Bulgaria (България) is a country in Eastern Europe on the western side of the Black Sea. It is surrounded by Romania to the north, Serbia to the northwest, the Republic of Macedonia to the southwest, Greece to the south, and Turkey to the southeast. Being located close to the Turkish Straits means the key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia pass through Bulgaria.
Regions
Administrative divisions : 28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast) each of which is named after its provincial capital, with the national capital itself forming a separate province: Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo (Haskovo), Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia (city), Sofia (province), Stara Zagora, Turgovishte (Targovishte), Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol
Cities
Ports and harbors :
Other destinations
Understand
Currency
The Bulgarian unit of currency is the Lev, comprised of one hundred Stotinki. 1 Lev is 1 "Deutsche Mark" and is now pegged to the Euro at 1.95583 Lev for one Euro. 1 Lev is roughly US$ 0.55 and UK£ 0.34.
Climate
Temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain
Mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
; highest point : Musala 2,925 m
History
A branch of the Slavs merged with the local Proto-Bulgarians, a Central Asian tribe, in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state in the Balkans. In succeeding centuries, Bulgarian and the Byzantine Empires dominated South-East Europe, but by the end of the 14th century the region was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Bulgaria regained its independence in 1878 largely due to the intervention of Russia, who clipped the wings of the declining Ottoman Empire in Bulgaria and elsewhere, and installed a minor German prince as a ruler of the newly independent country. The country's iconic heroes were all freedom fighters to a man: whether Rakovsky (Раковски), who mixed revolution and literature, Vassil Levski (Васил Левски) - the Apostle of Freedom, or Hristo Botev (Христо Ботев), poet and fighter. After a series of bloody and brutal Balkan wars, Bulgaria had the further misfortune to be occupied by the losing side in both World Wars, and fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination was brought to a swift, but for many people illusory end in 1989; though Bulgaria went on to hold its first multi-party election since World War II, essentially socialist policies were pursued until hyperinflation and economic meltdown drove the old guard out of power in 1997. Today, reforms and democratization have brought Bulgaria into the NATO fold, with EU accession celebrated in 2007. During Communist times, the Black Sea was a favorite destination for travelors behind the Iron Curtain. Now, increasing numbers of western Europeans travel throughout the country and many have bought vacation houses near the Black Sea or in picturesque villages.
Holidays
Baba Marta (Баба Марта) (Grandma Marta), March 1. A very old Bulgarian holiday. People give each martenitsa (мартеница), a type of white-red yarn, as a symbol of health.
March 3 (Трети март). The day Bulgaria celebrates its Russian-aided
liberation from 500 years of Ottoman domination (1393-1878).
20th of April - 20 April 1876 is the official start day the greatest uprising of the Bulgarian people against the Ottoman rule.
Gergiov den (Гергьов ден), May 6. St. George and official holiday of the Bulgarian Аrmy.
Ss. Cyril and Methodius Day (Ден на Кирил и Методий), May 24. The day of St. Cyril (827-869), and St. Methodius (826-884), who created the Cyrillic alphabet. A beautiful holiday - with lots of flowers, music, and joy.
Reunification Day (Ден на съединението), September 6. The day the two parts of Bulgaria, the independent North and East Rumelia (autonomous in the Ottoman Empire) were reunited, pejoni
Get in
No visa is required for entry for citizens of the EU, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
However, foreigners (except for EU citizens) have to register at the police within 72 hours. If you have booked with a travel agency, this will be taken care of. If not - usually, your hotel will handle the necessary paperwork (ask). If you do not stay in a hotel, you will need to go to the police and take the tedious task of registering on your own. Especially for US citizens, Bulgaria is really cracking down on this. Failure to register might mean a 2000 Leva fine (about $1200 US).
Also unless you are an EU citizen take care that you have an entry stamp in your passport, otherwise your exit could be quite troublesome.
By plane
There are four international airports: Sofia, Varna, Bourgas, and Plovdiv. While flights to Sofia are normally priced, there are a lot of charter and last-minute flight offers to the other two cities leaving from Western Europe (especially Germany and Great Britain). You can go from German airports to Varna or Bourgas and back for less than 100 Euro, if you are lucky. Recently several low-cost airlines have also offered regular flights to Bulgaria. Wizzair flies directly between Sofia and Budapest and London and has a seasonal service to Bourgas. Hemus Air flies to London Heathrow. Bulgaria Air flies to London Gatwick. British Airways flies to London Heathrow. Sky Europe flies from Bratislava to Sofia and is planning to add routes to/from Varna, Bourgas and Budapest.
By train
International trains provide a large number of routes to Bulgaria, notably Sofia and Varna, arriving from such places as Kiev, Istanbul, Vienna, and other common cities.
The primary trains from Bucharest to Sofia, and back, run twice daily through the border city of Ruse. For example, recent trains are scheduled from Bucharest to Sofia in the daytime departing 11:35/arriving 21:30 and a night train departing 19:35/arriving 06:10. Passport control and customs takes place in Ruse, approximately mid-trip. Check local trainstations for updated information.
By car
If you want to reach Bulgaria from Western Europe by car, you either can take a ferry from Italy to Greece, or you will have to pass through either Serbia (make sure you took a green card from your national insurance company) or Romania.
Travelling from Greece you have to go from Thessaloniki towards Serres and then to Promahonas. Besides the sticker (see end) you need to pay the Bulgarian authorities health insurance (2 euros per person for 3 days, slightly more for more days) and car disinfection costs (4 euros for a standard car). Beware. It is common that while Bulgarians do get a receipt naive foreigners don't! Expect long queues on certain days!
The security situation regarding car theft shouldn’t be overrated. In small villages or the country, leaving your car should be safe, but in the big cities or the tourist spots it is advisable to improve your odds by parking either on the major streets or on guarded garages, where fees range from 6 lvs a day to 2 lvs an hour. If you plan to spend more time in one city, it might be better to get an abonnement, which on the average costs 60 leva a month. Most of the hotels have an own parking, and even at private lodgings it is often possible to park the car in the garden or so, just ask.
Also, Bulgaria has recently implemented a new law that you must place a special sticker on your car to drive on the highways, which you have to buy at the border while getting in (around 5euros for 7 days). The sticker system is going to be revoked by 2007. There are no Tolls on Bulgarian roads. From Sofia to Plovdiv, Chirpan and Dimitrovgrad the road is actually a highway with 2-3 lanes per direction.
When travelling on the road Sofia-Greece be very careful. There is extensive road reconstruction and you can meet some really dangerous drivers.
