From prehistory to modernity, humanity has explored the nature of metals and has tamed them, putting them at the centre of entire industries and creating astonishing pieces of craft and art of them. Nedyalka and Dimitar Mitkovi have dedicated their lives and creative spirits to making exquisite pieces of wrought iron.
Predictably, the 27 October snap ballot – the 7th in three years – failed to elect a viable parliament capable of producing a long-term government. With a turnout of just over 38 percent – slightly higher than the pervious election in June 2024 – it took about 10,700 votes for an MP to get elected.
А mass of high peaks, meandering rivers and gentle slopes, the Rhodope mountain range makes one seventh of Bulgaria's territory and is a universe with its own character, history and charm. People have lived in it for millennia, making the most of its rivers, meadows, low mountain fields, thick forests, ores and routes along meandering rivers. The mountain is defined by a rich mixture of impressive natural phenomena, ancient traditions and legends, mesmerising music and stunning examples of human craft and ingenuity, created by Thracians, Romans, Bulgarians, Turks and Pomaks.
1. What is the Bulgarian for Christmas?
A. Koleda
B. Velikden
C. Dimitrovden
2. To reach the Borovets winter resort, you pass through...
A. Sliven
B. Samokov
C. Strazhitsa
3. Which royal dynasty restored Bulgaria after two centuries of Byzantine domination?
A. The Coburg-Gothas
B. The Shishmans
C. The Asenevtsi
About 2,000 years ago, the Romans invented an ingenious way to deal with the frequent change of emperors and the costly replacement of statues of the incumbent ruler that stood all over the place. Instead of making new monuments from head to toe, they would replace only the heads.
Their demand: to disrupt the scheduled opening night of a play by the Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), directed by US actor John Malkovich. Neither Shaw, nor Malkovich need any introduction to theatre-goers worldwide, but that was not enough for the angry Bulgarians in central Sofia.
When you travel around Bulgaria in search of ancient Roman heritage, going deep into the region known as Ludogorie, or Deliorman (which translates as Mad Forest), may seem counterintuitive. The region, in the northeast, is known mainly for its rolling hills, industrial agriculture and generally drab towns.
Yet, near one of the larger cities, Razgrad, lie the remains of an ancient town that witnessed one of the most devastating events in Roman history.
Come Yuletide, and the streets swarm with adult men dressed in what appears to be a combination between early 20th century gendarme uniforms and traditionally embroidered white shirts. They march to rhythmic tunes in what looks like a symbiosis of tap dancing and the Bulgarian horo. They enter bars and restaurants, whose patrons are only too happy to disperse tips. Each part of the city has its own band. At the end of the day they all converge in the town's centre and prizes are given out to the best participants.
With its rolling hills and uninspiring towns, the central part of northern Bulgaria appears unexciting and dull, a place you pass through on your way to somewhere else. However, as so often happens in Bulgaria, appearances are deceiving. Detour from the Sofia-Varna highway when you see the signs to Lovech and in the plateau that starts east from town you will find an unknown world of windswept hills, fertile farmland, sleepy villages and impressive natural phenomena. Welcome to the world of Devetaki Plateau.
The state has been seized by Delyan Peevski's mafia clan. His appetite for devouring political parties is stronger than ever.
Asen Vasilev, Changes Continued
We should not think naively that this audacity on steroids in politics will disappear on its own. We are responsible for Bulgaria's development as a democratic country.
President Rumen Radev
I was born born in the UK to a British mother and a German father, raised in Germany and married Alex, a Paraguayan who had immigrated at the age of 18. Together, we have lived in my home region near Stuttgart in the German southwest, in Berlin and in Mexico. For the last three years I have been working at the German Embassy in Bulgaria and Alex is with an international automotive supplier in Sofia. For the third time in a row we and our four young children are celebrating Christmas in Bulgaria.