Bulgarian Heritage

The history of Bulgaria goes back more than 3,000 years. A succession of various civilizations, Thracian, Roman, and Byzantine, the Bulgarian state has existed for 13 centuries now on the Balkan Peninsula, which has long been a meeting place and a melting-pot of tribes and nations. The Bulgarian state was founded in 681 AD, when Slavs and Proto-Bulgarians were brought together under the scepter of the Khan. The conversion of the Bulgarians to Christianity in 865 AD joined Bulgaria to the Christian civilization. The invention of the Cyrillic script in the latter half of the ninth century, during an age when previously only Latin and Greek had been used to write, gave a powerful impetus to the country's cultural development.

In 1185, after a lot of fights with Byzantines, the noble brothers Asen and Peter led a revolt that forced Byzantine recognition of an autonomous Bulgarian state. The Second Bulgarian Empire was centered in today's town of Veliko Turnovo. In 1202 Tsar Kaloian (1197-1207) concluded a final peace agreement with Byzantium that gave Bulgaria full independence, which contributed to the flourish of the Bulgarian culture. After the death of Ivan Asen II, political instability threatened the Bulgarians. Unfortunately in 1396 Bulgaria became the first European state to be absorbed into the Turkish Ottoman Empire; the imposition of a harsh feudal system and the sacking of the monasteries followed. The Turkish Ottoman Empire occupation continued nearly 500 years.

The preparation for the national liberation began in the early '60s under the guidance of Georgi Sava Rakovski (1821 - 1867) and Vassil Levski (1837 - 1873). The War of Liberation (the Russian-Turkish War) regained Bulgaria's freedom in 1878. In 1879 the Constituent Assembly adopted the first constitution of Bulgaria, which was one of the most democratic constitutions of the day. The first decades of the 20th century were years of economic effort and prosperity. Bulgarian goods and Bulgarian currency, the 'Golden Lev', acquired a high value on the European markets. Trade relations with Austria, Germany, France and Great Britain strengthened

Places of Interest:
Bulgarian has 9 World Heritage Sites!

Boyana Church, Sofia
Madara Rider, Shumen
Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo, Rousse
Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak
Ancient City of Nessebar
Pirin National Park, South West Bulgaria
Rila Monastery, Rila Mountains
Srebarna Nature Reserve, North Eastern Bulgaria
Thracian tomb of Sveshtari, Razgrad