Bulgaria

General information   

Official name: Republic of Bulgaria

Location: Bulgaria is situated in Southeastern Europe occupying the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula

Area: 111.000 sq km./42 857 sq. miles

Population: 7,050,034 inhabitants (December 2017 est)

Capital: Sofia (1, 5 million inhabitants)

Landscape: Extremely varied - large plains and lowlands, low and high mountains, valleys and lovely gorges as well as sandy seaside beaches

State Government: Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic

President: Rumen Radev

Official Language: Bulgarian (Southern Slavic language)

Religions: 86.6% of the population is Eastern Orthodox, 13% is Muslim. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is autonomous and headed by a Patriarch

Time Difference:

Winter time: UTS +2 hours (October through March)

Summer time: UTS +2 hours (April through September)

Weather:

Summer temperatures: average 26º to 35ºC

(40 ºC is not uncommon)

Winter temperatures: average -5º to 5ºC

Country dialing code: +359

Measure units: degree Celsius (ºC), meter (m.), gram (gr.), liter (l.)

History   

Prehistory

The territory of present-day Bulgaria was first inhabited by early humans as long as 1.6 million years ago. In the Kozarnika cave (in northwest Bulgaria) scholars have discovered the second-oldest traces of humans and their culture in Europe (after Georgia). In the past 100 years of prehistoric research in Bulgaria, many Paleolithic sites related to Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens have been discovered and studied. Bulgaria (along with the entire Balkan Peninsula) was among the first region in Europe to be settled by migrating Neolithic farmers from Asia Minor, who by the late 7th millennium BC, brought the achievements of the Neolithic revolution to Europe and established vibrant Neolithic societies. In the following Stone-Copper Age, thanks to the dissemination of metal-processing technologies and the ore sources of Southeastern Europe, prehistoric Balkan societies were able to turn metal-processing into an industry, becoming the first metal traders in the world by 4500-4200 BC. Trade with copper and other goods (salt in northeast Bulgaria), advanced agricultural practices, and demographic growth led to increasing wealth

and social stratification within Stone-Copper Age societies. Significant evidence of these processes can be found at the famous necropolis near Varna (4600-4200 BC, Northeast Bulgaria). Excavated graves contained much more gold compared to all gold found in the rest of the world before and during the same age. The end of the Stone-Copper Age was marked by serious climate changes that drastically altered these societies’ natural environment and by nomad invaders from the northeast (presumably Indo-Europeans), who introduced a new metal (bronze) and a new type of animal (the horse) to the Balkans. These invaders conquered the Balkan Peninsula and settled there either replacing or assimilating the indigenous population. The Bronze Age was characterized by transcontinental trade with bronze, copper and other goods, in which Balkan societies played a considerable role. Early Indo-European tribes were the ancestors of the Ancient Greeks, Thracians, Phrygians, Illyrians and other people who shaped the history of Southeastern Europe and Asia Minor in the subsequent Iron Age.

The Thracians

From the 3rd millennium BC until the end of Late Antiquity, the territory of present-day Bulgaria was inhabited by the Thracians. According to Herodotus, the Thracians were the second-largest ethnic group in the ancient world, after the Indians. They occupied vast territories from the Carpathian Mountains to the Aegean Sea. During certain periods, some Thracian tribes dominated others or founded kingdoms - strong and wealthy enough to withstand incursions by the Persians, Greeks, Celts, Scythians and Macedonians. Although they never created a large pan-Thracian state, the Odrysian Kingdom (6th century BC – 45 AD) ranked as the largest and among the strongest states in Southeastern Europe for approximately 150 years (late 6th to early 4th century BC). Thracian culture was created as a result of constant multicultural interactions from the Late Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC) until the end of Late Antiquity. It was influenced by

the Great Greek Colonization which began in the 7th century BC along the Aegean Sea, the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea shores; as well as by the Persian civilization in the 6th and 5th centuries BC; by the Scythians; the rise and fall of the Macedonian Kingdom (4th – 2nd century BC); and Celtic invasions (3rd century BC). Visible remnants of the once-flourishing Thracian culture include: monumental temples, heroons (shrines or temples dedicated to a hero) and tombs all over Bulgaria, as well as the world famous Thracian gold and silver treasures exhibited at Bulgarian museums. The Thracians were considered the best horse-breeders and among the bravest soldiers in the ancient world, recognizable by their double spears, swords called akinakos and Phrygian (also called Thracian) helmets. Some of the well-known deities and heroes in the Greek pantheon are actually of Thracian origin: Dionysus, Orpheus, etc.

