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Photo: MrPanyGoff, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The largest square in Sofia. Includes the National Art Gallery.
Prince Alexander I Square, often called simply Battenberg Square is the largest square of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It is named after Alexander Joseph of Battenberg, the first prince of modern Bulgaria. During the Communist rule of Bulgaria, the square was named September 9th Square, after a coup on September 9, 1944, made the country a Communist state. Before 1944, the square was known as Tsar's Square because the former royal palace, now the National Art Gallery was located there. It was the site of the Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum from 1949 until 1999. It is arguably the most suitable place in Sofia for major open-air concerts such as the concert series "Opera on the Square", demonstrations, parades and other large-scale events.
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Has old Bulgarian art, icons, etc. Also includes collections of the former National Gallery for Foreign Art, which are exhibited along with the 19th- and 20th-century collections of the National Art Gallery at National Gallery Square 500 (Kvadrat 500 in Bulgarian), which is at 1, 19th February St., St Alexander Nevsky Sq. and is open Tu-Su 10:00-18:00 and closed Mondays and holidays.
Has a permanent collection of traditional Bulgarian costumes and a changing exhibition.
It's the oldest and most central public garden, in existence since 1872.