Golden girl

Is it a bird? is it a plane? no it is a 24-metre-high bronze woman? This statue, meant to be an allegory of “Holy Wisdom.” It is located in the center of Sofia and it replaced a behemoth-sized statue of Lenin. If your like me, the first thing you probably noticed about her is her hooter... the little owl representing wisdom on her arm. I would say it is a hoot owl and after seeing the owl you just can't miss her laurels (wreathes) in her right arm. The city of Sofia originally got its name from the Church of Sveta Sofia (“Holy Wisdom”) in the center, and this statue was intended to symbolize the connection. However it was far from clear how this abstract concept of “Holy Wisdom” is portrayed in this sculpture. Still Sofians remain unsure whether this shiny female with an owl on her left arm really fits.