By bus
Buses to and from Sofia go to most major cities in Europe - while Bulgarian bus companies will be cheaper (and mostly offer less comfort), the tickets are hard to get by if you are travelling to Bulgaria, so you can always take Eurolines buses. Don't be surprised if an extra "border fee" is asked from each traveller by the bus driver - it makes your border passing quicker. Most buses from Western Europe will pass through Serbia, so be sure to check if you need a transit visa beforehand (Serbian visas for citizens of the EU have recently been abolished).
By boat
Get around
By bus
Certainly the cheapest and fastest way to travel around the country is by bus. Buses go from and to every bigger city (you might have to ask or be driven by taxi to the bus station) quite frequently (exact timetables information could be found at http://www.bus.light-bg.com/english/input_engl.html); however, most bus station agents (except at the Black Sea and in Sofia) as well as the drivers will not speak or understand any languages except Bulgarian (and, if you are lucky, Russian) and the destinations will be written exclusively in Cyrillic. You can look up bus schedules for the Sofia New Central at the bus station
There is another site for bus travel. Here you can find a lot of bus schedules: http://www.transportbg.info
Traveling from Sofia to major cities in Bulgaria by bus is a good value. A one way ticket to the Black Sea from Sofia is around EUR 12-15. Several companies operate regular routes serviced by new and modern busses. Timetables and prices in English for couple of the major companies can be found at GRUP Plus and Biomet.
There are other bus stations in Sofia and also some private buses depart from their own personal station, but for travelers just looking to get out of town with the least amount of confusion - using the New Central Bus Station may be easiest.
Buses and Minibuses go from Varna and Bourgas along the coastline, passing or going to all Bulgarian Black Sea tourist resorts.
By train
Travelling by train is inexpensive, but also slower than by bus, and you should mostly use it when trying to reach a city along the two major train routes (Sofia - Varna and Sofia - Bourgas; you can travel both routes overnight). Travel by train is not recommended as the trains are invariably in poor condition and are rarely maintained. You can look up train schedules and prices on the Bulgarian State Railways website
By taxi
Most of the taxi drivers do not speak proper English. Taxi tariffs in Bulgaria are not standartized. It is important to compare prices of several cars, because there are speculators.
By car
If traveling by car be sure you can read the Cyrillic alphabet at least a bit. Most signs in Eastern Bulgaria don't have the direction shown in Latin letters so it could become difficult for you to travel around. Alternatively, better additionally, you have a map with the town names written in Latin and Cyrillic alphabet, so you can at least compare the forms of the letters. All new road signs are in two alphabets - Cyrillic and Latin. So this problem is disappearing even in Eastern Bulgaria.
For rentals, http://www.toprentbg.com , http://www.rentcarbg.com, http://www.rentauto-bg.com, http://www.carrentalinbulgaria.net, http://www.Rentomobile.com are a Bulgarian companies with reliable cars, Western-style service, and good prices. http://www.avis.bg also offers good rates. You can also hire a driver for about 50-75 Euro per day plus accommodation. Chauffeur services also available on http://www.carrental.bg or http://www.carrental-bulgaria.co.uk.
Driving in Bulgaria can be a bit precarious - as many roads do not have defined lanes, are not well marked, and are in poor condition. Often the center region is used as a de-facto passing lane, by cars in either direction. This can fluctuate based on pedestrians or horse-carts on the side squeezing cars into the typical two lanes. Observing speed limits as well as signaling when changing lanes are also practices commonly ignored. Street signs may be absent, as the poor sometimes take them down and sell them for scrap metal. There may be grazing livestock near the roads (fences are basically non-existent), but they are usually tended and do not cause a problem. Never ever drink and drive in Bulgaria! This is always dangerous but here your first offence will result in a long prison sentence. The once-common practice of bribing a police officer to get out of a speeding or parking ticket is becoming the exception.
By bicycle
All roads in Bulgaria are paved. The ever present horse-drawn carts help to keep motor traffic calm. As host to the annual long-distance bicycle ride, Bulgaria is accustomed and well suited to cross-country bicycle travel. Still be careful if you go away from the main arteries, because the roads can turn quickly into some very bad and depleted pseudo-arteries. Plentiful roadside cafés can provide the cyclists' fuel and numerous roadside springs (pipes driven in to the sides of mountains or hills) provide a ready source of clean, cool water. Learning the Cyrllic alphabet is strongly encouraged, as many road signs and maps do not include the Latin equivalent. Hostels and tent-camping are good options overnight accommodations.
By thumb
The 'problem' with hitchhiking in Bulgaria is that there are few major roads, so it is not possible to cover longer distances this way. Also communication in English might be rather cumbersome. Have your German, Russian or French on standby. In general hitchhiking goes well in Bulgaria. If you want to be on the safe side, just go to http://www.pass-europe.eu or http://3na100.com (you'll need to learn the alphabet first). Remember that nodding your head means no and shaking your head means yes.
Talk
Bulgarian is a southern Slavic language, related to Serbian and Russian, so if you know either of these(or another Slavic language), you shouldn't have much problem getting by.Some words or/and phrases might even be understood by Westerners since Bulgarian has a number of loans from other languages(most notably French, German, Russian, Turkish, Italian and increasingly English).
Modern Bulgarian is difficult to Westerners, especially English-speakers, as it has three genders, no infinitive, and articles are appended to the end of either the noun (if no attribute is present) or the first attribute (example: kuche = dog, kucheto = the dog, dobro kuche = good dog, dobroto kuche = the good dog). However it is not more difficult than other Slavic tongues, once you get used to the Cyrillic, an alphabet of which the Bulgarians are justifiably proud (it having been invented by two Bulgarian monks,Cyril and Methodius). Be sure to be in Bulgaria for the celebrations of the "Den na Bukvata" ("Day of the Alphabet").
It is also important to remember the fact that Bulgarians - contrary to most nationalities - shake their head for Yes and nod for No! It is better to rely on the words da for yes and nay for no than on head movements. Other common words are rather long in Bulgarian, so they have borrowed ciao for good-bye and merci for thank you.
For more details:
Secondary languages, including Turkish and Romany, closely correspond to ethnic breakdown.However, most young Bulgarians now Have at least a basic knowledge of English or/and a second foreign language(usually German, French or Spanish) and will often even take up a third one. Those born before the mid-1980s are most likely to speak Russian, German or/and French and usually have a limited or no knowledge of English at all.
Do
Bulgaria offers tourist attractions all around the year. Most popular are summer seaside resorts, along the entire Black Sea coastline. In winter numerous ski resorts are there to attract tourists. There are many spa, treking and historical destinations that offer incredibly rich variety of experiences. Cave tourism is also attracting many fans.
