Bulgaria

Area: 111.000 sq. km.
Capital: Sofia (1,2 million)
Population: 7,4 million

Situated in Eastern Europe, Bulgaria is bordered by the Black Sea on the East, by Serbia and Montenegro on the West, by the Danube and Romania river on the North and by Greece and Turkey on the South.

Bulgaria is remarkable for its versatile landscape changing not only through the four beautiful and mild seasons but practically every hour — beautiful valleys and vast lowlands, deciduous and coniferous forests covering the slopes of hills and mountains, picturesque river banks and lake shores, golden sands and sunny beaches along the sea-coast.

The history of Bulgaria dates back to more than 13 centuries ago.

When a branch of the Bulgars led by Khan Asparuh migrated into the northern Balkans, where they merged with the local Slavic population and possibly remnants of the Thracian population, the first Bulgarian state was formed in 681, to become also the first Slavic nation-state in history. Under Tsar Boris the Golden Age of Bulgarian letters came in. The Bulgarian Kingdom established by Khan Asparuh lasted until 1018 when it fell under Byzantine domination which lasted until 1186. The cornerstones in the history of the First Bulgarian Kingdom include the adoption of Christianity under Tsar Boris (853-899) and the Golden Age of Bulgarian letters under Tsar Simeon the Great (893-927).

Asen I and Petar II rejected the Byzantine domination to found the Second Bulgarian Kingdom which turned into an important power in the European south-east for two more centuries by fighting to assert its place in the region with the Byzantine Empire. The Second Bulgarian Kingdom lasted until 1396 when Bulgaria was conquered by the Ottoman Empire.

After an unsuccessful liberation attempt in mid 15th century, Bulgaria was liberated from the Turkish domination in 1878 by the Russes, lead by Aleksandar II, to initiatе the Third Bulgarian Kingdom.

Having been involved in the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913, suffered major territorial losses, and the two World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People’s Republic in 1946 and one of the USSR’s staunchest allies. The People’s Republic ended in 1989 with many Soviet nations as the Soviet Union itself began to collapse.

Bulgaria joined NATO on 29 March, 2004 and the European Union on 1 January, 2007.

Bulgaria is rich in beautiful natural landmarks and significant cultural heritage.  Offering excellent opportunities not only for recreational, but also forms other specialised forms or tourism — cultural, historical, balneology, village and ecological tourism.

Numerous outstanding monuments of great cultural value can be found in Bulgaria:

• the Old Plovdiv — a reserve situated on three hills in one of the oldest towns of Europe — Plovdiv, embracing architectural examples of different historical eras — from antiquity, dating back to 4.000 years BC, through Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman times, including a Roman Theatre, an Ancient Forum, a Roman Stadium, an old Turkish Bath, a 16th-century Clock Tower and beautiful examples of Bulgarian Revival architecture;

• the Ancient City of Nessebar — a charming and uniquely preserved town with a 3.000-year history, located on a small peninsula connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus at the Black Sea coast, with remains of fortress walls, early Byzantine baths, temples, etc., included as an archaeological reserve in UNESCO’s World Heritage List;

• the Ancient Sozopol — an archaeological reserve with millennial history, preserving valuable cultural monuments from various periods such as the remains of fortified walls, medieval churches, houses from the time of the Bulgarian National Revival, and the relics of St. John the Baptist;

• the Tsarevets Fortress — situated on a hill in todays’ town of Veliko Tarnovo, representing the power of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom and comprising a Royal Palace, a fortress wall, a church and a tower;

• the Rila Monastery — founded in the 10th century, and having remained during the centuries a spiritual and cultural centre of utmost importance, included also in UNESCO’s World Heritage List;

• the Boyana Church — a unique temple, built in at the end of 10th — beginning of 11th century and cuddled in the skirts of the Vitosha mountain near Sofia, valuable for the several layers of frescoes painted by unknown masters during the centuries, included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List;

• the Koprivshtitsa National Architectural and Historical Reserve — the only town-museum in Bulgaria, located in the heart of the Sredna Gora mountain range, having preserved the characteristic architecture of the Bulgarian National Revival time and home of nearly 400 architectural, historical, artistic, and ethnographic monuments;

• the Perperikon Medieval Archaeological Complex — one of the oldest megalithic monuments, carved entirely in the rocks, in the Eastern Rhodope mountain, comprising the long saught temple of Dionysus;

• the Madara Rider, included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List — a figure of a knight triumphing over a lion, carved into a 100m-high cliff in North-East Bulgaria, with inscriptions telling of events having occurred between the years  705 and 801 — recongnised as the principal sacred place of the First Bulgarian Kingdom before Bulgaria’s conversion to Christianity in the 9th century, and the remains of the nearby Shumen Fortress — one of the oldest in Bulgaria, build 3.200 years ago;

• the Thracian Temple Complex of Starosel — the oldest ever found royal Thracian complex with a mausoleum, dating back to the end of 5th and the beginning of 4th century BC;

• the remains of the second Bulgarian capital Veliki Preslav — founded in the 9th century, and recognised as one of the most beautiful medieval cities in Europe;

• the remains of the Belogradchik Fortress –– built by the Romans among the Belogradchik Rocks — an amazing formation, sculptured by nature for 0ver 200 million years;

• the Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo, included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List — a monastery complex, located in a picturesque areas near the town or Ruse and including several rock temples with beautiful, well-preserved frescoes.

Abounding in natural beauty, Bulgaria offers the possibility to enjoy impressive landmarks — on the Black Sea coast, on the banks of the Danube River and inside the country:

• mountains — Rila, Pirin, Rhodopes, and others;

• nature parks — Vitosha, Pirin, Rila, Strandja, and others;

• nature reserves — Kamchia, Srebarna, and others;

• rock formations — the Belogradchik rocks, the Golden bridges, the Wonder rock bridges, the Stoned forest, the Trigrad gorge, the Stone wedding, the God’s bridge, the Maiden, the Elephant rock, the Pyramids of Melnik, and others;

• caves — the Ledenika cave, the Duhlata cave, the Magura cave, the Prohodna cave, and others;

• lakes — the Seven Rila lakes, the Smolyan lakes, the Durankulak lake, and others;

• waterfalls — the Boyana waterfall, the Canyon of waterfalls, the Krushuna waterfalls, the Kostenets waterfall, and others;

• centuries-old trees — the Baikusheva mura tree, and others.