The Roman and Early Byzantine Period

In the 2nd century BC the Roman Empire gradually started to conquer the Balkan Peninsula. Immediately preceding the colonization, the Thracians were as disunited as ever. Some kingdoms in the south were culturally part of the Hellenistic world, eager to cooperate with the emerging Roman Republic, while kingdoms in the north resisted and fought the Romans. Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast also opposed the Roman expansion (unsuccessfully). The Roman campaign in the Eastern Balkan territories took more than a century. In 15 AD the province of Moesia was established in what is present-day northern Bulgaria, and Thracia (in southern Bulgaria) was established around 45 AD, while Dacia replaced the Dacian Kingdom north of the Danube (in present-day Romania) as late as 106 AD during the rule of Emperor Trajan.

Roman rule brought most of the greatest achievements of the period: new towns were established and old ones were rebuilt by Roman standards; monumental buildings, roads, bridges and aqueducts (water-mains) were constructed, while trade flourished. Along the Danube River, which served as a border, a system of towns and fortresses was built to protect Pax Romana from the Barbarian World.

In the southern Thracian lands, the Greek language and Hellenistic culture mixed with local traditions continued to dominate, even during the Roman Period. In the north, Latin-based culture consequently replaced the former Thracian identity.

The Great Migration of People started in the Balkans when the Visigoths crossed the Danube in 375 AD. Year after year throughout the 5th to the 7th centuries AD, various barbarian tribes – Goths, Huns, Avars, Slavs, Bulgars, etc. – managed to break through the Danubian border and to devastate the provinces in the Eastern Balkans. These invasions and the Black Death pandemic in the 6th century AD created a demographic gap and considerably changed the political and ethnic map in the Balkans. In 6th and 7th centuries AD the surviving Roman (Byzantine) population abandoned the land and moved to the largest fortified cities in the southern or coastal parts of the peninsula, to the benefit of numerous Slavic tribes (originally from northern parts of Central Europe). Slavs invaded the Balkans and settled on the deserted Roman territories. A new era began: the Middle Ages.

The First Bulgarian Kingdom and Empire

In 680 AD another ethnic group settled in the northeastern Balkans – the Bulgars (also called Proto-Bulgarians). Their origins are still under dispute in scholarly circles, with various hypotheses claiming they were Iranian, Turko-Mongolian or both. They inhabited the plains between the Caucasus Mountains, the Volga River, and the Caspian and Black Sea, where in 632 AD the Bulgarian Khan Kubrat established a powerful kingdom, known as the Old Great Bulgaria. After his death the kingdom was defeated by the Khazars. However, Bulgars who lived in the western parts of the Old Great Bulgaria (along the Black Sea between the Lower Dnieper and the Danube Delta) maintained their independence. Led by Kubrat’s son Khan Asparuh, they crossed the Danube and invaded the territories to the south, defeating the Byzantine army in 681. As a result, the Byzantine Emperor accepted the status quo of a “Barbaric” state expanding over Roman territories. Some historians consider 632 AD as the date of the establishment of the Bulgarian state; others consider 681 AD as a nation-founding date. In the 7th through the 9th centuries AD, Bulgaria conquered new territories westwards in the Balkans and Central Europe. The Bulgars and local Slavic tribes established an alliance which led to a demographic assimilation of the Bulgars by the more numerous Slavs in the following centuries. Thus, the later Bulgarians are descendents both of Bulgars and Slavs. In 864 AD the Bulgarian Khan Boris I (852-889) accepted Christianity and baptized the Bulgarians. He changed also his pagan title “khan” to “king.”

The first Slavonic alphabet - Glagolitsa, created in 855 AD by St. Cyril and St. Methodius was adopted soon after this conversion, but at the end of the 9th century it was replaced by the Cyrillic alphabet upon the orders of King Boris I. The new alphabet was created by St. Kliment of Ohrid (a high-ranking Bulgarian official and bishop) and named in honour of his teacher, St. Cyril. It is an adapted version of the Greek alphabet, making it far more comprehensible for literate medieval Bulgarian elites. This is how the Cyrillic alphabet was created and introduced into the Slavic world.