Buy
Prices in Bulgaria are much lower than in Western Europe, and good bargains are to be had on shoes and leather goods as well as other clothing.
Eat
General
Bulgarian food is similar to Turkish and Greek cuisine, with lots of grilled meats and powerful stews; in addition, they have a large choice of salads available, usually based on tomatoes and cucumbers. Feta cheese is prevalent and can be used by a Bulgarian as a topping on virtually any food.
If you do not speak the language or understand the Cyrillic alphabet, a restaurant can still be easily located by looking for the "ресторант" sign. (Figuring out the menu will still be an adventure!)
Cheese
In Bulgaria, there are only two native kinds of cheese: the yellow-colored Kashkaval (Кашкавал) - more or less akin to the Dutch Gouda - and the more popular white Sirene (Сирене) - a kind of Feta cheese, though quite different from the Greek Feta in taste. Originally made from sheeps' milk, it is available from cows' or goats' milk or mixed. Also note that in Bulgarian, there is no separate word for "cheese". Foreign cheeses are available, and are usually referred to as sirene, i.e. blue cheese - sinyo sirene (синьо сирене) or 'parmizano sirene' (Parmigiano).
Yoghurt
The native Bulgarian yoghurt contains Lactobacilicus Bulgaricus, a bacterium which serves as the basis for active culture "plain" yoghurts in other countries. Normally made from cow's or sheep's milk, it can also be prepared from buffalo's milk with a remarkably stronger taste.
Being a staple, and quite favourite around the country, Bulgarian yoghurt also is an ingredient to many dishes, the most famous one being Tarator (Таратор), a cold soup made from yoghurt, water and cucumbers. Ayrian - a salty yoghurt-water mixture - is also very popular.
Fast-Food
Traditional bakeries prepare different kinds of pastry products, with banitsa and mekitsa the favorites. Pizza, dyuner (Döner) or hamburgers are also very easy to be found at the streets. There are also many local and international fast-food chains.
Drink
There are more than six hundred mineral water springs around the country, so this is something you'd better taste and drink. Ayrian and boza are two traditional Balkan non-alcoholic beverages.
A powerful (40% vol), clear grape brandy, rakia (Ракия) is the Bulgarian national drink and is served neat, usually at the beginning of a meal with salads. Especially in the smaller cities, families still distill their rakia at home; it is then usually much stronger (>50% vol).
Perhaps at this point it's worth noting that the Bulgarian way of doing things is, at least in terms of drinks, the opposite of the conventional Western method. Bulgarian start off on the heavy stuff, such as Rakia and then move on to wine.
Another quite popular drink is Mastika (Мастика) (47% vol), a drink closely related to Greek Ouzo and Turkish Raki. It is usually drink with ice, with water in a 1:1 mixture or with peppermint liqueur, called Oblak (cloud).
Bulgaria has several well known local wine varietals. These include Melnik, Mavrud, Pamid, Gamza (Гъмза) (red dry), Kadarka (red sweet) and Keratsuda (white dry).
Local lagers, Zagorka, Kamenitza and Shumensko are very good, inexpensive, widely available and drunk in copious amounts.
Sleep
There are hostels in Sofia and Plovdiv. Inexpensive hotels can be found in all cities. Luxury hotels are available in large cities. There are many "Mountain Huts" or villas available for rent all around the mountains in the country. Overnight accommodations can also be acquired at about a dozen of the monasteries. There are also plenty of guest houses and villas. Bulgaria is famous for offering quality budget accommodation for rural and ecological tourism in charming small towns in its mountains as well as at the seaside. Following are several official resources for tourism and lodging in Bulgaria:
Learn
There are many organizations that provide courses in Bulgarian language among others (e.g. Orbis) and School in Plovdiv
Here is an unofficial list of institutions that offer international education in Bulgaria:
Universities
Most Bulgarian universities offer admission to international students willing to study in Bulgarian language. These are mainly residents of other Balkan or Slavic countries. Some of these offer parallel supervision in English. However here are some institutions that offer education entirely in English:
The last one, Technical University of Sofia offers also german-language degrees. For more information please check the universities' websites and contact their admission offices
Secondary Education
There are many more state language schools in most major cities, which admit international students and issue degrees compliant with the corresponding country's educational system. However many of these do not have separate websites, so the Bulgarian embassies or Ministry of Education and Science is to be contacted for further information.
Work
There are many online agencies that offer jobs. See http://europa.eu.int/youth/working/finding_a_job/index_bg_en.html for an extensive list of job portals. Management, IT, finance, professional education, consulting and tourism areas are known for being well-paid.
Stay safe
Bulgaria is generally a safe country, and people are quite friendly. You should however behave according to common sense when you are outside of the main tourist areas, i.e. don't show too openly that you have money, don't dress too much like a tourist, watch your things, don't walk around the suburbs (esp. those of Sofia) at night, avoid dark streets at night. Stepping in a hole is a much greater danger in Bulgaria than getting robbed.
Stay healthy
Most food is quite safe to eat. Of course, try to avoid food that is obviously not too clean...
The water in Bulgaria is safe to drink from the tap. However natural mineral water is good for your health, so it is probably advisable to drink cheap and widely available bottled water. In addition, since Bulgaria is a mountainous country, natural springs are quite abundant and many villages have a spring or two with clean water. The Gorna Bania (Upper Bath) area is especially known for its excellent mineral water, and is where some of Bulgaria's bottled water comes from.
Contact
In general the telephone system is extensive but antiquated, now being modernized.
Bulgaria (България, Bălgariya, and the home of the world's oldest known writing system, engraved on the Gradeshnitsa Tablets. These have been dated to over 6000 years ago and are currently preserved in the Vratsa Museum. Rooted in the Thracian, Greek and Roman worlds of antiquity, Bulgaria's history dates back to prehistoric times and its continuous historical wealth throughout prominent cyclical eras of growth, decline and medieval renaissance rivals that of the much larger and more populous countries of China, India and Egypt.
Antiquity
Thracians were the earliest known people to inhabit what is now Bulgaria and are direct ancestors of the modern Bulgarian nation. They were divided in numerous tribes until King Teres united most of them around 500 BC in the Odrysian kingdom, which peaked under the kings Sitalkes and Cotys I (383-359 BC). In 341 BC, it was destroyed by the Macedonian state but rose from its ashes at the end of the fourth century BC under Seuthes III. In 188 BC, the Romans invaded Thrace and the wars with them continued to 45 CE, when Thrace became a Roman province.
