TOP 10 REASONS TO VISIT BULGARIA - HIGH PRIORITY TOURIST DESTINATION

Cradle of civilizations

The oldest high developed civilization in Europe, dated to the 6th - 5th millenia BC, comprising vast area in some part of present East and South Bulgaria, existed in parallel to the civilizations of Asia Minor and the valleys of Tigris and Euphrates, Palestine and Egypt, and perhaps millenia before them. They were those who had formed the Thracian people.

Land of golden treasures

The oldest crafted gold in the history of mankind (Varna Necropolis, 6th - 5th millenia BC), as well as the Thracian gold treasures which conquered the world, were discovered in the Bulgarian lands!

Meeting point of civilizations

With more than 40,000 cultural and historical monuments Bulgaria is a land of many ancient civilizations - Pre-historian, Thracian, Macedonian, Greek, Proto-Bulgarian, Slav, Roman, Byzantine, Turk and Bulgarian.

Bulgaria ranks third, only after Greece and Italy, for the number of its archaeological monuments.

Homeland of powerful kingdoms

The birthdate of the country is the year 681. There were only two empires in Europe at that time - the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium).

The mighty Bulgarian Empire with khan Asparuh at its head united the ancient Thracian nation and the Slavic tribes. This is how the third Empire in Europe - the so-called Danubean Bulgaria appeared on the crossroad with Asia and Africa. Its capital was called Pliska.

Sofia - town from the dawn of history

The Bulgarian capital - Sofia was born 7,000 years ago in the green embrace of the Vitosha mountain close to warm mineral springs.

Today, more than 250 unique monuments from different ages blend harmoniously with the city’s modern appearance.

Culture and wildlife with recognition

The UNESCOWorld Cultural and Wildlife Heritage List includes 9 Bulgarian landmarks - 7 cultural and 2 natural wonders: The Madara Horseman - a monumental bas-relief hewn into the sheer rock, the only one of its kind in Europe!

The two unique monuments of Thracian art - the tombs near Kazanluk and Sveshtari; Boyana Church - marking the beginnings of portrait painting in European art; the majestic Rila Monastery - largest in the Balkans; the ancient museum town of Nessebur - situated on a rocky peninsula, linked with mainland by a narrow isthmus; Ivanovo Rock Monasteries - a natural museum of mediaeval Bulgarian painting; Pirin National Park and Sreburna Wildlife Reserve.

Native land of Orpheus and Spartacus

Orpheus - the mythical Thracian singer, born near today’s village of Guela in the Rhodope Mountains, who, according to the Greek mythology, took part in the quest of the Argonauts together with Jason and Heracles.

Spartacus - the famous Roman gladiator, born in a village near the present-day Sandanski, at the foot of the Pirin Mountain, became the leader of the biggest slave uprising in Antiquity (74 AD).

Wine - tradition carried through millenia

Man’s first wine ever may have fermented in the Bulgarian lands. Viticulture and wine producing in the lands of present-day Bulgaria are dating back to 6,000 BC!

It is only in Bulgaria, that the wine of the ancient Thracians is still produced and drunk - the full-bodied red Mavrud. The Mavrud vine grows only in this region of Bulgaria and nowhere else.

Small Bulgaria is one of the world’s largest wine producers together with France, Spain, Italy and Greece.

Homeland of the attar of roses

The world’s perfume and cosmetics industry could not do without the Bulgarian attar of roses - the Bulgarian oleaginous rose yields 80% of the world’s production.

2,000 flowers are needed for just 1 single gram of the precious attar of roses whose price equals that of gold!

Country of yoghurt - the food of centenarians

The Bulgarian yoghurt is a unique product. The preparation technology is based on the Lactobacterium Bulgaricum bacteria that grow nowhere else in the world. It has found an important part in many Bulgarian foods. Bulgarians eat yoghurt in some form practically every day throughout their life.

Gourmets all over the world have been attracted for ages by the temptations of Bulgarian cuisine. There are plenty of countries in the world boasting a varied and delicious cuisine, along with long-standing culinary traditions.

The methods used in Bulgarian cooking are not quite different from those used worldwide. You should try Bulgarian cuisine, for there are characteristic features which lend a specific taste and flavour to the dishes - namely those which have helped to make it popular far beyond the country’s borders.