The reign of Tsar Simeon (893-927), son of King Boris, is called the Golden Age of the First Bulgarian Empire, due to the development of arts, literature and the economy. As a symbol of the new, Christian era in Bulgarian history, the capital was moved from the former capital Pliska, which was associated with paganism, to the newly built city of Preslav (“the most glorious city”). Simeon was crowned there as tsar (emperor) in 917 AD; however, Byzantium recognized Bulgaria as the first non-Roman empire in Eastern Europe ten years later, in 927 AD. In that same year, the patriarch of Constantinople recognized the Bulgarian Orthodox Church as an independent patriarchate. The late 10th and early 11th centuries in Bulgarian history are marked by consecutive wars against the Russians and the Byzantines, which ended with the downfall of the First Bulgarian Empire and its inclusion in the Byzantine Empire for the next century and a half (1018-1185). 

The Second Bulgarian Empire

In 1185 AD, the brothers Petar, Asen and Kaloyan – Bulgarian aristocrats and Byzantine vassals – revolted against their suzerain and revived the Bulgarian Empire with Tarnovo as its new capital city. During the reigns of Tsar Kaloyan (1197-1207) and Tsar Ivan Asen II (1218-1241), the Second Bulgarian Empire became the dominant political power in southeastern Europe, with territories stretching from the Adriatic to the Black Sea and from the Aegean Sea to the Carpathian Mountains. Tsar Ivan Alexander (1331-1371) led the Bulgarian Empire into a period of economic growth and cultural renaissance, while the second half of the 14th century was a period of political decentralization and defensive wars against the Ottomans and the Hungarians. In 1396, Bulgaria (technically the Vidin Empire – the last independent part of the decentralized medieval Bulgarian Tsardom) was conquered by the Ottomans and remained part of that empire until 1878.

Late Medieval (Ottoman period) and Modern Bulgarian History

The Ottoman conquest caused a demographic collapse, destroyed the elite of Bulgarian medieval society and also marginalized the Christian church. It is blamed for slowing Bulgarian development and removing Bulgarian culture from the orbit of European civilization for five centuries. In the 18th century, the Bulgarian National Revival Period started during which Bulgarians achieved new confidence based on economic prosperity and a national identity reconnected with medieval Bulgaria as well as the contemporary European civilization.

As a result of long-lasting political and revolutionary struggles, along with diplomacy, Ottomans in the 19th century made reforms which recognized the cultural, educational and ecclesiastic autonomy of Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire. In 1878 after the Russo-Turkish Liberation War, the modern Bulgarian state was established as a constitutional monarchy. Bulgaria took part in the First Balkan War (1912-1913) along with its allies Serbia, Greece and Montenegro against the Ottoman Empire. 

The Christian alliance won the war and limited the territorial possessions of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans to the region around Istanbul (Eastern Thrace and the Turkish Straits).

As a result of being on the “wrong” side in the Second Balkan war (1913), World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945), Bulgaria lost one-third of the territories (the northern Aegean coast and Macedonia) which were inhabited predominantly with Bulgarians, as well as 200,000 soldiers. Between 1912 and 1940, approximately one million Bulgarian refugees had to leave their homes in what are today northern Greece, northwestern Turkey, Serbia and Romania due to ethnic cleansing and the politics of nationalistic assimilation. A plebiscite held in 1946 abolished the Bulgarian monarchy. Between 1944 and 1989 the country belonged to the Eastern socialist bloc and Warsaw Pact. The process of democratization, as well as the transition to a market economy, was long and hard but ultimately successful. In 2004, the country joined NATO and in January of 2007, it became a full member state of the European Union.

Language   

The Bulgarian language is one of the oldest codified European languages (9 century AD) that has survived to the present day. Bulgarian belongs to the South Slavic language family. As a homeland of the Cyrillic alphabet (created in 890-s AD), Bulgarian communication relies on its traditional language, using nearly 100 % Cyrillic alphabet (excluding tourist, traffic and advertisement signs).