It is believed that the oldest handcrafted gold treasure in the world, the 6,500-year old Varna treasure of Eastern Bulgaria, is Thracian-made. One of the most talented ancient commanders, Spartacus, was a Thracian born in the middle Struma region.
Old Great Bulgaria
In 632, the Bulgars led by Khan Kubrat formed an independent state called Great Bulgaria, bounded by the Danube delta to the west, the Black Sea to the south, the Caucasus to the southeast, and Volga River to the east. Byzantium recognized the new state by treaty in 635.
Pressure by the Khazars led to the loss of the eastern part of Great Bulgaria in the second half of the seventh century. Some of the Bulgars from that territory later migrated to the northeast to form a new state called Volga Bulgaria around the confluence of the Volga River and Kama River, which lasted until the thirteenth century.
First Bulgarian Empire
Kubrat’s successor, Khan Asparuh migrated with some of the Bulgarian tribes to the lower courses of the rivers Danube, Dniester and Dniepr (known as Ongal), and conquered Moesia and Scythia Minor (Dobrudzha) from the Byzantine Empire, expanding Great Bulgaria on the Balkan Peninsula. The peace treaty with Byzantium in 681 and the establishment of the new capital of Pliska south of the Danube is considered the beginning of the First Bulgarian Empire. At the same time one of his brothers, Kuber, settled with another Bulgar group in what is now Macedonia.
In 717, the Bulgarians stopped the Arab siege of Constantinople, killing some 40,000-60,000 Arab soldiers. The Bulgarian Khan Tervel was called "The Saviour of Europe" by his contemporaries. For centuries afterward Bulgarians were regarded as the angel warriors of Europe.
In 864, Bulgaria accepted the Orthodox Faith and became a major European power in the ninth and the tenth century, while fighting with the Byzantine Empire for the control of the Balkans. This happened under the rule of Boris I. During his reign Bulgaria also produced the Slavonic alphabet, which became a pillar for further cultural development. Centuries later, this alphabet along with the Old Bulgarian language became the intellectual written language (lingua franca) for Eastern Europe. The greatest territorial extension was reached under Simeon I the first Tsar,son of Boris I, covering most of the Balkans. However his greatest achievement was that at that time Bulgaria developed rich, unique Christian Slavonic culture, which became an example for the other Slavonic peoples in Eastern Europe and ensured the continual existence of the Bulgarian nation regardless of the centrifugal forces that threatened to tear it into pieces throughout its long, rich and war-ridden history.
Following a decline in the mid tenth century, worn out by the wars with Croatia and frequent Serbian rebellions sponsored by Byzantine gold, Bulgaria was crushed by an assault of the Rus' in 969. The Byzantines then began campaigns to conquer Bulgaria. In 971, they seized the capital Preslav and captured Emperor Boris II. Resistance continued under Tsar Samuil in the western Bulgarian lands for nearly half a century until the state was completely destroyed by the Byzantines led by Basil II in 1018.
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Second Bulgarian Empire
In 1185, the Second Bulgarian Empire once again established Bulgaria as an important power in Europe for two more centuries. With its capital based in Veliko Turnovo and under the Asenevtsi Dynasty this empire fought for dominance in the region against the Byzantine Empire, the Crusader states and Hungary, reaching its zenith under Ivan Asen II (1218–1241).
By the end of the fourteenth century, the country had disintegrated into several feudal principalities and was eventually conquered by the Ottoman Empire. A Polish-Hungarian crusade under the rule of Władysław III of Poland to free the Balkans was crushed in 1444 in the battle of Varna.
Ottoman rule
The five centuries of Ottoman rule were characterized by great violence and oppression. The Bulgarian population was decimated and most of its cultural relics were lost. Large towns and the areas where Ottoman power was strong were severely depopulated until the nineteenth century.
Kingdom of Bulgaria
Following the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78 (when the Ottoman Empire was crushed by the Russian forces together with volunteered Bulgarian rebels) and the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878, an autonomous Bulgarian principality was proclaimed. The treaty was immediately rejected by the Great Powers for fear that a large Slavic country on the Balkans would serve Russian interests. This led to the Treaty of Berlin (1878) which provided for an autonomous Bulgarian principality comprising Moesia and the region of Sofia. The first Bulgarian prince was Alexander von Battenberg. Most of Thrace was included in the autonomous region of Eastern Rumelia, whereas the rest of Thrace and all of Macedonia was returned under the sovereignty of the Ottomans. After the Serbo-Bulgarian War and unification with Eastern Rumelia in 1885, the principality was proclaimed a fully independent kingdom on October 5 (September 22 O.S.), 1908, during the reign of Ferdinand I of Bulgaria.
Ferdinand, a prince from the ducal family of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, became the Bulgarian prince after Alexander von Battenberg abdicated in 1886 following a coup d'etat staged by pro-Russian army officers. (Although the counter coup d'etat coordinated by Stefan Stambolov was successful, Battenberg could not remain Bulgarian prince without the approval of Alexander III of Russia.) The struggle for liberation of the Bulgarians in the Adrianople, Vilayet and Macedonia continued throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries culminating with the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising organised by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization in 1903.
Balkan Wars and World War I
In 1912 and 1913, Bulgaria became involved in the Balkan Wars, entering into conflict with Greece and Serbia against the Ottoman Empire. The campaign was a success for the Bulgarian army, but unfortunately a conflict for the division of Macedonia aroused between the allies. Then a second Balkan war followed against its former Balkan allies in a desperate effort to achieve national unity. After being defeated in the Second Balkan War, Bulgaria lost most of the territory conquered in the first war, as well as Southern Dobruja.
During World War I, Bulgaria found itself fighting on the losing side after its alliance with the Central Powers. The defeat led to new territorial losses (the Western Outlands to Serbia, Western Thrace to Greece and the reconquered Southern Dobruja to Romania. The Balkan Wars and World War I led to the influx of over 250,000 Bulgarian refugees from Macedonia, Eastern and Western Thrace and Southern Dobruja. These numbers increased in the 1930s following Serbian state-sponsored aggression against its native Bulgarian population.
