Bulgaria

Bulgaria was established in 681 by khan Asparuh. The country is located in Southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. Its territory is 110,994 square kilometres and the population is about million people.

Belogradchik Rocks The Belogradchik Rocks are a group of strange shaped rock formations located on the western slopes of the Balkan Mountains. Many of them have fantastic shapes and are associated with legends. The Belogradchik Rocks have been declared a Natural Landmark.

The eyes of God “The eyes of God” is a cave in Bulgaria, it is declared as a Natural Landmark.

The marvelous bridges The Marvelous Bridges or Wonderful Bridges are natural arches in the Rhodope Mountains of southern Bulgaria.

The ancient Thracian city of Perperikon is believed to have been a sacred place. Perperikon is the largest megalith ensemble in the Balkans. It is thought that the famous Temple of Dionysius is situated at this location.

The Seven Rila Lakes The Seven Rila Lakes are a group of lakes situated in the northwestern Rila Mountains in Bulgaria. The lakes are situated between 2,100 and 2,500 metres elevation above sea level. Each lake carries a name associated with its most characteristic feature.

“Sulzata”- “The tear” “Okoto”- “The eye” „Bubreka“- “The kidney” “Bliznaka”- “The twin”

The Madara Rider is an early medieval large rock relief carved on the Madara Plateau east of Shumen in northeastern Bulgaria, near the village of Madara. The monument is dated to about 710 AD and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since MADARA RIDER

Christmas in Bulgaria We celebrate Christmas Eve on every year. We make odd number of dishes and decorate our home in Christmas spirit. On this evening everyone is with their families, it is a wonderful feast.

Christmas decorations

The Kukers The kukers are the Bulgarian carnival figures. They dance around the streets to scare the evil demons and to exorcise the cold weather and the winter.

Only young girls can take part in the ritual. It is celebrated on the Saturday before Easter. The girls who are wearing special costumes go around the village, visiting from house to house singing their ritual songs. One of them carries a basket to collect the eggs which the people give them as a present for their visit.

Panagyurishte Treasure The Panagyurishte Treasure is a Thracian treasure. It consists of a phiale, an amphora and seven rhytons. All of the objects are richly decorated with scenes of Thracian myths, customs and life. As one of the best known surviving artifacts of Thracian culture, the treasure has been displayed at various museums around the world.

RILA MONASTERY The Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, known as the Rila Monastery is the largest monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains. The monastery is named after its founder, the hermit Ivan of Rila.

Koprivshitsa Koprivshtitsa is a historic town in Bulgaria. It was one of the centres of the April Uprising in 1876 and is known for its authentic Bulgarian architecture and for its folk music festivals, making it a very popular tourist destination.

The Rodopes The Rhodopes are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria. The region is particularly notable for the Karst areas with their deep river gorges, large caves and specific sculptured forms.

Melnik Melnik is a town in southwestern Bulgaria. It is an architectural reserve and 96 of its buildings are cultural monuments. With a population of 385, it is the smallest town in Bulgaria.

Albena Albena is a major Black Sea resort in northeastern Bulgaria. It is one of the purpose-built resorts on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast and has a unique architectural style.

Asen's Fortress is a medieval fortress in the Bulgarian Rhodope Mountains.

The Trigrad Gorge is a canyon of vertical marble rocks in the Rhodope Mountains. It is in Smolyan Province, one of the southernmost provinces of Bulgaria. THE TRIGRAD GORGE

Sofia Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria and the biggest city. It is located in the western part of the country. Sofia is the 15th largest city in the European Union with a population of around 1.3 million people.

HISTORY OF THE CITY Sofia's history spans 2,400 years. Its ancient name Serdica derives from the local Celtic tribe of the Serdi who established the town in the 5th century BC.

Legend of Saint Sophia Saint Sophia had three daughters: Faith, Hope and Love. They are said to have been martyred during the reign of Hadrian. The guards took Sophia's daughters and beat and tortured them to death. Sophia buried her daughters' bodies and remained by their graves for three days until she died herself. The capital Sofia is named after the Church of Saint Sophia and there is a monument in her honour in the city.

St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an Orthodox cathedral in Sofia. It is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world. It is also the second- largest cathedral on the Balkan Peninsula and one of Sofia's symbols.

Interesting facts about Bulgaria  Bulgaria is one of the oldest European countries and is the only one that has never changed its name ever since it was founded.  The Bulgarians were the first people to use the Cyrillic Alphabet.

The Bulgarian Army is the only force in the world which has never lost a single flag in battles. Bulgaria was the only European country to save its Jews during the Second World War.

BULGARIA THEN AND NOW  The oldest golden treasure in the world was found in Bulgaria.  Bulgaria is second in the world in international IQ test and SAT scores.

Great Bulgarian people The first wrestler in the world with 1500 wins and only two lost matches is the Bulgarian- Dan Kolov. The inventor of the first electronic computer John Vincent Atanassoff is of Bulgarian origin. The Bulgarian folk song “Izlel e Delio Haidutin” sang by Valia Balkanska, was sent in deep space on the board of the US Space Probe- Voyager 1 as a message to an alien intelligence.