British-Bulgarian Friendship Society
About Bulgaria
Though small in size Bulgaria has a wealth of attractions for
visitors, including long sandy beaches, beautiful mountain scenery,
caves, waterfalls, striking rock formations, picturesque lakes and
rivers, numerous different species of birds, plants and butterflies,
ancient cultural and religious monuments, vineyards and wineries,
delicious food and welcoming people.
UNESCO's World Heritage List acknowledges the significance of
Bulgaria’s history, by including Kazanluk’s Thracian tomb; Europe’s
only rock relief, the Madara Horseman; the frescoes at Boyana; the
rock churches at Ivanovo; the Byzantine churches on the Nessebar
peninsula; and the monasteries of Bachkovo and Rila, as well as
natural sites such as Sreburna Lake and the Pirin National Park. Our
tours offer the opportunity to sample many of these delights in
small friendly groups led by British and Bulgarian experts.
These fertile lands have been settled since Neolithic times, a site
at Stara Zagora was inhabited in the 6th millennium BC. The
Thracians followed, and Bulgarian museums contain many examples of
their skilful and sophisticated creations in gold. The Romans
subdued the Thracians and left many visible signs of their
occupation. The arrival of new colonists, the Slavs and Bulgars,
resulted in the formation of the first Bulgarian state in 681AD
making it one of Europe’s oldest.
This kingdom expanded its territory, adopted Christianity and
created the Cyrillic alphabet, laying the foundations for a great
flowering of Slav culture. For a time the Bulgarian medieval Empire
was the major power in the region.
The arrival of a new dynamic force in the 14th century, the Ottoman
Turks, resulted in five centuries of occupation, yet astonishingly
the individual culture, customs and religion of the Bulgarians
survived, kept alive in the remotely situated monasteries.
Greater prosperity in the 19th century produced a Bulgarian middle
class which led the movement for religious and political freedom,
the establishment of schools, and also sponsored architects and
painters to build and embellish domestic and public buildings. The
resulting National Revival gave us some of the country’s most
beautiful old towns and led also to demands for political freedom.
The attempted revolt against the Turks in 1876 was suppressed with
such ferocity that Bulgarian freedom became an international cause
célèbre.
The Russians came to the rescue of their fellow Slavs, and their
victory over the Turks resulted in the proposal of a large Bulgarian
state. This was reduced in size at the Congress of Berlin; other
great powers fearing Russian influence. The two divided parts of
Bulgaria were soon united, but the pursuit of the Macedonian
irredenta was the underlying cause of the damaging Balkan Wars.
In the early 20th century a socially active working class promoted
Communist ideals, but the Macedonian question dictated Bulgaria’s
alignment in both World Wars, and their resulting position on the
losing German side caused heavy indemnities and the loss of
territory. In the Second World War the Communist Fatherland Front
gained ground against the Monarchists, who had allied the country
with Germany. After the war these Partisans dictated the form of
Bulgaria’s government and followed the Soviet line.
Half a century later, in 1989, the Communist leader, Todor Zhivkov
was overthrown. Since then there has been stability and peaceful
elections, but governments have changed frequently, and this has
slowed down privatisation, restitution and the creation of a full
market economy. However in the last decade, progress has accelerated
with foreign investment and worker/management buy-outs. Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007. The country maintains friendly relations with the former ally, Russia, and continues to be a great force for peace and stability in the Balkans.