The interwar years
In September 1918 Tsar Ferdinand abdicated in favour of his son Boris III in order to head off the revolutionary tendencies. Under the Treaty of Neuilly (November 1919), Bulgaria ceded the Aegean coastline to Greece, recognized the existence of Yugoslavia, ceded nearly all of its Macedonian territory to the new state, and had to give Dobruja back to the Romanians. The county was forced to reduce its army to 20,000 men, pay reparations exceeding $400 million. In Bulgaria, the results of the treaty are popularly known as the Second National Catastrophe
Elections in March 1920 gave the Agrarians a large majority, and Stamboliyski formed Bulgaria's first genuinely democratic government. He faced huge social problems, but was able to carry through many social reforms, although opposition from the Tsar, the landlords and the officers of the army was powerful. In March 1923 Stamboliyski signed an agreement with Yugoslavia recognising the new border and agreeing to suppress VMRO, which favoured a war to regain Macedonia for Bulgaria. This triggered a nationalist reaction, and on 9 June there was a coup after which Stamboliykski was assassinated (beheaded). A right wing government under Aleksandar Tsankov took power, backed by the Tsar, the army and the VMRO, who waged a White terror against the Agrarians and the Communists. In 1926 the Tsar persuaded Tsankov to resign and a more moderate government under Andrey Lyapchev took office and an amnesty was proclaimed, although the Communists remained banned. The Agrarians reorganised and won elections in 1931.
In May 1934 there was another coup, the Agrarians were again suppressed, and an authoritarian regime headed by Kimon Georgiev established with the backing of Tsar Boris. The Tsar's regime banned all opposition parties and took Bulgaria into alliance with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
World War II
After regaining control over Southern Dobruja in 1940, Bulgaria allied with the Axis Powers in World War II, although no Bulgarian soldiers participated in the war against the USSR. During World War II, Nazi Germany allowed Bulgaria to occupy parts of Greece and Yugoslavia, including territories long coveted by the Bulgarians. Bulgaria was one of three countries (with Finland and Denmark) that saved its entire Jewish population (around 50,000) from the Nazi camps by refusing to comply with a 31 August 1943 resolution. But Jews in territories newly acquired from Greece and Yugoslavia were sent to death camps by the Bulgarian authorities on German request. In September 1944, the Soviet army entered Bulgaria which later enabled the Bulgarian Communists to seize power and establish a Communist dictatorship. In 1944, Bulgaria's forces were turned against its former German ally (a 450,000 strong army in 1944, reduced to 130,000 in 1945). More than 30,000 Bulgarian soldiers and officers were killed in the war.
People's Republic of Bulgaria
After World War II, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence, became a People's Republic in 1946 and one of the USSR's staunchest allies. In the late 1970s, it began normalizing relations with Greece, and in the 1990s with Turkey. The People's Republic ended in 1989 as many Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, as well as the Soviet Union itself, began to collapse. The Bulgarian Communist leader Todor Zhivkov was removed from power on 10 November 1989.
Republic of Bulgaria
In February 1990 the Communist Party voluntarily gave up its claim on power and in June 1990 the first free elections since 1931 were held, won by the moderate wing of the Communist Party, renamed the Bulgarian Socialist Party. In July 1991 a new Constitution was adopted, in which there was a weak elected President and a Prime Minister accountable to the legislature.
The anti-Communist Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) took office and between 1992 and 1994 carried through the privatisation of land and industry, but this was accompanied by massive unemployment and economic difficulties. The reaction against economic reform allowed BSP to take office again in 1995, but by 1996 the BSP government was also in difficulties, and in the presidential elections of that year the UDF's Petar Stoyanov was elected. In 1997 the BSP government collapsed and the UDF came to power. Unemployment, however, remained high and the electorate became increasingly dissatisfied with both parties.
On June 17, 2001 Simeon II, the son of Tsar Boris III and head of state as the Tsar of Bulgaria, from 1943 to 1946, won a narrow victory in the democratic elections held. The the king's party - National Movement Simeon II ("NMSII") - won 120 out of 240 seats in Parliament and overturned the two pre-existing political parties. Simeon's popularity declined during his four-year rule as Prime Minister and BSP won the elections in 2005.
After 1989 Bulgaria has held multiparty elections and privatized its economy, but economic difficulties and a tide of corruption led over 800,000 Bulgarians, most of them qualified professionals, to emigrate.
Politics
Bulgaria joined NATO on March 29, 2004 and signed the Treaty of Accession on 25 April 2005. It became a full member of the European Union on 1 January 2007. The country has been a member of the United Nations since 1955, and is a founding member of OSCE. As a Consultative Party to the Antarctic Treaty, Bulgaria takes part in the governing of the territories situated south of 60° south latitude.
Georgi Parvanov, the President of Bulgaria since 22 January 2002, was re-elected on 29 October 2006 and began his second term in office in January 2007. Bulgarian presidents are directly elected for a five-year term with the right to one re-election. The president serves as the head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces. He is also the head of the Consultative Council for National Security and, while unable to initiate legislation other than Constitutional amendments, the President can return a bill for further debate, although the parliament can override the President's veto by vote of a majority of all MPs.
The Council of Ministers is chaired by the PM (Sergey Stanishev since 18 August 2005); it is the principal body of the Executive Branch and presently consists of 20 ministers. The Prime Minister is usually nominated by the largest parliamentary group, and is given a mandate by the President to form a cabinet.
The current governmental coalition is made up of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), National Movement Simeon II (NMS) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (representing mainly the Turkish minority).
The Bulgarian unicameral parliament, the National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie (Народно събрание), consists of 240 deputies who are elected for four-year terms by popular vote. The votes are for party or coalition lists of candidates for each of the 28 administrative divisions. A party or coalition must garner a minimum of 4% of the vote in order to enter parliament. Parliament is responsible for enactment of laws, approval of the budget, scheduling of presidential elections, selection and dismissal of the Prime Minister and other ministers, declaration of war, deployment of troops outside of Bulgaria, and ratification of international treaties and agreements.
The last elections took place on June 2005. The next elections are planned for summer 2009.
The Bulgarian judicial system consists of regional, district and appeal courts, as well as a Supreme Court of Cassation. In addition, there is a Supreme Administrative Court and a system of military courts. The Presidents of the Supreme Court of Cassation, Supreme Administrative Court and the Prosecutor General are elected by a qualified majority of two-thirds from all the members of the Supreme Judicial Council and are appointed by the President of the Republic. The Supreme Judicial Council is in charge of the self-administration and organization of the Judiciary.
The Constitutional Court is in charge of reviewing the constitutionality of laws and statutes brought before it, as well as the compliance of these laws with international treaties that the Government has signed. Parliament elects the twelve members of the Constitutional Court by a two-thirds majority, the members serve a nine-year term.
The territory of the Republic of Bulgaria is divided into provinces and municipalities. In all Bulgaria has 28 provinces, each headed by a provincial governor appointed by the government. In addition, there are 263 municipalities.