Bulgarian cuisine skillfully combines and uses the “fruits of the earth” which have captured the Bulgarian sun. The thermal processing of products simmered slowly on low heat enables their nutritive qualities to be retained and makes the food taste much better.

The result is - mouthwatering dishes with SUPERB FLAVOUR AND TASTE.

The methods of preparation are different - for ages the Bulgarians have favoured stewing, roasting, boiling and… the earthenware dish. The roasting of food on charcoal embers is also widespread, leaving the meat deliciously, tender and succulent.

Bulgarian culinary is influenced both by the divercity of the nature and the clearly distinguished FOUR SEASONS.

The vegetables, fruits and spices are spread around the different seasons and are to be consumed fresh. In a similar manner, the use of meat also depends upon the season - lamb is more common in spring, light meat like chicken, veal and vegetarian meals are prevalent in summer. Pork meat prevales in winter. Fresh fish is consumed during the entire year.

Bulgarian culinary differs in geographical regions and abounds in delicious specialties and exotic dishes: Bansko-style kapama

(meat and vegetables stewed in an earthenware dish), Rhodope cheverme (lamb roasted on a spit over an open fire), Thracian katmi (special type of pancake) and Dobroudjanska banitsa (cheese pie), Danube fish soup and Sozopol-style mussels.

The cosy, typically Bulgarian folk-style restaurants will tempt you with Shopska salad and chilled grape brandy, stuffed vine leaves or peppers, kavarma the miller’s way, monastery-style hotchpotch, moussaka and kebab.

You can’t say “no” to the juicy-grilled kebabcheta, piquant kavarma baked in an earthenware

dish, delicious vegetarian dishes, the banitsa which simply melts in your mouth and the famous bulgarian kiselo mlyako (yoghurt).

The smell of oven-fresh bread rolls is mixed with the fragrance of savoury. Thinly sliced loukanka (flat dry sausage) from Smyadovo, pastarma, white and yellow cheese are temptingly arranged on ceramic plates.

Bulgarian cuisine has 3 very special food item varieties which are unique and have been a part of it back through the earliest of Thracian times:

SIRENE - a brined white cheese, produced from sheep, cow or buffalo milk, and is both used on the table and as an essential part of other foods - from Shopska salad to Banitsa.

KISELO MLYAKO (yoghurt) - sour milk, produced also from sheep, cow or buffalo milk, is a particular variety produced by the Lactobacterium Bulgaricum bacteria and grows no place else in the world. It has found an important part in many Bulgarian foods.

Bulgarians are also fond of AYRIAN - a beverage of water mixed with yoghurt. Bulgarians eat yoghurt in some form practically every day throughout their life.

CHUBRITSA - this plant, which botanists claim to be a species of the herb Satureia hortensis appears to grow particularly well upon Bulgarian soil.

It also shares certain characteristics with Oregano (Origanum vulgare). The dried leaves are crushed and sprinked on top of soups in the last few minutes of cooking or ground into a fine powder and used on bread like butter.

A part of the identity of Bulgarian cuisine is the art of wine-making because GOOD FOOD GOES DOWN WELL WITH CHOICE BEVERAGES.

The white wines - dry and sweet - are characterised by a tingling taste and a delicate aroma. Well-known labels include Misket, Traminer, Dimyat and Riesling. The red wines - from pink to dark red are full-bodied with a bouquet acquired in the process of maturing. The most popular red wines include Mavrud, Gamza, Merlot and Cabernet.

Aperitifs occupy a special place among Bulgarian drinks. The typical national drink (rakia) is a fiery brandy ritually consumed with a variety of appetizers (meze). It’s worth to try the “hot” plumb brandy from Troyan and the mellow aged grape brandy from Songurlare.

And finally, a cup of steaming coffee served with sweet jam, pancakes with honey and walnuts or baklava. Desserts tend to be overly sweet pastries and cream-filled cakes, but crepe-like pancakes (palachinki) filled with figs (smokini) are a good alternative.

The temptations are many - the choice is yours! GOOD APPETITE!

