Eagles’ Bridge

Eagles’ Bridge is a bridge that spans the Perlovska River in Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital. The bridge and intersection where it is situated, known as Ploshtad Orlov Most (Orlov Most Square), are more often known as Eagles’ Bridge (Orlov most).

The bridge’s name is derived from the four eagle sculptures that adorn it and serve as its guards and patrons.

The Eagles’ Bridge and intersection are close to the Vasil Levski National Stadium, the Monument to the Soviet Army, the Borisova gradina park, and Lake Ariana, as well as Sofia University. Tsarigradsko Shose and Evlogi Georgiev Boulevard, which follows the Perlovska river, cross there, and Tsar Ivan Asen II Street ends there. Eagles’ Bridge is the first crossroads and point of entrance to the city center for vehicles approaching Sofia from the southeast through Tsarigradsko shose.

Czech architect Václav Proek, his brother Jozef, and cousins Bohdan and Jiří built the bridge in 1891. In 1889, they also planned and constructed the Lions’ Bridge at the northern entrance to capital Sofia. The total cost of the bridge’s construction was 80,000 golden leva.

On the back print of Bulgarian 20 lev banknotes released between 1999 and 2007, one of the bridge’s columns and bronze eagles are shown.

Protests are often held in the area. Orlov Most was the site of environmental demonstrations in 2012 against building on Vitosha mountain and near the Dyuni natural reserve on the Black Sea coast. In 2013, the bridge was also a prominent focal point of political demonstrations, with images of violence during the winter protests contrasting with enormous but peaceful crowds during the summer protests, when it would shut every evening while demonstrators congregated there until late at night. During the Bulgarian demonstrations of 2020–2021, demonstrators regularly blocked the bridge with barricades and tent camps.

Eagles’ Bridge has been served by the Sofia University Metro Station of the Sofia Metro M1 line since 2009.