Military
The Military of Bulgaria is divided into three services: the Bulgarian land forces, Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian Air Force. The armed forces' patron saint is Sveti Georgi (St. George), and his feast day, 6 May, is also celebrated nationally as Valour and Army Day. Despite active participation in all major European wars since the end of the nineteenth century, Bulgarian forces have never lost a flag.
Bulgaria first became a major military power in Europe under Khan Krum and Tzar Simeon I, in a series of wars with the Byzantine Empire for control of the Balkan Peninsula, in the late ninth century. By the use of approximately 12,000 heavy cavalry in tactics representing those of feudal knights, Simeon I's forces were able to reach as far as the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, in 896 CE. A formal peace treaty lasted until 912 when both sides were engaged in a war which ended with several major defeats of the Byzantines including one of the bloodiest battles in the Middle Ages at Anchialus in 917 CE.
Bulgaria again became a significant military power under the rule of the Asen dynasty, in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. During the rule of Tzar Kaloyan (1197-1207), Bulgaria became the first European country to defeat the Crusader knights.
Since gaining total independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878, Bulgaria has been a small European country, frequently included in plans and wars of the Great Powers.
In 1913, Bulgarian forces introduced aviation bombardment, in the siege of Odrin.
Following a series of reductions beginning in 1989, the active troops of Bulgaria's army number as many as 68,450, today. Reserve forces include 303,000 soldiers and officers. "PLAN 2004," an effort to modernize Bulgaria's armed forces, aims to better meet the military needs of NATO and the European Union.
Bulgarian military personnel have been involved in international missions in Cambodia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Starting in 2008, compulsory military service is to be fully abolished; Bulgaria's naval and air forces became fully professional in 2006, with the land forces scheduled to follow suit in 2008. Bulgaria's special forces have conducted missions with the SAS, Delta Force, GSG-9, and the Spetsnaz of Russia.
In April of 2006, Bulgaria and the United States signed a defense cooperation agreement providing for the development of the Bulgarian air bases at Bezmer (near Yambol) and Graf Ignatievo (near Plovdiv), the Novo Selo training range (near Sliven), and a logistics centre in Aytos as joint US-Bulgarian military facilities.
Bulgaria's navy is comprised mainly of Soviet-era ships, and two submarines. With only 354 km of coastline, assault by sea is not considered a major risk for Bulgaria. In the course of recent modernization efforts, one new frigate was purchased from Belgium, and the navy is finalizing a deal with French company DCN for the acquisition of four Gowind corvettes.
Bulgaria's air forces also use a large amount of Soviet equipment. Plans to acquire transport and attack helicopters are underway, in addition to a major overhaul on old Soviet weapons and GPS systems.
Military spending accounts for nearly 2.6% of Bulgaria's GDP.
Provinces
Between 1987 and 1999, Bulgaria consisted of nine provinces (oblasti, singular oblast); since 1999, it has consisted of twenty-eight. All are named after their capital city:
The provinces are subdivided into 287 municipalities.
Economy
Bulgaria's economy contracted dramatically after 1989 with the loss of the market of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) member states, to which the Bulgarian economy had been closely tied. The standard of living fell by about 40%, but it regained pre-1990 levels in June 2004. United Nations sanctions against Yugoslavia and Iraq took a heavy toll on the Bulgarian economy. The first signs of recovery emerged in 1994 when the GDP grew and inflation fell. During the government of Zhan Videnov's cabinet in 1996, the economy collapsed due to lack of international economic support and an unstable banking system. Since 1997, the country has been on the path to recovery, with GDP growing at a 4% – 5% rate, increasing FDI, macroeconomic stability and European Union membership.
The former government, elected in 2001, pledged to maintain the fundamental economic policy objectives adopted by its predecessor in 1997, i.e., retaining the Currency Board, practising sound financial policies, accelerating privatisation, and pursuing structural reforms. Economic forecasts for 2005 and 2006 predict continued growth in the economy. The annual year-on-year GDP growth for 2005 and 2006 is expected to total 5.3% and 6.0%, respectively. Industrial output for 2005 was forecast to rise by 11.9% from the previous year, and for 2006 by 15.2%. Unemployment for 2005 was projected at 11.5% and for 2006 about 9%. As of 2006 the GDP structure is: agriculture 8.0%; industry 26,1%; services 65.9%.
Agriculture
Agricultural output has decreased since 1989 but production is growing in recent years. Farming is more important than stock-breeding. The prevalence of mechanisation is higher than most other Eastern European countries but there is lack of modern equipment. Alongside aeroplanes and other equipment, there are over 150,000 tractors and 10,000 combine harvesters. Production of the most important crops is: wheat 4,120,000 t; sunflower 1,080,000 t; maize 2,120,000 t; grapes 500,000 t; tobacco 79,000 t; tomatoes 530,000 t; barley 1,180,000 t; potatoes 650,000 t; peppers 213,000 t; cucumbers 110,000 t; cherries 75,000 t; watermelons 420,000 t; cabbage 340,000 t; apples 150,000 t; plums 150,000 t; strawberries 52,000 t.
Industry
Industry is very important to the economy. Although Bulgaria is not very rich in reserves of coal, oil, and gas, it is a major producer of electricity and the most important exporter in the region due to the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant with a total capacity of 3,760 MW. A second plant, the Belene Nuclear Power Plant with a capacity of 2,000 MW is under construction. There is a $1,400,000,000 project for construction of an additional 670 MW for the 500 MW Maritza Iztok 1 Thermal Power Plant (see Energy in Bulgaria).
Ferrous metallurgy is very important. The production of steel and pig iron is concentrated in Kremikovtsi and Pernik. There is also a third metallurgical base in Debelt. In production of steel and steel products per capita the country is first in the Balkans.
The largest refineries for lead and zinc are in Plovdiv (the biggest refinery between Italy and the Ural mountains), Kardzhali and Novi Iskar; for copper in Pirdop and Eliseina; for aluminium in Shumen. In production of many metals per capita, Bulgaria is first in South Eastern Europe and among the first in Europe and the world.
About 14% of the total industrial production is related to machine building and 24% of the people are employed in this field. Its importance decreased since 1989 but is growing again.
Electronics and electric equipment production is very well developed. The largest centres are Sofia, Plovdiv and surrounding area, Botevgrad, Stara Zagora, Varna, Pravets and many others. These plants produce household appliances, computers, CDs, telephones, medical and scientific equipment.
Many factories producing transportation equipment do not work at full capacity. There are plants producing trains (Burgas, Dryanovo), trams (Sofia), trolleys (Dupnitsa), buses (Botevgrad), trucks (Shumen), motocars (automotive assembly plant in Lovech). The main centre of agricultural machinery is Ruse. Shipbuilding is concentrated in Varna, Burgas and Ruse. Arms production is mainly developed in central Bulgaria (Kazanlak, Sopot, Karlovo).
