Prince Alexander of Battenberg Square

Prince Alexander of Battenberg Square is easily reached on foot if you stay at one of the big hotels in the city, like the Sheraton or the Radisson. During the communist period, this little square was called 9th of September Square and had a huge white neoclassical mausoleum built in 1949 to house the body of Georgi Dimitrov, the first communist leader of Bulgaria. Celebrations and military parades were held here until the overthrow of the government in 1990, when Dimitrov's body was transported to a normal cemetery and the mausoleum was destroyed. Today a public garden stands in the middle of the square, with each section dedicated to a different country, so you can see plants from around the world.