Bulgaria

The world’s oldest gold treasure, dating back more than 6,000 years, was discovered in the Varna Necropolis in Bulgaria.

Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, was founded 7000 years ago. This makes it the second oldest city in Europe.

Sofia's Church of St George was built by Romans in the 4th century.

Bulgaria was founded on August 9, 681 as a Khanate on the south bank of the Danube after defeating the Byzantine armies of Emperor Constantine IV.

 

Bulgaria is the oldest country in Europe that hasn't changed its name since it was first established.

The Bulgarians were the first to use Cyrillic script, which is also the alphabet currently used in Russia. Cyrillic is derived from the Greek uncial script, augmented by letters from the older Glagolitic alphabet, which was devised by St. Cyril and Methodius in the 850s and introduced to the world by the First Bulgarian Empire in 886 AD. Over 300 million people use the Cyrillic script today.

The Battle of Kleidion took place on July 29, 1014, between the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarian Empire. The result was a decisive Byzantine victory. After winning the Battle of Kleidion, the Byzantine Emperor Basil II took an estimated 14,000-15,000 prisoners; he sorted them into groups of a 100, then blinded 99 men in each one and left a single man in each with one eye so that he could lead the others home.

Basil II 's treatment of the prisoners reportedly caused Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of a heart attack less than three months later, on October 6, 1014.

Vasil Levski, the national hero of Bulgaria, was executed in Sofia on February 18, 1873 by Ottoman authorities for his efforts to establish an independent Bulgarian republic.

Levski

The 1876 April Uprising was  a key point in modern Bulgarian history. It lead to the Russo-Turkish War and the liberation of Bulgaria from domination as an independent part of the Ottoman Empire. The independence of Bulgaria was proclaimed in 1908. 

The first computer in the world was created by a Bulgarian. In the period 1937 – 1942, John Atanasoff, a scientist of Bulgarian descent, together with Clifford Berry, an American inventor working for the University of Iowa, designed and developed the first electronic digital computing device.

Bulgaria did not join the German invasion of the Soviet Union that began in June 1941 nor did it declare war on the Soviet Union. Bulgaria eventually ended up at war with everyone in 1944 by accident. Bulgaria declared war on Germany due to Soviet pressure, not knowing that the Soviets, tired of waiting, declared war on Bulgaria the same day. By the next day Bulgaria was at war with the USSR, US, UK and Germany all at the same time.

The 1944 Bulgarian coup d'état, also known as the 9 September coup d'état, was a coup that overthrew the government of Kingdom of Bulgaria carried out on the eve of September 9, 1944. The coup was led by the Fatherland Front, a coalition of communist, socialist, and agrarian parties, with the support of the Soviet Union.

The coup resulted in the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of a communist-led government. The new government declared war on Germany and its allies, and the Red Army entered Bulgaria to help the new government consolidate its power.

In 1946, a referendum was held in Bulgaria, and the monarchy was abolished by popular vote. A new constitution was adopted, creating the People's Republic of Bulgaria, a single-party socialist state. Bulgaria remained a member of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc until 1989.

Communist partisans entering Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

In December 1989 the ruling Communist Party allowed multi-party elections, which subsequently led to Bulgaria's transition into a democracy and a market-based economy.

Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, also known as Simeon II, was the last Tsar of Bulgaria. He was only six years old when he ascended to the throne in 1943, after the death of his father. He was exiled in 1946 after the Soviet-backed Fatherland Front government abolished the monarchy and established a republic. He remained in exile for many years, living in Spain and Egypt.

Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the last Tsar of Bulgaria between 1943 and 1946 when he was a child, was sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria on July 24, 2001. He was one of the first monarchs in history to regain political power through a democratic election to a different office.

By Nadya Reid - Flickr: Simeon II of Bulgaria, Wikipedia Commons

Bulgarians express approval by shaking their heads rather than nodding.

 
The famous Bulgarian rose oil is used for making some of the world’s most popular and expensive perfumes. One gram rose oil is produced out of 1000 rose blossoms.

Sofia is the only big city in Europe that lies just 15 minutes away from an imposing mountain – Vitosha. Cherni Vrah (Black Peak – 2290 m) is its highest peak.

 
Bulgaria is one of the countries in the world suffering from negative population growth. From having 9 million inhabitants in 1988, Bulgaria now has 6,385,500 (2023 estimate).

The Bulgarian army has never lost a single flag in battle.

St George is the patron saint of Bulgaria. Bulgarians celebrate St George’s Day on May 6th when it is traditional to roast a whole lamb.

 
Every year on March 1st, Bulgarians exchange martenitsas. Essentially, these are small pieces of adornment made of red and white thread that symbolizes good health and happiness.

A popular dish is shopska salata - onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, raw or roasted peppers, cheese and parsley.

The nation's favourite drink is a fruit brandy, Rakia.

Bulgarian yogurt has a unique taste because the bacteria used to make it, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, is only found naturally in Bulgarian air.

Sources Daily Mail, Mydestination.com