagogue in Sofia, the Sephardic.

By the way, despite the fact that Halite was a refrigerator, now it is always warm here. And when there is bad weather outside, it is especially pleasant here: warm, dry, light and tasty it smells of coffee and Banis.

Thank you for your time and attention.

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All photos in this blog are taken by me unless otherwise attributed.

With love from Bulgaria @varya-davydova

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