About Bulgaria :: Donatex

The Republic of Bulgaria is situated in the Southeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula.The population of the country is 7.85 m. and inhabits area of 110.912 sq.km.Bulgaria borders Greece and Turkey to the South,Macedonia and Sarbia & Montenegro to the West.Romania to the North and the Black Sea to the East.The climate is Continental-Mediterranean.International highways connect the country with Western Europe,Russia,Asia,Adriatic,Aegean and Black Sea.The marine(the Black Sea) and the river(along the Danube)transport offer good communication from and to the region.

History

The rich history of Bulgaria dates back from ancient times. The Thracians bequeathed us the famous tombs near Kazanluk and Sveshtari, the unique gold treasures from Panagyurishte and Rogozen. The Hellenes built the beautiful coastal towns of Apollonia, Anhialo and Messambria, and Romans - ancient Aescus, Nikopolis ad Istrum and Nove. Huns, Gothes and Averas later passes through our lands. Around the mid-7th century the Slavs came from the north across the Danube and reached as far as the Black Sea and the Adriatic. They were followed by the Bulgarians of Khan Asparouh.In fact, there were only three states in Europe in 681: The Western Roman Empire, BULGARIA, and The Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium)...
Bulgaria can take you back dozens of centuries to Pliska, Preslav and Veliko Tarnovo - the seats of the first Bulgarian khans, czars and kings; to the stone carving of the Madara Horseman; to the Thracian Gold Treasure; to the breathtaking murals of the Kazanlak Tomb and the church in Boyana; to the quiet wisdom of the Rila Monastery and to the towns of Koprivshtitsa, Melnick and Zheravna - renaissance legends of wood, stone and color. After five centuries of Turkish rule, Bulgarian culture reappeared in the 19th century as writers and artists strove to reawaken national consciousness.

Culture Bulgaria has fascinating cultural heritage, connected with her rich history. The Bulgarian monasteries - hiding human, warm and living rather than "divine" beauty behind their austere stone facades, still amaze with their magnificent architecture, unfading frescoes and murals, exquisite icons and wood-carvings, made by self-taught architects, builders and painters.
The UNESCO List of World Heritage now features over 300 landmarks.
Nine Bulgarian wonders - seven cultural and two natural sites - are included among them:
• Rila Monastery
• Nessebur
• the Kazanluk Tomb
• the Sveshtari Tomb
• the Madara Horseman
• Boyana Church
• the Ivanovo Rock Monasteries
• Pirin National Park
• Sreburna Lake. Folklore Melodious tunes and beautiful voices, fiery dances and brightly coloured costumes - Bulgarian folklore has to be seen, felt and experienced!
The world has already discovered Ninth Symphony, its message to other civilizations travelling to the stars aboard the Voyager I and Voyager 2 spaceships also includes the recording of a Bulgarian Rhodopi Mountains folk song.
The world has started talking about the "Mystery of Bulgarian songs and dances"... International interest in Bulgarian vocal music was ignited by groups such as Le Mystere des Voix Bulgaires, who have taken Bulgaria's polyphonic female choir singing to a world audience.
If you attend one of the many picturesque folk fairs, singing contests and original folklore festivals in this Country, which gather thousands of singers, musicians and dancers, where several generations of Bulgarians sing, play and dance, you will perhaps yourself discover the key to this mystery, the key to the heart and soul of Bulgaria.

Festivals and customs Full of beauty, gaiety and a healthy love of life, the Bulgarian festivals and customs date back to ancient times when mail tried to appease the natural elements and trembled before their power. One of the merriest and richest festivals in a ritual aspect are Christmas and the New Year, when the so called 'sourvakari' make the round of houses with wishes for health and prosperity. Other major festivals include "ladouvane" - a festive ritual for young girls on New Year's Day or Midsummer Day (24 June), 'lazarouvane' - an Orthodox festival dedicated to love and the family, Trifon Zarezan (Vinegrower's Day) and St. George's Day, linked with health and abundance. And among them, the widely popular and typically Bulgarian customs and festivals - 'martenitsas' and rose-picking.
Every year on the 1st of March, the Bulgarians give each other 'martenitsas' - small figures made of white and red threads, a symbol of the awakening, of spring, health and happiness.
In late May and early June every year, the rose-picking season starts in the Valley of Roses which stretches between the Balkan Range and the Sredna Gora Mountains.Rose-picking starts at dawn, before sunrise and before the rose fragrance has had a chance to disappear. The Bulgarian oleaginous rose yields 70 percent of the world's attar of roses used by every well known perfume company as an essential component of its products. This is the time of the Festival of Roses, celebrated with carnivals, processions, folk songs and dances in Karlovo and Kazanluk on the first Sunday in June.
Tourism Bulgaria offers great opportunities for tourism development.There is magnificent nature, curious rock formations and mysterious caves; sunny seashores of the Black Sea with golden sands, quiet coves and romantic capes; majestic mountains with fiery peaks, mirror lakes and shady woods full of scent.,attractive cultural and historic sites. Skiing is well-established in Bulgaria, with the season running from December to April. Mt Vitosha, on the southern outskirts of Sofia, is the most accessible of Bulgaria's ski areas; but the largest resort is at Borovets, 70km (43mi) south of Sofia, which has the highest mountains in the Balkans as a backdrop. Pamporovo in the Rodopi Mountains is popular with package tourists and Bansko in the Pirin Mountains is Bulgaria's least commercialised ski resort. Mountain climbing is feasible and you don't have to be Edmund Hillary to scale Musala Peak. There are less strenuous hiking possibilities in the Stara Planina range and in the Rodopi Mountains.