Stories

For more than 142 years, the life of the legendary voivode Hristo Botev has been shrouded in a mist of unknown and unproven assumptions. Sharp controversies […]

The Vratsata pass is just a stone-throw away from the city of Vratsa. It is a narrow passage amidst the tall cliffs. At noon, the right […]

Chiprovtsi is more than a geographical location. One doesn't come here for grandiose fortresses, entertainment or landmarks with household names. What is captivating here is the legacy of the many centuries that have left us with a region with perhaps the strangest fate in the Balkans. Everyone who passed through Chiprovtsi area has left a footfall replete with wealth and culture.

The Chiprovtsi rug is lightweight, woven from wool yarn and very durable. There are three features that set Chiprovtsi carpet weaving apart. First, the carpet is woven on a vertical loom, which is a much slower and laborious process, but the result is more precise and beautiful than the horizontal one.

The city bears its ancient Roman name now, after having been called different names throughout the centuries, e.g. Mikhailovgrad, Ferdinand, Kutlovitsa. It was twice declared a town - once during the Roman Empire and the second time on December 2, 1891, by decree of Prince Ferdinand.

Danubian Bulgaria is a colourful mix of ethnographic groups, each having its own distinctive appearance.   Starting from the Zlatorozhie region to the West and reaching as far as Dobrudzha to the East, you can come across Wallachians who traditionally inhabit the Danube valley and make their living as fishermen.

On the descent from Petrokhan to Montana, we enter the realm of enchanted lands, where nothing is what it seems from afar. It is as if Radichkov's characters come to before our eyes as we negotiate the road turns down towards the valley. Varshets is sitting dreamily under the slopes of the Old Mountain, wrapped in the glory of a trailblazing balneological resort nationwide.

We visited many towns and villages, met a number of people, and heard dozens of stories. None of the stories, though, is like that of the Berkovitsa region. Once we drove down from Petrohan Pass and there was Berkovitsa in full sight, in the pouring rain that made us hush up and just listen to its steady beat until it finally subsided and retreated up in the mountains.

Pilgrimage and humility have gone hand in hand throughout the history of the Bulgarian people. Pilgrimage is a spiritual journey to oneself although people travel all the way to holy places in some way connected with religion. For Bulgaria, these are primarily our Orthodox monasteries.

At the dawn of the 20th century, a poor Bulgarian student named Andrei Nikolov, arrived in Paris having won a scholarship to train in sculpture. Tutored by the great Antoine Mercier, Nikolov would provide the national art of sculpture with European dimension. Born in Vratsa in 1878, the sculptor is one of the most prominent figures on the Bulgarian cultural scene.

Vratsa is inseparable from its mountain - except that it can be seen from any point, the paths, which climb through stunning views to rocky ridges, waterfalls, historical sites and wild spots begin literally from the town's outer rim of houses or residential blocks.

Vratsa is a majestic city. The chalk crags of Stara Planina (the Old Mountain) rise on one side of it, on the other valleys stretch all the way to the Danube, with the town in between living amidst its stunning ancient heritage and its present day-to-day with delicious food for body and soul.