The city was cosmopolitan and rather rundown, part Danubian and part post-Ottoman – a place where one could drink a huge Viennese coffee in a brightly lit coffee shop that served both Mitteleuropean cakes and pretzels, and Middle Eastern kataifi and baklava.
The duo noticed a unusual large black animal lurking behind some bushes, and quickly retreating after it noticed the humans. Crucially, one of them managed to get hold of a smartphone and made a short video of the event.
1. What is depicted on the tails of the Bulgarian euro cents?
A. A lion
B. The Madara Rider
C. A coat of arms
2. Which UNESCO World Heritage Site is closest to Sofia?
A. Boyana Church
B. Srebarna Lake
C. Rila Monastery
3. What is the Bulgarian for "yellow cheese"?
A. Krastavitsa
B. Kapama
C. Kashkaval
When all Bulgarians start spending their summer holidays on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, then we will have enough money to raise doctors' wages.
Boyko Borisov, leader of GERB
Bulgaria's next big goal is to become the richest country in the Balkans.
Denitsa Sacheva, GERB, on Bulgaria's planned adoption of the euro on 1 January 2026
It will become increasingly difficult to lie to the EU about what is actually going on in Bulgaria.
A look into its history will reveal why. Though it has medieval origins, after the 1878 liberation from the Ottomans the village was populated by ethnic Bulgarian immigrants from the Banat, now in Romania, Hungary and Serbia. The Bulgarians, offspring of the refugees from the failed Chiprovtsi Uprising two centuries previously. They were joined by a number of German families, who set up their own telltale quarter replete with a school and a Roman Catholic church. All of them were forced to resettle in the German Reich in the 1930s, leaving their houses and belongings behind.
The practice of purchasing icons as a means to reduce traffic accidents started under Kiril Petkov's government. Its interior minister actually approved the purchase of Ascension of the Christ icons.
Interior Minister Daniel Mitov on why the government planned to buy thousands of icons to distribute among drivers to prevent traffic accidents
The rot consuming the Interior Ministry runs deep.
Kostadin Kostadinov, Vazrazhdane, or Revival, on the death of a suspect in custody
Situated in the heart of what is probably Bulgaria's best farming land, it has a rich history of which... almost no material heritage remains. Everything was constructed anew in the 1960s and 1970s: brutalist office buildings, prefabricated housing estates, the inevitable megalomaniacal hotel and some rally-friendly squares paved with slippery slabs that seem to be in constant need of repair. But do take your time.
1. Bulgaria's most densely populated urban area is…
A. Sofia
B. Vidin
C. Vratsa
2. Where is Bulgaria's best preserved ancient Roman stadium?
A. Plovdiv
B. Burgas
C. Melnik
3. Which river that springs in Bulgaria is the longest in the Balkans?
A. The Iskar
B. The Struma
C. The Maritsa
In Antiquity and onwards the area developed as a thriving centre for mining lead, iron, silver, gold and copper. As it happened, one of the first Bulgarian rebellions against the Ottomans originated here, in the 17th century. It was organised and led exclusively by Roman Catholics, the main religious group in the area. Today the town's main claim to fame is the local carpet weaving craft.
It wouldn't be that chaotic if I were the organiser.
Ekaterina Yordanova, GERB, who, according to some reports, was behind the protest of public transit drivers in Sofia
It's simple. The boy is incapable of doing anything properly. In two years, he hasn't solved a single issue – garbage, traffic gams, anything.
Boyko Borisov, GERB, on Sofia's mayor, Vasil Terziev
All the most 'capable' people of GERB can do is to punish the people of Sofia.