The capital of Bulgaria has changed hands and names quite a few times in its long history. The manhole features a three-tower mural crown crest from the cold war, hence the five-pointed star. The coat of arms was created for the Paris Exposition in 1900 in order to join the expo as Paris rules required. The church of St. Sophia is represented in the upper right quadrant. A strange portrait of the ancient town of Serdica is in the upper left. Vitosha mountain, where the city lies at its foot, is found in the lower left and a baldachin over Apollo Medicus representing natural springs is located in the lower right. An inescutcheon with a lion dominates its center. The city motto “Ever Growing, Never Aging” is written below.