The property market has been boosted recently by foreigners seeking additional homes. Buyers come from right across Europe but most are British, encouraged by relatively cheap property and because the country is more accessible through cheap air travel.
Science, technology and telecommunications
Bulgaria offers excellent conditions for high-tech and telecommunication industries and services with its strategic location, highly-qualified workforce, macroeconomic stability, growing domestic market and good education. This is why some multinational companies choose Bulgaria to build their regional offices and headquarters even before Bulgaria joined the EU. The most notable is Hewlett-Packard, which built its Global Service Centre for Europe, the Middle East and Africa in Sofia.
Telecommunications is perhaps the fastest growing industry in the country. There are three GSM mobile operators — Globul, Mobiltel and Vivatel — which provide almost 100% coverage. They have hundreds of service centres throughout the country which are constantly growing and improving. More than 6,245,000 Bulgarians own mobile cellular phones. Mobikom is the only NMT 450 mobile phone operator. Every town and many villages have a fast Internet connection. There are around 185,000 Internet hosts.
The country has some precedents for its current science industry. The inventor of the earliest known electronic computer John Atanasoff is of Bulgarian descent. Bulgaria was a major supplier of scientific and research instruments for the Soviet space programmes, was the first European country to develop serial computer production, and has experience in pharmaceutical research and development. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is the leading scientific institution in the country with most of the researchers working for its numerous branches.
There are two major astronomical observatories: the Rozhen Observatory, which is the biggest in South Eastern Europe and the Belogradchik Observatory with three telescopes.
Transport
Bulgaria occupies a unique and strategically important geographic location. Since ancient times, the country has been a major crossroad between Europe, Asia and Africa. Five of the ten Trans-European corridors run through its territory.
The total length of the roads is 102,016 km of which 93,855 km are paved and 416 km are motorways. Several motorways are planned, under construction or partially built: Trakiya motorway, Hemus motorway, Cherno More motorway, Struma motorway, Maritza motorway and Lyulin motorway. Other motorways are planned but their final track is yet to be decided. They include a link between the capital Sofia and Vidin, a link between the Struma and Trakiya motorways south of Rila Mountain, a link between Rousse and Veliko Tarnovo, and the Sofia ringroad. Many roads have been recently reconstructed.
The length of railways is 6,500 km of which more than 60% are electrified. There is a €360,000,000 project for the modernization and electrification of the Plovdiv-Kapitan Andreevo railway.
Air transportation is relatively well developed. There are formally six international airports at Sofia, Burgas, Varna, Plovdiv, Rousse and Gorna Oryahovitsa. Massive investment is planned for the first three. There are important domestic airports in Vidin, Pleven, Silistra, Targovishte, Stara Zagora, Kardzhali, Haskovo and Sliven. After the fall of communism in 1989, most of them are not used as the importance of domestic flights declined. There are many military airports and agricultural airfields. 128 of the 213 airports in Bulgaria are paved.
The ports of Varna and Burgas are by far the most important and have the largest turnover. Other than Burgas, Sozopol, Nesebar and Pomorie are big fishing ports. The largest ports on the Danube River are Rousse and Lom which serves the capital.
There is well organised public transport in the cities and in many smaller towns. There are buses, trolleys (in about 20 cities) and trams (in Sofia). The Sofia Metro in the capital is to have three lines with total length of about 48 km and 52 stations, but only a section is currently completed.
Demographics
According to the 2001 census, Bulgaria's population is mainly ethnic Bulgarian (83.9%), with two sizable minorities, Turks (9.4%) and Roma (4.7%). Of the remaining 2.0%, 0.9% are distributed among some 40 smaller minorities, the most numerous of which are the Russians, Armenians, Vlachs, Jews, Crimean Tatars and Karakachans. 1.1% did not declare their ethnicity.
Bulgarian is the mother language of 84.8% of the population; it is a member of the Slavic languages. Bulgarian is the only official language, but other languages such as Turkish and Romany, are spoken corresponding closely to ethnic breakdown.
Most Bulgarians (82.6%) are, at least nominally, members of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the national Eastern Orthodox church. Other religious denominations include Islam (12.2%), various Protestant denominations (0.8%), Roman Catholicism (0.5%), with other denominations, atheists and undeclared numbering ca. 4.1%.
In the recent years Bulgaria has had one of the slowest population growth rates in the world. Growth has been negative since the early 1990s, due to the economic collapse and high emigration. In 1988 the population was 8,859,000 people, and in 2001 7,950,000. Now Bulgaria suffers a heavy demographic crisis.
Culture
A country often described to lie at the crossroads linking the East and West, Bulgaria was the centre of Slavic Europe during much of the Middle Ages, exerting considerable literary and cultural influence over the Eastern Orthodox Slavic world by means of the Preslav and Ohrid Literary Schools. Bulgaria is also the birthplace of the Cyrillic alphabet, the second most widely used alphabet in the world, which was developed in these two schools in the tenth century.
Bulgaria is well-known for its rich folklore, distinctive traditional music, rituals and tales, but the country's contribution to humanity also continued in the nineteenth and twentieth century, when individuals such as John Atanasoff - born in USA with Bulgarian origin, regarded as the father of the digital computer, a number of noted opera singers (Nicolai Ghiaurov, Boris Christoff, Raina Kabaivanska, Ghena Dimitrova) and successful artists (Christo Javacheff, Pascin, Vladimir Dimitrov) popularized the culture of Bulgaria abroad.
A number of ancient civilizations, most notably the Thracians, Greeks, Romans, Slavs and Bulgars, have left their mark on the culture, history and heritage of Bulgaria. The country has nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Of these, two are Thracian tombs (one in Sveshtari and one in Kazanlak), three are monuments of medieval Bulgarian culture (the Boyana Church, the Rila Monastery and the Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo), while the Pirin National Park and the Srebarna Nature Reserve represent the country's natural beauty, and the ancient city of Nesebar is a unique combination of European cultural interaction, as well as, historically, one of the most important centres of naval trade in the Black Sea. In addition, the Varna Necropolis, a 3200-3000 BC burial site, contains what are believed to be the oldest examples of worked gold in the world.
Tourism
In winter, Samokov, Borovets, Bansko and Pamporovo are popular ski resorts. There are summer resorts on the Black Sea at Sozopol, Nessebur, Golden Sands, Sunny Beach, Sveti Vlas, Albena, St. St. Constantine & Helena and many others. Spa resorts such as Bankya, Hisarya, Sandanski, Velingrad, Varshets and many others are popular all over the year. Bulgaria is becoming an attractive destination because of the quality of the resorts and prices below those found in Western Europe.
