Sofia picks Europe Alley design
Sofia city hall will unveil a Europe Alley in its landmark South Park by May 9, the Europe Day holiday marked across the European Union. The winning design was picked earlier this week following an architectural competition.
Europe Day, which commemorates the Schuman Declaration – French foreign minister Robert Schuman’s proposal for a supranational community in Europe, made on May 9 1950 – is not a public holiday in Bulgaria.
(The country, which participated in World War 2 on the side of the Axis powers, does not formally celebrate Victory in Europe Day either; instead it celebrates St George’s Day on May 6 as a public holiday, the Day of the Bulgarian Army.)
A total of 25 designs participated in the competition, organised by the European Union representation in Bulgaria, in partnership with the Sofia city hall and the Bulgarian Chamber of Architects. The winning design by architect Ivan Kiryakov has four unconventional flexible information screens, which will be outfitted with LED displays.
Shaped like twisted bands, these are meant to represent the close ties between EU member states.
(The winning design by architect Ivan Kiryakov. Photo: Bulgarian Chamber of Architects)