OTHER COOKERY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS:

SHOPSKA SALAD - a tasty mix of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions (and occasionally roasted peppers) topped by sirene (white brined sheep cheese).
BANITSA - thin sheets of dough spread alternately with mixture of eggs and white brined cheese (sometimes leeks or spinach), and butter.
KAPAMA - stew prepared in earthenware dish, containing meat, game, chicken and pickled cabbage.
KEBAB - stew made of meat cut into small pieces.
KEBABCHE - minced meat with seasonings, formed into rolls and grilled.
MOUSSAKA - dish made of minced meat and vegetables.
SURMI - mixture of rice and seasoning, or minced meat and seasonings, rolled in cabbage leaves or in vine leaves.

Viticulture and wine producing in the lands of present-day Bulgaria are an ageold tradition. Excavations from ancient settlements show grape seeds and berries dating back to 6,000 BC!

In Thracian times our geographical region was famous as a place where vines were planted and wine produced. The widespread cult of Dionysus found an expression in the depiction of vines, grapes, wine-cellars and ceremonies. Homer mentioned the area’s wines in both the Iliad and the Odyssey.

During the Roman times viticulture spread to the entire Balkan Peninsula. After Slavs and Bulgarians settled and founded the Bulgarian state in 681, they inherited the millennial experience accumulated in the sphere of viticulture and wine-making.

The amazing thing is that the same area may claim property to the first vine protection decree in 2nd century AD as well as to the first prohibitionist laws implemented in history by the Bulgarian Khan Krum during his reign in 8th century AD.

During the Middle Ages a large part of the land was the property of the monasteries, devoted chiefly to vine-growing. The wine aged in a cool monastery cellars was famous throughout the country. Many foreign travellers who visited Bulgaria between the 11th and 19th centuries highly praised the country’s wines.

Nowadays Bulgaria is one of the world largest wine producers together with France, Italy, Spain and Greece.

The Bulgarian red and white wines such as Mavrud, Melnik, Gumza, Dimiat, Pamid, Muskat, and Misket are well known to connoisseurs.

In general, South Bulgaria is known for its red wines, North Bulgaria - for its white wines.
Traditionally, Bulgaria boasts 5 wine-growing regions, specialized in the production of typical wines:

NORTHERN REGION

High quality wines are produced from a number of different grapes, red as well as white. The reds are made from the local Gamza as well as from the noble Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varieties. Chardonnay, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc are the most prominent whites. This region is home to the fine wineries of Suhindol, Rousse and Shoumen. The whites from this region are well known in Europe, the USA and Japan.

EASTERN REGION

The wines from the Eastern region are made mostly from white grapes. Almost all renowned white grape varieties may be found along with the native Misket and Dimiat. Varna and Pomorie are the leading wineries of this region. They are greatly appreciated by Europeans, Americans and Japanese.

SUB-BALKAN REGION

These deep valleys have unique microclimates. The famous in Bulgaria Sungurlare Misket comes from here as well as the excellent Sungurlare Eau de Vie. White wines from different grapes are local specialty. Slavjantzi is a popular winery from this region.

SOUTHERN REGION

This region boasts almost Mediterranean climatic conditions - particularly good for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot production. The best Bulgarian variety grape - Mavrud grows in the Thracian Valley and nowhere else in the world.

It is only in Bulgaria, that the wine of the ancient Thracians is still produced and drunk - the full-bodied red Mavrud. Reds coming from this region are superb. Assenovgrad is the winery to note. The wines are well known in UK, Japan, the Scandinavian countries, Holland, Poland, Russia, etc.

SOUTH-WESTERN REGION

The Struma Valley runs along it and brings strong Mediterranean influence in terms of climate. Fine Cabernets are produced here. The specific local sort “Wide Melnik Vine” can grow only here and if carried to another place, it withers and fades away. Melnik wine conquered yet in 13 century the dining tables of the aristocracy from Venice, Genoa, Marseille, Barcelona, Paris, Liverpool.

This is an aromatic and hefty wine that ages very well and has its connoisseurs in many European countries but most of all in Scandinavian countries, Switzerland and England. Damianitza is the winery to note. Another interesting local variety is Keratzuda, a rose type produced only in the appellation of Kresna.

If you are not a veteran wine-traveller but love wine, you’ll find a wine-country expedition a rewarding adventure.

