Sofia is one of the first European capitals to acquire trams. It is a little-known fact that the trams leave the capital's streets long before those in London, Stockholm or Lisbon, reported a BGNES reporter.
The first tram in our country has been running since January 1, 1901. The capital is the seventh European city to have this convenient transport, which in 2026 will mark 125 years since its establishment.
For the first time, trams appeared in the capitals and cities of the two great central European empires, with which Bulgaria would closely connect its fate in the first decades of its existence - Germany and Austria-Hungary.
In 1881, the motorcades moved through the streets of Berlin, soon to take over Budapest, Prague, Brussels, Paris and Vienna. The capital of the Danube Empire has had trams since 1897, which shows that in terms of this modern transport for its time, Sofia and the Principality are not lagging, but are part of the pan-European processes.
Exactly 20 years after their appearance in Berlin, the first six lines were opened in Sofia.
One of the most important routes connected the Central Station with the Holy Sunday Cathedral. There was a tram that ran around the centre, and another used to go along the main street "Targovska", which no longer exists and is the equivalent of today's Vitosha Blvd. There was also a line that ran along today's trams 20 and 22 and reached not far from "Poduene" station. | BGNES
