The Ear

“The Ear” used to be the reference to a neighbourhood, which no longer exists in the Southern District, predominantly houses. In accordance with new architectural plans, the houses were replaced by blocks of flats. The locals still remember that neighbourhood and its atmosphere. The name owes to the shape that buildings, streets and railway lines produced. It used to extend from the Rhodope Bus Station and the Spartacus Stadium past Stochna gara and the Saturday Market towards the Macedonia Boulevard. Currently there is plenty of space amidst the blocks of flats that provides the amenities to organise community meetings and events, markets, workshops, installations, etc.: a communicative lived-in space, particularly in the area by Stochna gara. The Rhodope Overpass is in the vicinity and it provides a focal point of convergence of districts, as well as a vast space suitable for festivals, street events and outdoor activities.