It’s the one accessory that goes with everything and never goes out of style. On March 1st of each year, Bulgarians adorn their clothing and wrists with martenitsas. The ancient bracelet, usually made of twisted red and white woolen or cotton threads, announces the end of winter. And so much more.
This may come as a surprise, but Bulgaria was once a computer superpower. Well, at least behind the Iron Curtain. It was all thanks to the genius of Ivan Marangozov, a flute player turned computer engineer credited with the creation of Pravetz, Bulgaria’s first computer.
On May 24, Bulgaria is set to celebrate its biggest national holiday dedicated to the saints of the Bulgarian alphabet, education, culture, and of the Slavonic literature. We asked five Bulgarians working with words on an everyday basis to give us their favorite distinctively Bulgarian words.
It's that time of the year again. In the second half of May, main streets in big cities and small towns across Bulgaria turn into a catwalk. But no, this is not Bulgaria Fashion Week.
In the 1950s, one student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia was dispatched to Bulgaria's countryside to help farmers whose land was located along the route of the Orient Express. This state-ordered visit might have given the world one of the greatest artists of the late 20th and early 21st century.
During the First Balkan War in 1912, a 15-year-old Bulgarian volunteer nurse became the first woman in the world to participate in a combat flight. Despite enormous risks and a lack of training, Rayna Kasabova threw propaganda leaflets over Edirne, in today’s Turkey, making history along the way.
Cyberpunk 2077, a Triple-A class title, created by Polish company CD Project Red, has become a worldwide success with over 14 million copies sold. It’s only one of a number of titles created by companies in the 3Seas region taking the world by storm.
Bulgarians love their national cuisine. And yet, Bulgarian restaurants are getting harder to find in Bulgaria. Is this a temporary trend or a long-term crisis?
For more than 130 years, the tomato has been a fixture on the Bulgarian table, but today, its production is on the verge of collapse. What is happening to the vegetable still enjoying the status of 'national pride' in Bulgaria?
For three years now, residents of the small municipality of Stamboliyski in Southern Bulgaria have been using public transport for free. While the idea introduced by Mayor Georgi Maradzhiev is hardly new, Stamboliyski remains Bulgaria’s only town boasting free public transportation.
If grabbing a to-go cup of coffee at your local café is your daily ritual, you’re not alone. One company in Bulgaria wants to make that habit as sustainable as possible with their edible, biodegradable wafer cups.
In September 2022, The Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund (3SIIF) acquired a significant interest in BMF Port Burgas, a major port operator in the Port of Burgas on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast.
For years, the residents of Pernik, a city of 70,000 near the Bulgarian capital Sofia, have been a subject of countless jokes told about them. What started this endless trove of jokes and how are the people of Pernik fighting back?
In a remote corner of Bulgaria, in a village deep in the Rhodope Mountains, the virginity of a bride is celebrated with a literal bang. Don't be afraid, you're safe.
Have you heard of body shots? It’s a thing mostly at college parties where the exposed stomach of a partygoer substitutes as the vessel for a shot of alcohol. The same kind of thing happened in medieval Bulgaria, but with a much more macabre twist.
"I am Bulgarian, not English. I only drink coffee, not tea." Some nine years ago, Jonathan Allen, then British ambassador to Bulgaria, made a statement most Bulgarians easily support. And while Ambassador Allen might have gone back to drinking tea, Bulgaria's relationship with this beverage remains somewhat lukewarm.
In the 1500s, the Persian carpets entered the halls of European monarchies by way of the Ottoman empire. Once these pieces of art were laid out on floors in castles across Europe, they stayed for good.
Ask Google "Why is Bulgarian music so good?" and you'll find out that "Bulgarian folk music is unique in Europe for its "asymmetrical" rhythms, where the musical time is not split in even beats, but in longer and shorter." Thanks, Google, but this is only part of the story.
Greek olive oil producers are not worried by numbers showing that Greece is behind the world's top producers in terms of production volume. Quality, not quantity, they say.
Ingredients are everything. But increasingly, the region of origin of what you put in your shopping basket also sells. Now, more Bulgarian producers are looking to stamp the European Commission's coveted Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label on their products.
Can Bulgarian fashion designers make a name for themselves in Europe and beyond? 3Seas Europe sits down with some of the Bulgarian designers determined to create in Bulgaria, no matter the various obstacles.
The office market in Sofia has been spared from the worst impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The feared decline in demand for office space didn't manifest itself but are all threats out of the way?
