About the Place
This neat, secluded park features a big, pyramidal monument dedicated to the medics who died in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78). Also here is an outdoor lapidarium, which includes numerous Roman architectural fragments dug up around Sofia.
It is located in the park’s lower end. In it stone archaeological remnants are arranged in carefree manner dating back to various epochs – antique Serdika (III-IV century), statues, columns, plates with inscriptions aged over 2000 years, remnants of Zeus’ old temple, as well as such of early Christian origin and others with oriental fragments dating back to the times when the place was used as Turkish graveyard.
The Doctor’s garden park has two gazebos that are surrounded by multicolored, luscious rose beds. Around one of the entrances are scattered fragments of the necropolis that were unearthed during the excavation around the Parliament. At another entrance there is a beautiful fountain surrounded by clever landscaping that looks almost natural. Finally, in the center of the park, is its highlight – The Doctors monument. The Doctor’s garden developed around the monument thus was named for it.
After the Liberation, according to a project by the city’s gardener Daniel Nef – of Swiss nationality, a park was developed with straight, inter-crossed alleys and circular movement in whose centre a monument was located in 1883 after which the park is named until nowadays. It was built in living memory of the medical workers and doctors who died during the Russian-Turkish War. It is shaped as a cut pyramid with stone sarcophagus on top. Four of its sides were built of roughly processed stone with the names of 531 doctors engraved onto it, since they lost their lives during the battles at Shipka, Pleven and the village of Mechka, battles of key importance to the victorious war outcome. The initiative and funding came from Russia, and the project is by the Czech architect with Russian roots, Antoniy Tomisko.
Soon after its creation, the park started playing the role of botanic garden – numerous trees, shrubs, flowers were planted, rock garden was built. During this period that lasted almost 40 years, the garden was not used as a park, but it was used for scientific needs instead. Nevertheless, consequently it opened its doors once again for the city inhabitants, while keeping its unique tree, plant and flower species until today.