Vrana Park has officially closed to the public, as the Sofia Municipality begins the process of transferring the site back to the Bulgarian state. Deputy Mayor Nadezhda Bobcheva announced that the municipality would prepare all necessary documentation for the handover and provide the state with one week to determine the next steps jointly. In the absence of a formal response, the key to the park will be sent to the regional administration by post.

Municipal teams arrived early in the morning to remove benches, kiosks, and other facilities from the park. Security responsibilities have also been handed over to the state. The closure follows more than a year of attempts by Sofia Municipality to reach an agreement with the central government on the management of the park, after a 2023 Supreme Court ruling confirmed that the property belongs to the state.

Bobcheva criticized the lack of engagement from the state, noting that all reasonable timeframes for the central authorities to assume control had expired. Despite repeated invitations from the municipality, no concrete steps were taken by the regional administration or relevant ministries. This, she said, creates the impression that Sofia is being treated as if it's in conflict with the state.

In line with the municipality’s decision, visits to Vrana Park are now suspended, and the dedicated 50X bus line has been halted. According to Bobcheva, without a legal mandate to maintain the park, the municipality has no grounds to continue its activities on the site.

She also stated in an interview with Bulgarian National Radio that the municipality had formally notified the regional administration that it would be expecting them to collect all items originally provided to the city by the royal family for the park.

The regional administration responded by pointing to ongoing work on a sustainable management model. A special interdepartmental working group has been formed, with representatives from the Ministries of Culture, Tourism, Agriculture, Finance, and other institutions. Their aim is to create a long-term plan that ensures the preservation, accessibility, and development of the park. Given the park’s protected status as an immovable cultural asset and its 950-hectare size, the administration emphasized that the task requires resources beyond the capabilities of a single regional office.

Bobcheva, however, insisted that the municipality had done everything in its power to offer solutions. For the past year and a half, she said, there had been no clarity from the state on its official position. She reaffirmed the municipality’s readiness to continue managing the park if legally entrusted to do so. According to her, the municipality invests between 500,000 and 600,000 leva annually in the park, far exceeding the income it generates, which has never topped 150,000 leva.

She also drew a comparison with Borisova Garden, which is also state-owned but has been placed under municipal management indefinitely, demonstrating that such arrangements are legally viable. All movable property from Vrana Park will now be repurposed for use in other green spaces across the city, she added.