When it comes to electric cars' popularity in Bulgaria, the numbers don't look impressive yet. But nevertheless, the signs that a shift might be on the way are starting to appear.
While Europe focuses on how long Romania and Bulgaria will be kept on Schengen's waiting list, little attention is paid to its unforeseen effects.
This southeastern Bulgarian city of close to 200,000 residents wasn't voted "Best city to live" for nothing. But Burgas has more to offer than a stroll along the Black Sea and what seems like a never-ending summer music festival program.
If you can't name a single Bulgarian island, there is a good reason for that. Hopefully, that's all about to change.
Sofia, among other capitals and cities across the 3Seas Region, offers some good news in the race for cleaner transport. But a lot still must be done.
Bulgaria sees a notable surge in foreign direct investment in the first half of 2023, with major contributions from the Netherlands, Austria, and Belgium, as reported by the Bulgarian National Bank.
Bulgaria's termination of Lukoil-Neftohim's oil terminal license may ripple through its economy, impacting fuel costs and jeopardizing thousands of jobs.
Two months in advance, Bulgaria achieves 90% fill-rate in Chiren gas storage, outpacing EU targets.
In the first half of 2023, Bulgaria's VMZ recorded an 80% increase in sales, reaching 392 million leva, driven largely by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
This past May, something big happened at a sleepy airport in Balchik, in northeastern Bulgaria. Dronamics, a Bulgarian drone developer dubbed "The World's First Cargo Drone Airline," successfully completed the first flight of the Black Swan, its unmanned aircraft.
Ahead of Varna Day, celebrated on 15 August, 3Seas Europe talks to four local residents about what makes their city so special.
€16 million investment for the expansion of Bulgaria's Chiren gas storage has been approved.
As Bulgaria gears up for eurozone entry in 2025, economic forecasts anticipate a stable shift with limited inflationary effects.
Bulgaria rebounds from early 2023 deficit, reporting a budget surplus of €60.4M in H1 2023, amid increased tax revenues and higher public expenditure.
Bulgarian migrant workers sent back a total of €587 million to their home country in the first five months of 2023
Located at the opposite ends of the three seas region, Bulgaria and Poland are connected in myriad ways. But with new countries competing for attention, are traditional cultural ties still going strong?
435 000 glasses of beer were served per day. That’s a lot of beer!
The Bulgarian National Bank plans to use current coin designs for the Euro, targeting a Eurozone entry by 2025.
A significant upsurge in foreign direct investment, representing a leap from 922.7 million euros during the same period in 2022
Bulgarian passport provides its holders with visa-free entry to 176 countries.
Before peppers came to Hungary, Bulgaria had already made a name for itself as a power to be reckoned with. And while production of locally grown red peppers is down, the Bulgarian pepper refuses to retire.
However, not all sectors saw positive results, with the total reported tax loss increasing by 3.4%
The transition to the new currency entails a transitional period in which the lev and the euro will coexist.
The problems with recruiting ICT specialists are not only a concern for Bulgaria.
With the last decade of Bulgaria's residential real estate market being marked by steady price increases, many buyers remain surprisingly calm. Why? Because they don't plan on taking up a mortgage, to begin with.
European Parliament irritated with Austrian veto on Schengen expansion. Strong accusations have been made.
With Bulgaria banking on the return of tourists to its popular Black Sea Coast, finding a quiet place away from big hotels poses a challenge. And yet, it's doable.
Good News for Romania and Bulgaria: EU Commission is Working Toward Expanding Schengen by the End of Year
Bulgaria has seen a 200% growth in military exports in 2021 and 2022, earning 1.6 billion leva, according to Economy Minister Bogdan Bogdanov.
According to a Eurobarometer poll, 49% of Bulgarians support adopting the euro, while an equal percentage oppose it. Over the last year, support has increased by five points and opposition has dropped similarly.
Bulgarians and Romanians are the two nations that are the least likely in the EU to be absent from work due to sickness, data from Eurostat reveals. Exemplary work ethic? Sadly, the explanation lies elsewhere.
With the world largely considering the COVID-19 pandemic a thing of the past, its effects are still holding back one of Bulgaria's key industries – tourism. Add the war in Ukraine to the equation, and the question arises: will Bulgaria's tourism sector rebound (soon)?
The European Parliament’s Petitions Committee has adopted a resolution urging the Council to allow Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen zone by the end of 2023.