If you’re among those who are curious about wine, but not committed, a wine trip might be all it takes to start you on the path to serious appreciation.

For visitors that are serious about wine, our tours offer wine tasting of a variety of wines from different regions.

THE BULGARIAN CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD HERITAGE

For several decades now, under UNESCO aegis, attempts have been made to preserve the planet’s most valuable cultural and natural heritage.
The UNESCO World Heritage List now features over 700 landmarks with 9 Bulgarian wonders (7 cultural and 2 natural sites) included among them.

Madara Horseman (8th - 9th century)
The only one of its kind in Europe, the magnificent bas-relief is cut into the sheer rock at a height of 23 m. A horseman can be seen followed by a dog and a lion pierced by a spear, in their natural size. The composition is comparable to the East Iran triumph scenes and the Ancient traditions as well. The details speak in favour of the Bulgarian origin of the bas-relief. There is a supposition that the relief reflects khan Tervel as a winner. The Greek inscriptions give information about the events which occured in Bulgaria and Byzantium in that period.

Kazanluk Thracian Tomb (4th - 3rd century BC)
A Thracian beehive-type tomb from the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 3rd century BC. It consists of an antechamber, a stone corridor (dromos) and a domed chamber, built of stone and brick.

The murals on the walls are of great artistic value. They reflect battle scenes and the symbolic farewell with the Thracian ruler accompanied by three racing chariots.

Sveshtari Thracian Tomb (3rd century BC)
Discovered in 1982 under a large hill. Richly ornamented, the central chamber was decorated as a facade of a temple with depicted horseman who takes a golden garland from the hands of a goddess with a religious procession following her.
The three walls have high reliefs with 10 carriatides.

Boyana Church (13th century)
Marking the beginning of portrait painting in European art, the portraits of Sebastocrator Kaloyan and his wife Dessislava are the oldest realistic images of monumental art in Mediaeval Europe.
The wonderfull frescoes were created by a Bulgarian artist a century before the Italian Renaissance, before Giotto.

Rila Monastery (10th century)
The largest monastery in the Balkans, monument of the mediaeval Bulgarian culture, Rila Monastery is a genuine treasure-house of artworks, valuable frescoes and historic documents.
The monastery church is famous for its splendour, woodcuts and icons.

Nessebur (2nd millenium BC)
The ancient museum town is situated on a rocky peninsula, linked with mainland by a narrow isthmus. Founded by the Thracians more than 3,000 years ago, the small town is a genuine treasure-house of architectural and artistic monuments. The town’s more than 40 ancient churches are a splendid example of Byzantine architecture.

Ivanovo Rock Monasteries (13th - 17th centuries)
A natural museum of Bulgarian painting, with 20 mediaeval churches, chapels and monastic cells hewn into the craggy gorge of the Roussenski Lom river by the village of Ivanovo, near Rousse. In the Covered-up church one can see many inscriptions, portraits of saints, and other surviving items, among which the church-donor’s portrait - most likely the czar Ivan Asen II.

Pirin National Park
Alpine relief, 176 mountain lakes, white-fir and black-pine forests and about 100 varieties of endemic, endangered and rare plants, including the edelweiss and the famous Baikusheva fir, almost 1,300 years old.

Sreburna Wildlife Reserve
Sreburna is a fresh-water lake, located near the Danube and extending over an area of 600 hectares, at 16 km to the west from the town of Silistra.

The lake’s animal world is represented by 6 kinds of fish, 14 species of amphibians, 160 bird varieties, 35 species of mammels and 120 pairs of Dalmatian pelikans which nest here. It is believed that their number throughout the world does not exceed 1,200 pairs.
Special monitors have been installed among the thick reeds for undisturbed wildlife observation.

Customs
Kukeri
The masquerade games and customs in Bulgaria have an ancient origin and could be observed as inherent to the ancient heathendom. With their strange clothes made of fur, cut shirts or women’s clothes, sewn up of bands, a mixture of national costumes and animal masks and horrifying faces, with continuous ringing bells of different in size and sound, these masquerade games and customs with their lively dancing ritual steps reflect the eternal fight between Light and Darkness, Good and Evil. On the last Sunday before Lent, masked kukeri perform ritualistic processional dances to ward off evil spirits and ensure fertility at the onset of the growing season.

