Issue 230

A zero-waste industry is the dream of our modern economy and environment. Metodi Mitev, founder of Zero Waste, a company specialising in utilising waste materials for hydrogen production, knows how this can actually happen. He spread his entrepreneurial wings as a teenager in the early 1990s – the turbulent times when Bulgaria was transitioning from a Communist state to a democracy and an open market. A graduate of Business Administration and Economics, he opened his first company in 2001.

It is natural for people arriving in a completely unknown culture to err left, right and centre, but if you abide by the precepts of this brief, yet helpful guide, you will at least not make a complete fool of yourself. Girdle up your loins and prepare for a tough negotiation with Bulgaria's habits, whims, quirks and body language.

1. Plenty of "spaghetti sauce"?

Some expats arrive in Bulgaria for business and then they find something more – a way to bring some meaningful change into the life of the country. Tony McMurray is one such example. The finance professional has always sought challenges in sports, adventure and charity. In 2021 he got an idea that would unite all of these to help some of the most vulnerable Bulgarian citizens. The idea behind the Bulgarian 56 Peaks Challenge is both simple and alluring.

He would come to my house. He would enter through the garage and hide in the attic. Peevski was after him. I was saving him.

Boyko Borisov, on former banker Tsvetan Vasilev, who has been a fugitive in Serbia

Even breaking up with your girlfriend via text is bad taste.

Boris Bonev, Save Sofia, on Mayor Vasil Terziev's decision to fire the city chief architect by phone

Huge boulders that rise at precipitous heights. Giant bedrock holes that look like imprints of footsteps. Strange ruins from times immemorial… Bulgaria and the Balkans are dotted with such places – natural phenomena carved by the sun, rain and wind, remains of ancient rock shrines or forgotten fortifications erected by some obscure warlord.

Many of them also see it as an antidote to unholy Western influence such as LGBTQ, Halloween and so on. Orthodox traditions and rites have been incorporated solidly in the nation's secular life. Black-clad priests are present at almost all official occasions – from the consecration of public buildings to the blessing of someone's new office and even car. Senior state officials vie to be televised while kissing the hand of some cleric.

One fine August morning of 2025, scores of people flocked to Iglika, a small semi-abandoned village nestled in the central Stara Planina mountain range near Gabrovo. They had come for an event without a parallel in Bulgaria. On a sun-dried meadow, a collector of traditional Bulgarian kilims had spread about 900 handwoven pieces, dating from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Their bright colours and intricate ornaments created an astonishing mosaic that reflected centuries of kilim-making tradition.

1. Who is Bulgaria's current prime minister?
A. Boyko Borisov
B. Rumen Radev
C. Rosen Zhelyazkov

2. For a white Christmas in Bulgaria, you better head to...
A. Bansko
B. Burgas
C. Blagoevgrad

3. For wine tasting, you go to…
A. Montana
B. Melnik
C. Momchilgrad

The narrow, claustrophobic space seems to press in on you. The smell of machine oil, metal and people. The sense of the unknown… Descending into a submarine is an unforgettable experience. If you want to try it – and learn more about Bulgaria's submarines – your destination is Beloslav, a town west of Varna. Here, on the southern shore of Lake Varna, is a surprising museum: the last submarine of the Bulgarian Navy. Its name – Slava, or Glory.

Whereas in the West it signifies the introduction of Baby Jesus to the magi, in the East it celebrates Christ's baptism by St John in the Jordan river and the simultaneous appearance of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

In Bulgarian traditional culture, Epiphany is known as Yordanovden, or Jordan's Day. It is dedicated to water as a means of physical and spiritual purification – and to everyone male or female who bears the popular first name of Yordan or Yordanka.

Ever since the first tourists discovered the Vitosha as the fastest way to leave the pollution and chaos of the big city and roam among pristine nature, the moreni, or moraines – massive boulders that cascade amid the firs, a hidden river rumbling beneath them – have been top of the must-see list.