Bulgaria

Understanding the Geography

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria is a country in South-eastern Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the east, Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north, mostly along the Danube.

Bulgaria comprises portions of the classical regions of Thrace, Moesia, and Macedonia. The southwest of the country is mountainous with two alpine ranges - Rila and Pirin and further east are the lower but more extensive Rhodope Mountains. Rila mountain includes the highest peak of the Balkan Peninsula, peak Musala at 2925 meters (9,596 ft); the long range of the Balkan mountains runs west-east through the middle of the country, north of the famous Rose Valley.

Hilly country and plains are found in the southeast, along the Black Sea coast in the east, and along Bulgaria's main river, the Danube in the north. Other major rivers include the Struma and the Maritsa river in the south.

The Balkan peninsula derives its name from the Balkan or Stara Planina mountain range which runs through the center of Bulgaria into eastern Serbia.

Cities of Bulgaria

	DESTINATION GUIDES Bulgaria Bulgaria

Sofia - The capital and the major point of interest in Bulgaria. It features nice parks, a nice town centre, quite a few bars, pubs, and disco clubs, over 250 historic landmarks and architectural monuments, and a great deal of cultural places of interest.

Plovdiv - The nation's second largest city. Boasts a lovely shopping promenade and many parks, an ancient city with a preserved amphitheatre, and many "revival" style Bulgaria homes.

Varna - The nation's third largest city is a primary beach resort. The nightlife in Varna is notorious, especially during the summer season.

Burgas - Known for its commercial port (Port of Burgas) and oil refinery.

Vratsa - One of the most picturesque city in Bulgaria. The town is an important economic and administrative, tourist and cultural centre. It is the biggest city in North-western Bulgaria.

Shumen - See the Madara Horseman carved into the cliff wall. One of Bulgaria's many UNESCO world heritage sites. Also a few hours to the north are many Thracian tombs. And two of the ancient capitals of the Bulgarian Kingdoms - Pliska and Preslav

Veliko Turnovo - A beautiful city along a winding river, the former capital of Bulgaria in the middle ages. The original city castle and walls are reconstructed. Be sure also to visit nearby Arbanassi.

Sliven - Well known for its permanent winds and Blue rocks observable from the city.

Smolyan - Prefered destination for holiday planners and nature lovers. The municipality town is famous with its planetarium centre, drama theatre, and historical museum. Several kilometres away is the ski resort Pamporovo.

Belogradchik - See the remnants of an old Roman outpost in the Bulgarian northwest. Interesting rock formations might make it an interesting place for avid climbers.

Kurdzhali - The city is located below a huge dam. Numerous thousands-years-old ancient sites.

Velingrad - The city is surrounded by the Rhodope Mountains. In its vicinity are more than 70 different mineral springs, making it the city with most mineral springs in a country rich with these vital waters.

Gabrovo - The Scots of Bulgaria, with a lot of jokes about them. A place to visit is the House of Humour and Satire. Be sure to visit also Etura - an open-air museum that is actually an old-style Bulgarian village, presenting the traditional crafts and food. The ethnographical village of Bozhenci is located near Gabrovo. There is a monument in honour of a battle for the liberation of Bulgaria visible from the city at Mount Shipka. Not far away is also Dryanovo Monastery, located in a beautiful canyon.

Kazanluk - See the famous Bulgarian rose oil being made - best to visit in May or June. There is Thracian tomb near Kazanlak, which can be visited. Also near Mount Shipka. In a village called Shipka near Kazanlak there is a very beautiful Russian church built in memory of the Russian soldiers who fell in the battle of Shipka Pass.

Asenovgrad - A small city close to Plovdiv at one of the entrances of Rhodope Mountains, famous with its Pamid red wine and with that it is the city with most churches per capita in the country. Be sure to visit the Castle of Asen and Bachkovo Monastery to the south of the city.

Melnik - Sample wonderful red wines from the region, see the sand pyramids, and take the long hike to Rozhen Monastery

Nesebar – A beautiful small town on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast a few hours south of Varna. Another of Bulgaria's many UNESCO world heritage sites.

Sozopol - Together with Nesebur these are two sea towns with traditional houses and ancient dig sites. In the beginning of September the city hosts the well-known Apollonia festival of arts.

Bansko - A beautiful old city in the Pirin mountains with refurbished homes, stone wall, and cobblestone streets, but increasingly overtaken by resort hotels, as Bansko is a major ski destination in South-East Europe. The highest peak of Pirin Mountain (Vihren - 2916m) is at a day's walk from the city. In the middle of August, the Bansko Jazz Festival is held here. Not far away from Bansko, there are hot-water mineral springs, located at the village of Ognianovo.

Semkovo - 17 km to the north of the town of Belitsa is situated the Semkovo mountain resort. It’s situated south of the main ridges of the Rila Mountains, nestling in a wide field among pine forests.

Understanding the Culture

Bulgaria was the centre of Slavic Europe during much of the Middle Ages, exerting considerable literary and cultural influence over the Eastern Orthodox Slavic world by means of the Preslav and Ohrid Literary Schools.

Bulgaria is also the birthplace of the Cyrillic alphabet, the second most widely used alphabet in the world

Bulgaria is well-known for its rich folklore, distinctive traditional music, rituals and tales, but the country's contribution to humanity also continued in the 19th and 20th century, when individuals such as John Atanasoff, who is regarded as the father of the digital computer, a number of noted opera singers (Nicolai Ghiaurov, Boris Christoff, Raina Kabaivanska, Ghena Dimitrova) and successful artists (Christo Javacheff, Pascin, Vladimir Dimitrov) popularized the culture of Bulgaria abroad.

A number of ancient civilizations, most notably the Thracians, Greeks, Romans and Bulgars have left their mark on the culture, history and heritage of Bulgaria.

The country has nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Of these, two are Thracian tombs (one in Sveshtari and one in Kazanlak, three are monuments of medieval Bulgarian culture (the Boyana Church, the Rila Monastery and the Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo), while the Pirin National Park and the Srebarna Nature Reserve represent the country's natural beauty, and the ancient city of Nesebar is a unique combination of European cultural interaction, as well as, historically, one of the most important centres of naval trade in the Black Sea. In addition, the Varna Necropolis, a 3200-3000 BC burial site, contains what are believed to be the oldest examples of worked gold in the world.