A quick Google search produces promising results: Bulgaria is not lacking in eco-friendly houses. Yet, Bulgarian architects devoted to promoting sustainable architecture say, “Not so fast…”
Bulgaria is not exactly known for its high fashion, and yet, browsing through the offerings of high-end brands in Paris and Milan, the country surely pops up a lot. Especially when it comes to ever-present Made in Bulgaria labels.
Speedtests don't lie. Bulgaria is considered a pioneer in 5G availability and median download speeds in Central and Eastern Europe.
At first sight, Pliska, a town in northeastern Bulgaria with a population of just over 1,000, is exactly what you’d expect from a small town, with its main street housing a few administrative buildings and a coffee shop. And yet, it is not a town like any other. Welcome to Bulgaria’s first capital.
A new high-speed railroad will connect the Bulgarian city of Ruse with Romania’s capital, Bucharest, bringing passengers, trade, and hopes for more positive developments linking the two neighbors.
Used today as the official script of their national languages by some 250 million people around the world, Cyrillic script is particularly celebrated in Bulgaria - and for good reason.
In Balgari, a small village in Bulgaria’s Strandzha Mountains, the air is thick with anticipation. Embers are spread around in a large circle. High above the circle sit icons of the two saints, Constantine and Helena, who are being honored today. The fire dance is about to begin.
For centuries, generations of Bulgarians have resorted to a trove of proverbs and saying with clear negative undertones. Why is their pessimism still around?
Bulgaria hasn’t been blessed with limitless supplies of natural gas, but the country is still looking to play an important role on the gas market.
How long did it take until Bulgaria found its current location in southeastern Europe?
Look closer at this monument in a village in southern Bulgaria, and an inevitable question arises. Why is Prof. John Atanasoff, the American-born scientist credited with the invention of the first electronic digital computer, being honored here of all places?
Dreams of future coastal cruising along the beautiful coast of the Black Sea.
The war in Ukraine is having unexpected effects far and wide. A key source of protein for countries in the Middle East and India, the demand for chickpeas outstripped the supply, with both Russia and Ukraine being among the top producers. Can small players familiar with the crop, like Bulgaria, step up to the challenge?
3Seas Europe's Galina Ganeva sits down with Maria Plachkova, a Ukrainian-born journalist of Bulgarian descent, to talk about the past and, most importantly, the future of the many minorities populating Ukraine.
He was an inventor, an engineer, and an aviator. He inspired thousands of pilots around the world, like astronaut Neal Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon. And yet, Assen Jordanoff, the Bulgarian-American inventor of, among other things, the airbag, is hardly known in his home country.
A Japanese delicacy made its west by inadvertently hopping rides on Europe-bound shipping containers. However, far from a welcome treat, uninvited sea snails have been wreaking havoc in the waters of the Black Sea ever since their arrival.
There are only a handful of countries around the world where Coca-Cola does not reign supreme. Czechia and Slovakia are among them. Meet Kofola, the socialist Coke alternative introduced in the 60s, still holding strong and topping the soft-drink market.
Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city, is always there for you, although it’s easy to miss. A less than two-hour drive to the south from the capital Sofia, Plovdiv is often seen as a city living in the shadow of its mighty neighbor. Big mistake.
Latvia's second-largest city, Daugavpils, is home to the Mark Rothko Art Center, named after one of the most famous artists in the world, who was born in the city in 1903.
Bulgaria and Romania share 609 kilometers of border. And yet, despite the fact that the Danube River forms as many as 470 km of that border, the two countries are linked only by two bridges. Is this about to change?
The founder of the most prestigious awards in journalism was a lifelong rival of William Randolph Hearst. It was this rivalry that set the stage for modern journalism.
Once upon a time, lions roamed parts of the Balkan Peninsula. Excavations show that the last lions were spotted in Bulgaria somewhere around the 3rd or 4th century BC. And while lions were not around to witness the birth of Bulgaria or its struggles, they remain one of the country’s symbols. Why?
Bulgaria is beginning preparations for minting Euro coins, according to an announcement made by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev. The process of replacing the Lev with the common European currency is gaining momentum, at least in the symbolic sphere.
Decades before Anthony Bourdain set out to enlighten a hungry population of would-be food tourists and future foodies about the exotic world of international gastronomy, there was Emil Markov, who was on a mission to bring Bulgarian cuisine to the world.
Bulgaria and wine, it’s serious. So serious that Bulgarians honor Saint Tryphon, patron of vine growers and winemakers, not once but twice a year. But is this enough to help Bulgarian wines conquer demanding markets abroad?
