The fertile soil and hot springs have long attracted settlers to Sofia, one of the most ancient European cities outside Greece. One of the largest cities of the Roman Balkans, Sofia was reduced to a population of only a few thousand by 1880, a victim of frequent war and economic turmoil. Intensive government investment in industry and infrastructure since independence in 1878 has revived Sofia's fortunes, and it is once again one of the largest cities of the Balkans.

Having emerged from the Second World War relatively unscathed, Sofia has developed into a bastion of unusual stability and independence in a region dominated by instability, ethnic conflict, and foreign domination.