Travel Basics   

Weather

Marked by four distinct seasons, Bulgaria enjoys a generally favorable climate that is one of the country’s best features. Summers are typically hot and dry, but rarely oppressive, with moderately relative humidity. Winters are cold, but not bitterly so. In the Southern and Black Sea coastal regions, Mediterranean climate tempers the harsher continental climate of the interior. The country’s half-dozen mountain groups also play a significant part in determining regional variances.

Food & Drinks

Bulgarian cuisine tends to be oriented toward meat and potatoes, but vegetarians needn’t worry as several of the most popular dishes are dairy-based and in general Bulgarians consume a lot of salads (the most popular is shopska salad, a tasty mix of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, occasionally roasted peppers, topped with sirene (white brined sheep cheese). Another distinctive salad is snezhanka, or “snow white,” consisting of dense yogurt, cucumbers and garlic.

Among the most flavorful meat and vegetable dishes are those baked in covered clay pots, such as kapama and kavarma.

A popular snack and breakfast item is banitsa, baked pastry filled with cheese (and sometimes leeks or spinach), washed down by boza, a non-alcoholic malted beverage that dates back several centuries.

Bulgarian wines are internationally renowned and one of the country’s prime exports. Bulgarian beer is also notable, with app. 30 regional brands. The national spirit, rakia, is a fiery brandy ritually consumed with a variety of appetizers (meze). Most popular drinks among young people when go out are beer, vodka, wine and cocktails.

Travel

By Bus

Bulgaria has a developed bus transportation system (both internal and external). What is more - travel costs here are among the cheapest in Europe. Bulgarians generally prefer travelling inside the country by bus if the distance is shorter than 400 km. Bus lines connect major Bulgarian towns with almost all European countries. The time-table of Sofia central bus station available here   

By Train

Although the Bulgarian railroad network is one of the most developed in Europe, Bulgarian trains are definitely not among the fastest. If you would like to travel shorter distance, it is better that you catch a bus. The advantage of Bulgarian railways is that they go through some really spectacular areas far from the main roads and motorways. The time-table of Bulgarian trains can be found here. Catching an international train to Bulgaria is not recommended, esp. in the summer, because it is slower than the bus and is usually crowded.  

By Taxi    

Taxi in Bulgaria is a relatively cheap way of transport (0.79-0.99 BGN per km) but some taxis in the area of international airports and railway - as well as bus-stations, might have unreasonable prices! Ask on info-desks for recommended companies when taxi use is necessary or try to have a look at the price-list first (it is mandatory that the price-list is displayed on the front and right back window.)

Border crossing

Visitors arriving from the EU do not require a visa, although it is advisable to carry a passport and/or other valid identification that can confirm the nationality of the bearer. Bulgaria is part of Schengen area of free movement, opening up travel by air and sea without border.

Citizens of some non-EU countries (such as USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, etc.) are permitted to travel to Bulgaria for tourism and/or business purposes without a visa as long as their planned stay does not exceed 90 days. For further information, visit the Bulgarian Embassy website or Consulate website specific to your country. All other foreigners may cross the border of the Republic of Bulgaria as long as they hold a valid passport and an appropriate visa (Airport Transit Visa, Transit Visa, Regular Visa or Work Visa). Valid health insurance is required.   

All visitors to Bulgaria, other than EU nationals, must register as foreigners at the passport directorates within five days of arrival. This registration is usually done as a matter of course through the hotel or accommodation establishment. Immigration and entry regulations are very strictly enforced.   

Passports of all visitors should be valid for at least six months on entry for those requiring a visa, and three months on entry for visa exempt nationals other than those from EU countries, whose passports must be valid for the period of stay.   

Upon crossing the state borderline of the Republic of Bulgaria, passengers may import and export commodities that in type, quantities, and value are not of a commercial nature. These do not include objects passengers carry for personal use and consumption.      