Bulgaria has enjoyed a substantial growth in income from international tourism over the past decade. Beach resorts are popular with tourists from Germany, Russia, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. The ski resorts are a favourite destination for British and Irish tourists.
Bulgaria has over 3 million visitors yearly and the number is increasing. The tourism in Bulgaria is one of the major helping improving tools for Bulgaria's economy and growing GDP of 6%-6.5% every year.
Sports
Football is by far the most popular sport in the country. Many Bulgarian fans follow closely the top Bulgarian league, the Bulgarian "A" Professional Football Group, as well as the leagues of other European countries, such as those of Spain, England, Italy and Germany. The greatest success of the Bulgaria national football team was a fourth place finish at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. Certainly, the best known Bulgarian footballer is Hristo Stoichkov. He is widely regarded as one of the world's finest football players at the peak of his career between 1992 and 1995, while playing for FC Barcelona winning the Ballon d'Or in 1994. Additionally, he was named in the FIFA 100 ranking. Georgi Asparuhov-Gundi (1943-1971), was himself extremely popular at home and abroad having had offers from clubs in Italy and Portugal. He died tragically in a car accident at the peak of his career. He was awarded Bulgarian football player №1 for the twentieth century. PFC CSKA Sofia (champion of Bulgaria 30 times) and PFC Levski Sofia (25 times champion of Bulgaria and 26 times holder of the National Cup as of 2007) are the most successful Bulgarian football clubs. Other popular clubs include PFC Lokomotiv Sofia, PFC Litex Lovech, PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv and PFC Botev Plovdiv. PFC Levski Sofia is the first Bulgarian team to have participated in the modern UEFA Champions League (after 1989) having achieved this by qualifying for the 2006/2007 competition.
Aside from football, Bulgaria boasts great achievements in a great variety of other sports. Maria Gigova and Maria Petrova each have a record of three world titles in rhythmic gymnastics. Some other famous gymnasts include Simona Peycheva, Neshka Robeva (a highly successful coach as well) and Yordan Yovtchev. Bulgarians are also dominant in weightlifting, with around 1,000 gold medals in different competitions, and wrestling; Stefan Botev, Nickolai Peshalov, Demir Demirev and Yoto Yotov are among the most distinguished weightlifters and Serafim Barzakov, Armen Nazarian and Sergey Moreyko are world-class wrestlers.
Bulgarians also take great pride in the country's achievements in athletics. Stefka Kostadinova, who still holds the women's high jump world record, jumped 209 centimetres at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome to clinch the coveted title. Presently, Bulgaria is proud of its sprinters, namely Ivet Lalova and Tezdzhan Naimova.
Volleyball recently marked a big resurgence. The Bulgarian national volleyball team is one of the strongest teams in Europe, currently ranked fifth in the FIVB ranklist. At the 2006 Volleyball World Championship, they won the bronze medal. Chess is also very popular. One of the top chess-masters in the world, Veselin Topalov, is Bulgarian. At the end of 2005, both men's and women's world chess champions were Bulgarian as well as the junior world champion.
At the 1998 Winter Olympics, Ekaterina Dafovska won the Olympic title from 15 km competition in biathlon and Irina Nikulchina took a bronze medal at the same Olympic Games. Another pride for the Bulgarian nation in winter sports is Evgenia Radanova, who won bronze and silver medals in the following two Olympic Games. Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski are another example of Bulgarian champions on the ice — this time speaking of ice dancing and figure skating. The couple is the reigning world champions, holding the title for both 2006 and 2007. The couple also won the ISU Grand Prix Final in St. Petersburg in December 2006.
Bulgaria's state agency for Youth and Sport is the governing body for sport in Bulgaria. The current minister in charge of it is Vesela Lecheva. As of November 11 2005, Stefka Kostadinova is the President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee.
Religion
Most citizens of Bulgaria are associated — at least nominally — to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. It was founded in 870 AD under the Patriarchate of Constantinople from which it obtained its first primate, its clergy and theological texts. It has been autocephalous since 927. The Bulgarian Patriarchate was established in Sofia after the creation of the Bulgarian Exarchate, in 1870. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is the independent national church of Bulgaria like the other national branches of Eastern Orthodoxy and is considered an inseparable element of Bulgarian national consciousness. The church became subordinate within the Patriarchate of Constantinople, twice during the periods of Byzantine (1018 – 1185) and Ottoman (1396 – 1878) domination but has been revived every time as a symbol of Bulgarian statehood without breaking away from the Orthodox dogma. In 2001, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church had 6,552,000 members in Bulgaria (82.6% of the population). However, many people raised during the 45 years of communist rule are not religious, even though they may formally be members of the church.
Despite the dominant position of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Bulgarian cultural life, a number of Bulgarian citizens belong to other religious denominations, most notably Islam, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Islam came to Bulgaria at the end of the fourteenth century after the conquest of the country by the Ottomans. It gradually gained ground throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries by the introduction of Turkish colonists and the conversion of native Bulgarians. At the time of Liberation (1878) no less than 40% of the population was Muslim, but emigration was a key factor in reducing this percentage. In 2001, there were 967,000 Muslims in Bulgaria, accounting for 12.2% of the total population.
In the sixteenth and the seventeenth century, missionaries from Rome converted Bulgarian Paulicians in the districts of Plovdiv and Svishtov to Roman Catholicism. Today, their descendants form the bulk of Bulgarian Catholics whose number stands at 44,000 in 2001. Protestantism was introduced in Bulgaria by missionaries from the United States in 1857. Missionary work continued throughout the second half of the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century. In 2001, there were some 42,000 Protestants in Bulgaria.
According to the most recent Eurostat "Eurobarometer" poll, in 2005, only 40% of Bulgarian citizens responded that "they believe there is a God", whereas 40% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force", 13% that "they do not believe there is a God, spirit, nor life force", and 6% did not answer.
National and natural parks
Bulgaria has 3 national parks, 10 natural parks, 90 reserves, 429 reservation areas and 350 natural landmarks. The best known and most popular of these are listed below. In the European Union, Bulgaria is at second place (after Spain) by the number of the UNESCO Biosphere reserves, 16. The first nature reserve in the country was Silkosia in the Strandzha mountain, declared in 1931; followed by Parangalitsa, Rila in 1933.
Facts
Further reading
Pre 1939
World War II
Communist era
Contemporary
Guide books
External links
Official