Europe is not called “the old continent” by chance. Civilizations here have spawned for millennia. But three cities in Bulgaria are competing to be Europe’s oldest city.
In the beer-vodka-wine European divide, Bulgaria’s position is clear: Wine, please. While Bulgaria has no shortage of impressive wines based on well-known grapes such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, why not impress your sommelier with knowledge of Bulgaria’s lesser-known varieties?
The 2021 census in Bulgaria confirmed something that most Bulgarians know: the town of Melnik’s spot as one of the smallest towns in Europe is safe.
Can sweeping political changes impact what and how we eat? You bet, argues historian and writer Dr. Albena Shkodrova, author of “Communist Gourmet.”
Bulgarian businesses need more help from foreign workers. As challenges persist, how can Bulgaria fix its labor shortages?
Flying to Bulgaria is easy, but that is not exactly the case when it comes to flying within the country. But work is underway to add six much-needed small facilities to Bulgaria’s minuscule airport network.
Contrary to popular belief, the Airbnb travel model wasn’t invented in the 2000s. Examples of it can be found 60 years earlier with Balkantourist, travel agent in communist Bulgaria.
At the end of January, masked people with countless bells tied around roam the streets in villages across Bulgaria. But despite their scary outfits, locals are not intimidated. These are the Kukeri, and they are here not to scare onlookers but to chase away the evil forces
Navigating the Balkan cuisine and claiming dishes as national is a tricky balancing act. And yet, when it comes to the "most Bulgarian" thing you could eat, we think we may have just found it.
Everyone knows that Christmas is on 25 December. It's just that we can't agree on exactly when 25 December should be. The same is true for movable feasts, such as Easter. And - say - the anniversary of the October Revolution, which falls in November.
The fire by the Christmas table is not meant only for Instagramming: try this Bulgarian fortune-telling Christmas tradition instead.
While the concept of dining in the dark is not novel, in most such restaurants, the point is to have you guessing at what you’re eating, provided you’ve been able to locate your plate first. In Bulgaria, one restaurant takes this a step further to educate.
How modern gardening gave the beginning of the Bulgarian community in Hungary?
The Ruse-Varna railway line, the original final stretch of Europe’s Orient Express, is about to be modernized, benefiting Bulgaria, the EU, and the Three Seas Initiative.
While Bulgaria hasn't exactly been the first country to come to mind when one thinks about the most fertile ground for startups, that is all about to change.
Born Idek Trzmiel in Łódź, Poland, Jack Tramiel was the creator of the Commodore 64, the computer that holds a Guinness World Record for being the best-selling machine of its kind.
At the two opposite ends of Europe, two countries hold the bagpipe in the highest esteem possible. What links Bulgaria and Scotland when it comes to bagpipe music?
Generation after generation of Bulgarians was raised with eyes on the prize: Owning a home. With prices in Bulgaria reaching new heights, has the time come to let go of that dream?
Built in 1744, Sherif Halil Pasha Mosque is preceded in size only by Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, Turkey, on the Balkan Peninsula.
For 22 years now, bears, which were used to act in shows across the Balkans, get a new chance for life in a unique bear sanctuary sponsored by French actress, Brigitte Bardot.
A new permanent exhibition in the city of Shumen will soon tell the story of Bulgaria’s first theater performance in 1856. One issue: Another Bulgarian town claims they got there first.
Over three decades after the fall of communism in 1989, Bulgaria seems to be at a crossroads, with four parliamentary elections in less than two years and forces pulling the country into opposite directions: West and East.
In March 1946, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered a speech declaring the new, post-war division of Europe. His view on the new world order was strict, and a sharp boundary of the Iron Curtain turned out to be one of the most prolific ideas in modern history.
His ideas have been used by the world's biggest car companies. The dashing Bulgarian inventor and entrepreneur Roumen Antonov made waves in the automotive world with his avant-garde ideas and daring technical solutions.
Beautiful lavender fields are the perfect Instagram photo-op. Just pay attention to the location tag: You’re not in the south of France but in Bulgaria. In fact, lavender is so prevalent in Bulgaria that it has been competing with France for years now for the title of top producer.
During Stalinist times, this now-Estonian town evaporated from the map as it turned into a militarized zone and a source of uranium ore for the Soviet nuclear program.
Contestants smeared with oil. Naked torsos. Tight-fitting leather shorts. Are you ready for a traditional oil wrestling competition?