Customs
Baba Marta - Martenitsa
On the first of March we celebrate the beginning of spring. The day is called Baba Marta (or Grandma Marta in English). On that day you give a special present called a “martenitsa” to all the people you love. A “martenitsa” is small, two coloured and made of thread - white and red. Usually they (the martenitsas) look like a girl and a boy together. When someone gives you a martenitsa you should wear it either on your neck or pinned on your shirt until you see a stork. After that you can hang it on a blossoming tree for fertility.

Customs
Nestinarstvo (fire-dancing)
Nestinarstvo (Fire-dancing) is one of the most mysterious phenomena in Bulgarian history and folklore. May 21- the day of Saints Constantine and Elena -Nestinarstvo, or fire dancing; practitioners walk barefoot on hot coals in small rural villages in the Strandzha mountains (or increasingly in tourist resorts) in this pagan event marking the arrival of summer. It is believed that the ritual is descended from Dionysian rites practised by ancient Thracians. The mistress of the house got up long before sunrise to bake a fresh round loaf, decorated on top with different symbolical images and magic signs designed to ensure rich crops. She would also cook a chicken stuffed with rice, and fill up a buklitsa (a wooden wine bottle) with wine.

Specific cultural phenomena
The national costumes are very specific cultural phenomena which evolved over long historical development. They have long been a determinant of Bulgarian folk culture which gives a visual idea of the ethnic specificity and ethnographic variety of the Bulgarian people. The traditional costumes are exclusively home made products, born out of the women’s taste and creativity. Men’s participation in this process was insignificant. The traditional materials for clothing textiles were: flax, hemp, wool, silk and cotton. Leather had comparatively small application, used for typical Bulgarian footwear caller tsurvouli (a kind of sandals), and furs were used for kalpatsi (men’s fur caps). The composition of the Bulgarian national costumes is a complex one. It depended on the specific labour conditions and way of living.

The Bulgarian national costumes - a cultural phenomenon
The Bulgarian national costumes together with the language and song tradition had a long historical development which has turned them into a cultural phenomenon. The national costumes materialise the ethnic specificity and ethnographic diversity of the Bulgarian people. The traditional costumes were created by women’s taste and imagination. Usually men did not take part in this process. The most widely used materials were flax, hemp, wool, silk and cotton. Leather was seldom used, mainly for making the typical Bulgarian footwear called tzurvouli (moccasins). Men’s caps called kalpatsi were made of furs.

Types of costumes
Depending on the combination of the different articles of clothing, both men’s and women’s costumes are divided into several types. Top garments which determine the outer shape of the costumes are taken by the Bulgarian ethnography as a basis for classification.

Women’s national costumes
Women’s national costumes are divided into four groups depending on their cut and the way of wearing the top garments: with two aprons, with one apron, of the soukman type and the sayana. Depending on their cut and the colour of the cloth men’s costumes are divided into two groups – white and black.

Origin
Bulgarian poetic folk art originates in ancient times and has a centuries-old history. The first preserved records of the existence of folk singers and songs derive from the 9th and 10th centuries. Most of the folk songs date from the 17th century. Folk songs are an expression of the Bulgarian way of life through the ages, resulting from the historical and social fate of the country, from its experience and popular customs. Bulgarians enrich the folk songs with their best qualities - diligence, honesty, steadiness, loyalty, wit and love of freedom. The songs grow from the inner needs of the creators to give expression of their thoughts and experience. They are sung on sad and joyful days - in the fields, in the meadows, on working-bees, playing the Bulgarian ring dance, called HORO, in the gathering places of the rebels - called HAIDOUTI. Their creators are the folk singers - people with poetical and musical talent. The songs as well as the fairy tales, riddles, proverbs and sayings are a product of joint creative work. As the folk songs were spread by word of mouth they changed and had many versions. Since the books were not easily accessible to the working people, folklore and songs were the source of their experience, wisdom and knowledge. According to their subject Bulgarian folk songs are ritual songs, labour songs, customs songs, historical, heroic and songs about the Haidouti.