Passengers have the right to import at no customs duty or import fees the objects necessary to the foreign individuals for their stay in the country, which in their type and quantity correspond to both purpose and the duration of their stay, as well as consumption objects:

• tobacco products (passengers over 18 years of age): cigarettes - 200 items, or cigarillos (cigars with a max. weight of 3 gr. per piece) - 100 pieces, or cigars - 50 pieces, or smoking tobacco - 250 gr.
• alcoholic beverages (passengers over 18 years of age) - wine - 2 litres, and alcoholic liquors - 1 litre;
• other drinks: coffee - 500 gr., or coffee extract - 200 gr., tea - 100 gr., or tea extract - 40 gr.;
• perfumes - 50 ml. and toilet water - 0,250 ml.
• medicines - in quantity and type cor¬responding to the personal needs of the passenger.

Passenger older than 16 can import duty-free commodities, acquired abroad other than the listed above, at a total value up to US $100 or the equivalent in other currency units. For passengers under 16 the duty-free import rate for commodities acquired abroad is US $50 or their equivalent in other currency units.   

Personal use objects, new and used, which a passenger may normally need during one’s trip, taking into account all circumstances of the travel, are placed under the regime of temporary import with a full exemption of all customs dues. Re-exporting personal belongings cannot take place later than the moment when the natural person who has imported them is leaving the customs territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Money / banks / credit cards

The Bulgarian currency is the Bulgarian LEV (BGN). You can not pay in Euros or other foreign currency except in casinos and big hotels (where the exchange rate is really unfair)! Since 1997, the Bulgarian LEV has been pegged to the EURO at the exchange rate of 1 euro = 1.955 lev (usually sold for 1.94 lev).   

Bulgarian banks accept all credit cards and travelers’ cheques. Usually banks open at 8.00-8.30 am and close at 17.00-18.00 pm. They work from Monday to Friday (Only FI Bank works on Saturdays). Shopping malls, hypermarkets and many shops in Sofia and/or bigger towns and resorts will also accept credit cards. This is not valid for the smaller “domestic” shops throughout the country where the only way of payment is cash. NB! The only accepted currency in the whole country is the Bulgarian lev!   

Exchange of foreign currencies is practiced not only by banks but also by numerous exchange offices. NB! Most of them don’t collect commission fee and have acceptable exchange rates (+/- 0.5-1,5% of the official rate) however, those located in shopping areas of big cities, resorts, railway stations, airports etc. can “tenderly” or “sharply” decrease your financial abilities. Ask in advance how much money you will get!

ATMs are available all over the country and POS-terminals are in every bank office.

You can see Bulgarian notes and coins in circulation at:

http://www.bnb.bg/NotesAndCoins/NACNotesCurrency/i...

Communications

Post offices -  all over Bulgaria offer international postal, telephone, telegraph, and fax services.   

Internet

In every town and even in smaller villages you may find one or several Internet cafes. Bigger Internet cafes offer usually long distance call services as well. A wireless Internet connection is available in many public areas in the big towns (cafes, restaurants, hotels, malls, etc.).

Phone calls

Phone cards for street phones can be bought at traffic places & shops or you can use the paid phones in the post offices or hotels. The number of street phones has recently decreased because of newer communication technologies.There are also a lot of Phone shops/kiosks where you can make long distance phone calls for low prices (0,07-0,20 BGN/minute).     

Electricity

Outlets in Bulgaria generally accept one type of plug.

Two round pins. If your appliance's plug has a different shape, you may need a plug adapter.

Business hours

Offices - 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (Monday to Friday)

Banks - 8.00 - 8.30 am - 4.30 - 6.00 pm (Monday to Friday)

Shops – 8.00 - 10.00 am to 7.00 - 9.00 pm (Monday to Friday, Saturday until Noon) but many shops are open on Sundays.

Emergency

National emergency number is: 112

All EU citizens could benefit from Bulgarian medical services, equally to the Bulgarian citizens, if their home-country health insurance is proved by a card/certificate etc.

Purchasing power

Bottle (0,33l) of mineral water (in a restaurant): 1,50-4 BGN

Bottle (0,5l) of mineral water (in a store): 0,70–1 BGN

Coffee (in a café): 1,20–3 BGN

Apple (organic): 0,60-2 BG

Pizza (in a restaurant): 4–10 BGN    

Vegetable salad 250gr.(in a restaurant): 2,50–7BG    

Fresh natural orange juice150ml: 2-4 BGN

Cinema ticket: 6-12 BGN

Night club entrance fee: 7–20 BGN