Shumen, in northeastern Bulgaria, is so linked to its cafes - in particular, its main café-lined street - that one of its former mayors floated the idea of applying for an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest café in the world.
The debate about the legacy of socialist residential architecture in Bulgaria, and the need for changing it, is ongoing. Should neighborhoods’ names follow suit?
Polish vodka can be safely claimed by Poles. When it comes to rakija, well… opinions are as divided as there are varieties of this alcoholic drink. Taking into account its unfading fame, it’s no wonder Croatia claims ownership of the best recipe.
For decades in the 20th century, Bulgarians and Romanians, two neighboring nations sharing 609 kilometers of border, knew little of each other. Today, 15 years after the two countries became members of the larger European family, things are changing for the better.
They say the language of love is universal, but sometimes, knowing another language helps. A popular story in Bulgaria tells of an American who fell in love with a Bulgarian woman. Alas, the story doesn’t end in “happily ever after” thanks to confused gestures.
The ancient Thracians, who resided mainly in modern-day Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, left behind a priceless trove of artifacts that are still being unearthed to this day. As the search continues, the question looms: Who will get to them first? Archeologists or treasure hunters?
The results are in, and if you’re a salad lover heading to Bulgaria, you’re up for a treat. In TasteAtlas’s 50 Best Salads ranking, four Bulgarian salads make the cut. Ovcharska (Shepherd's) landed the #1 spot, with Snezhanka and the famous Shopska Salad – also in the top 10.
Centuries-old houses, lush greenery, friendly neighbors. If this is your idea of the average small Bulgarian village, you might be right. But if you want to experience life in one of these villages first-hand, hurry. Because the Bulgarian towns and villages as we know them might be dying out.
In the spiritual center of Bulgaria’s First Kingdom, carved into rock on a cliff 100-meters high, lies a unique representation of a knight on horseback defeating a lion. The monument, known as the Madara Rider, still poses a riddle with regards to what is depicted on it.
Thanks to a combination of the Eastern Bloc’s economic structure, effective export deals, and last but not least, great products, Hungarian bus manufacturer Ikarus was able to dominate the Eastern Bloc’s transportation business - and even some of the West’s, too.
A NASA engineer and inventor who developed heart-monitoring equipment and originated the first-ever digital wristwatch. These are just some of the accomplishments used to describe Bulgarian inventor Petar Petroff. But, before becoming one of the twentieth century's most productive inventors, Petroff led an eventful and adventurous life that few know about.
A new exhibition in Sofia is taking a closer look at six examples of post-war architecture in Bulgaria, from a kindergarten to a planned neighborhood and an airport, with the hope of providing answers and maybe, a whole new perspective.
With two million citizens and a whopping 1.5 thousand kilometers squared, the Silesian Conurbation is a much larger urban area than the Polish capital – Warsaw. It consists of multiple cities that grew to meet each other’s borders.
First, the good news. According to a new study by the Trust for Social Achievement and Alpha Research, the number of Bulgarian Romani with a university degree increased six-fold from 2011 to 2019. Now, the not-so-fast moment: that translates to only 1.2% of Bulgarian Romani.
Who would have guessed that the Damask rose, brought from Persia through Syria to Bulgaria back when the country was part of the Ottoman Empire, would one day acquire cult status? It's so essential that Bulgaria is even called the "Land of Roses." And for good reason.
At first sight, this village near the town of Popovo in northeastern Bulgaria looks like any other village in the area. And yet, it isn't. Welcome to Palamartsa, population 300, including 120 residents from 23 countries. Is this Bulgaria's most diverse village? Possibly.
Economic relations between Three Seas countries and Ukraine before the war were strong compared to other EU countries. This provides a solid foundation on which future relations can be strengthened.
From New York to London to the Middle East, these are all fascinating film locations that can make for a great Hollywood film. But what if I told you that some of Hollywood's most memorable films were actually shot in Bulgaria?
Can consumers and businesses in Bulgaria come together and join forces in fighting food waste? Is it possible to eat delicious food, save money, and eat with a cause? The answer to all of this is yes - because FoodoBox is making it happen.
At the end of March, Poland announced it would halt imports of Russian oil by the end of 2022, and the European Commission followed suit, proposing a ban on 4 May.
Works are in full swing on a High-Speed Rail Network in the heart of Europe.
The number of startups-turned-unicorns from behind the former Iron Curtain is exploding.
Walking a thin line, balancing energy poverty with the fight against climate change.