WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?

by Stamen Manolov; photography by Anthony Georgieff

In the late 1940s, when the Communist regime was in the process of establishing itself in Bulgaria, the government made a thrust towards heavy industrialisation, collectivised farming and building new infrastructure, including new cities

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At the same time it found itself facing with severe labour shortages. What they did was to convince young Bulgarians... to work for free, in exchange for the promise of a brighter Socialist future where everyone would be given according to their needs and everyone's input to society would be commensurate with their abilities. The Communists were successful. Thousands of young Bulgarians joined the youth task force, misleadingly called brigade, and helped boost the national economy by building railway lines, water dams and reservoirs, power stations and... a whole new city in southern Bulgaria which predictably was given the name of the first Communist leader post-1944. The new town, modelled on similar projects in the USSR, remains to this day. It is a must-visit location for anyone interested not only in 20th century architecture and urban planning but also in the lifestyle of Bulgarians behind the Iron Curtain.

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where in bulgaria are you.jpg
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Logically, every odd rock has a story attached to it. Most of them, predictably, are macabre but all are worth listening to as they bespeak folk dreams and memories through the centuries.
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
It was destroyed by the invading Ottomans, reviving itself in 1660. The compound you see today is a fine example of Revival Period architecture with a 1844 church with a fine woodcarved iconostasis.
where in bulgaria are you 213.jpg
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Many of its wooden houses are well preserved, some have been turned into museums, there are places to stay and places to eat, and the village is home to a couple of festivals one of which gathers an international crowd clad in traditional costu
where in bulgaria are you.jpg
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
At least a dozen man-made lakes of various sizes attract many locals who come here for the serenity, the mountain air and for the angling and photography opportunities.
where in bulgaria are you.jpg
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
First you see a pretty, almost fairy-tale, unmistakably Russian church. Soon you reach a larger-than-life equestrian statue representing a 19th century Russian monarch.
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
In recent months the telltale Soviet soldier waving a submachine gun is gone and the whole compound has been fenced off. It is being protected round the clock by Bulgarian police.
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
It tells of a boy who loved to dive, but a storm once trapped him to his death in a submarine cave just under the rocks.
where in bulgaria are you.jpg
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
These are long extinct, but the lion has become so popular that Bulgaria has adopted it for its national coat-of-arms.
where in bulgaria are you.jpg
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
It produced some of the brightest minds of the time. Since independence in 1878, however, it has been going downhill as its citizens sought their fortunes elsewhere and emigrated en masse.
where in bulgaria are you.jpg
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Perched on a rocky outcrop, it marks the easternmost point of Bulgaria. It was erected in the middle of the 19th century by a French company working on commission from the Ottoman sultan who was keen on modernising the outer reaches of his realm.
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
The bridge was built in the late 19th century with a donation by Jiří Prošek, a Czech entrepreneur who had introduced beer brewing to Bulgaria. The grand total cost of the project amounted to 160,000 gold leva, a colossal sum at the time.
where in bulgaria are you.jpg
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Referred to by everyone as just "The Russian Church," its initial purpose was to serve the Russian emigres in town. It was erected on Russian land and its maintenance was given to the Russian legation nearby.