Historical facts | History of Bulgaria

“Izlel e Delyu Haydutin” in space

The Bulgarian folk song “Izlel e Delyu Haydutin”, performed by Bulgarian folk singer Valya Balkanska, was sent into deep space as a musical message from Earth aboard the American spacecraft Voyager I.

A golden treasure

The world’s oldest gold treasure was discovered in Bulgaria. It was found at the “Varnenski Metropolit” and is believed to date from 4000–5000 BC.

A lost flag

Bulgaria is a country with a long and rich history. During its thirteen centuries of existence, it has changed its form of government, monarchs, territories and flags.

A Record for the Fastest Ice Swim

On 13 January 2023, the Bulgarian Radostin Krastev set a new world record for the fastest men's 500-metre ice swim. His impressive time of 5 minutes, 36 seconds and 49 hundredths was achieved at the Fifth Ice Swimming World Championship in Samoëns, France.

A statue in Guinness World Records

The statue of the Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus in Haskovo, Bulgaria, holds the Guinness World Record as the tallest statue of its kind in the world. The impressive statue is 14 metres tall, stands on a 17-metre pedestal and weighs 80 tonnes.

An unchanged name

Bulgaria has never changed its name from its foundation to the present day. Our people were called “Bulgarians” in foreign chronicles as early as the 4th century, although there are many theories about the origin of the word “Bulgarians”, or “Vulgares”.

An Underwater Chapel near Primorsko

There is an underwater chapel near Primorsko in Bulgaria, at a depth of around 10 metres, dedicated to St Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Ancient Civilisations

In Bulgaria, the earliest traces of human civilisation reach back into remote antiquity. Archaeological discoveries made in 1996 revealed that Kozarnika Cave near Belogradchik contained an ancient culture from the middle phase of the Palaeolithic.

Archaeological Monuments

Bulgaria ranks third in Europe for the number of archaeological monuments, surpassed only by Italy and Greece. More than 40,000 have so far been discovered within the country.

Assen Jordanoff: Designer of the World's First Passenger Transport Aircraft

The chief designer of the world's first passenger transport aircraft, the Douglas DC-3, was a Bulgarian named Assen Jordanoff. He was a celebrated Bulgarian and American aviator, engineer and inventor whose name became known worldwide.

Baba Marta

Every year on 1 March, we exchange martenitsi. These red-and-white woollen bracelets, necklaces and little figures, most often depicting Pizho and Penda, symbolise good health and prosperity.

Baba Vanga

Baba Vanga, born Vangelia Gustava Dimitrova, was a Bulgarian prophetess known worldwide for her predictions and prophecies. She was born on 31 January 1911 in the village of Strumica, now in Bulgaria, and died on 11 August 1996.

Baikushev's Pine

Baikushev's Pine is one of the oldest trees in Bulgaria and is considered the country's oldest conifer. According to studies of its growth rings, the pine is more than 1,300 years old.

Balkan origins

Bulgaria lies in the Balkans, a region that has attracted migrations of people from many different ethnic backgrounds in antiquity, the Middle Ages and the present day. This raises the question of where Bulgarians come from.

Bulgaria Has Never Had Slaves

Bulgaria has never had systematic slavery of the kind practised in other parts of the world. Although Bulgarians lived under Turkish rule in the Ottoman Empire, slavery as an institution in which people were owned as property by others was not widespread in the Bulgarian lands.

Bulgaria on three seas

Before falling under the Ottoman yoke, our country was twice its present size. It bordered three seas: the Aegean, also known as the White Sea, the Adriatic and the Black Sea.

Bulgaria saved its Jews

Bulgaria is the only country in the world to have saved its Jews during the Second World War. Despite Bulgaria’s alliance with Germany, no Jew was ever transported to a concentration camp.

Bulgaria Saves Europe from Islamisation

In 716, Bulgaria saved the whole of Europe from Islamisation. Under Khan Tervel, the Bulgarians halted the Arab invasion at the gates of Constantinople, thus helping the Byzantine Empire deal with the danger.

Bulgaria’s national musical instrument

Bulgaria’s national musical instrument is the gaida, a type of bagpipe.

Bulgaria’s three smallest towns

In Bulgaria, much of the population is concentrated in larger cities, although there are fewer towns and cities than villages. In contrast to this general pattern, the country’s smallest towns are even smaller than some villages.

Bulgarian Superstition

The greatest Bulgarian superstition is that bread must not be thrown away because doing so is a grave sin.

Bulgarian Yoghurt

Bulgarian yoghurt differs from ordinary yoghurt in several ways. First, the bacterium Lactobacillus bulgaricus (Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp.

Bulgarians speak Bulgarian

After almost five centuries under Ottoman rule, Bulgaria achieved independence in 1908. Despite differences in religion, traditions and language between Bulgarians and Ottomans, the Bulgarian spirit and language survived.

Chirpan Monastery Is the Oldest in Europe

The Monastery of St Athanasius, also known as Zlatna Livada Monastery or Chirpan Monastery, is an Orthodox convent in southern Bulgaria. It stands near the village of Zlatna Livada, on a hill above the village, on the right bank of the Stara River, not far from its confluence with the Maritsa, 14 km from Chirpan and 53 km south of Stara Zagora.