Ritual folk songs
These songs are connected with the family and calendar celebrations. According to the holiday, on which they are sung they are Lazarus songs, Christmas songs, Easter songs and songs dedicated to Saint George. With the ritual songs people express their wish for health, fruitfulness, rain etc. These songs are usually cheerful and have a holiday mood.

Labour folk songs
They are the oldest. They were created in the process of labour. Labour songs are songs sung by the craftsmen, harvesters,shepherds and people working for their living abroad. These songs are usually lyrical and they glorify diligence.

Customs folk songs
These songs express emotions and thoughts, caused by various occurrences and events from family life. Customs songs are divided into love songs, wedding and family songs. The most numerous are wedding songs. Customs folk songs reveal the concepts of the Bulgarian for family life and personal relationships.

Heroic folk songs
They are connected with the historical fate of the Bulgarian people. They were created between the 14th and 16th centuries. Most of them reflect the first years of the Osmanli yoke. They are based on various sayings and legends about historical persons. Especially popular are Momchil and Krali Marko. Heroic songs are an expression of the patriotism and philanthropy of Bulgarians.

Historical and haidouti folk songs
They reflect important events from the life of Bulgarians and reveal their historical destiny. The heroes are historical persons and common people. These songs are mostly connected with the Osmanli yoke.

Bulgarian wines and wine production

History
The Thracian tribes worshipped the god Dyonissios as the patron of wine. With the establishment of the Bulgarian state in 681 AD the Bulgarians inherited the experience and the traditions of the local population in the cultivation of grapes and wine-producing. The winery that was found in the region of Preslav dating from the 7th to 10th century AD is a testimony to that.

Wine industry
Today, grape growing and wine production play an important role in the Bulgarian economy. The wine industry contributes to the steady development of rural regions and infertile areas, maintains the ecological balance, and encourages the appropriate and efficient use of the country’s resources.

Favourable conditions
There are numerous types of grapes and wines. The great number of sunny days in the southern parts of the country favours the red wine species, and in the North the white wine ones.

Prominent varieties
Red Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon from Svishtov, Sliven, Yambol, and Oryahovitsa; Mavrud from Assenovgrad and Perushtitsa; Merlot from Stambolovo and Sakar; Gamsa from Pleven, Suhindol and Novo Selo; Wine from Melnik.

Prominent varieties
White Wines: . Traminer “Khan Krum” from Preslav and Shoumen . Aligote from Lyaskovets; . Misket from Straldja; » . Sauvignon Blanc from Targovishte; . Chardonnay from Rousse and Slavyantsi . Rose from Bourgas . Muskat from Pomorie and Varna

The Thracian tomb is situated in the north-eastern part of Kazanlak
One of the most famous monuments of Thracian culture, included in the World Register of Historical Sites, in 1979, was discovered in 1944. A corridor, 1.95 m in length, 1.12 m in width and 2.24 m in height leads to a domed tomb, 3.25 m in height and 2.65 m in diameter at the base.The building material is brick, used two centuries later by the Romans. The frame is of blocks of stone and clay is used as bonding material. It is situated in the southern part of a mound, at ground level.

The entrance is from the south side. The tomb became world famous for its unique mural, done in wet fresco and tempera. The artistic decoration covers an area of 40 square meters and is an extraordinary art gallery, taking the visitor a long way back in time. The pictures show battles and scenes from daily life, realistically displayed, with great dynamism and details in the clothing and armour.

The scenes of a funeral procession, the musicians, the Thracian ruler and his wife, the chariots, the horses and other depictions are all very interesting. The tomb dates from the late 4th century - early 3rd century B.C. Nearby an exact copy has been built for tourists.

Thracian tomb Sveshtari is situated in Northern Bulgaria, near the town of Isperih.
This 3rd century B.C. Thracian tomb reflects the fundamental structural principles of Thracian cult buildings. The decoration of the burial chamber is exceptionally interesting, a unique blend of art and architecture.

The stone architrave, around the walls, is supported by ten caryatids. The wall opposite the door is painted in navy blue crayon and depicts the heroicisation of the deceased.

The central chamber is richly ornamented. The chamber was decorated as a facade of a temple with depicted horseman who takes a golden garland from the hands of a goddess with a religious procession following her. The three walls have high relief with 10 caryatides