Issue 109

HOW MANY BRIDGES CONNECT BULGARIA AND ROMANIA OVER THE DANUBE?

DimanaT — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 11:38:55 +0000

HOW MANY BRIDGES CONNECT BULGARIA AND ROMANIA OVER THE DANUBE?

by Bozhidara Georgieva

DimanaT Thu, 11/05/2015 - 13:38

Think you know Bulgaria and the Bulgarians? Take our test to doublecheck

1. Which of these cities is named after a Bulgarian ruler?
A. Omurtag
B. Shumen
C. Razgrad

2. What is the denomination of the new coin which goes into circulation on 2 December?
A. 5 leva
B. 2 leva
C. 3 leva

3. Baykusheva Mura, Bulgaria's oldest tree, is in which mountain?
A. The Rila
B. The Rhodope
C. The Pirin

4. Which Bulgarian sports star is dubbed Grisho?
A. Tennis player Grigor Dimitrov
B. Footballer Hristo Stoytchkov
C. Chess player Veselin Topalov

5. Where in Bulgaria is the Museum for Humour and Satire?
A. In Gotse Delchev
B. In Sofia
C. In Gabrovo

6. Which party won the local elections in Sofia?
A. BSP
B. The Reform Block
C. GERB

7. Which food is not a staple in Bulgarian streets in autumn?
A. Roasted chestnuts
B. Roasted pumpkin
C. Fried fish

8. How many bridges connect Bulgaria and Romania over the Danube?
A. One
B. Two
C. None

9. What is the Bulgarian name of Einkorn wheat?
A. Limets
B. Luytenitsa
C. Luybenitsa

The correct answers to the questions: 1. – A; 2. – B; 3. – C; 4. – A; 5. – C; 6. – C; 7. – C; 8. – B; 9. – A.

Issue 109

BULGARIA'S MONTHLY QUIZ

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BEST VILLAGE CHURCHES IN BULGARIA

DimanaT — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 11:06:31 +0000

BEST VILLAGE CHURCHES IN BULGARIA

by Dimana Trankova; photography by Anthony Georgieff

DimanaT Thu, 11/05/2015 - 13:06

Countryside abounds with lesser known temples carrying genuine spiritual atmosphere

Some are centuries old, with mediaeval murals and strong stone walls untouched by time. Others are the result of the revival of the Bulgarian national consciousness in villages that were once lively but are now inhabited mainly by tourists. Many are at village centres while others are remote from any inhabited place, the sole remnant of some long forgotten monastery, or a village submerged by some dam.

What unites all the churches of rural Bulgaria is their genuine atmosphere of spirituality, and the presence, prayers, hopes, tragedies and happiness of generations of people who have left their invisible marks on the worn-down thresholds and peeling murals, on the smoke-blackened frescoes and iconostases, the tombstones and the legends and stories surrounding the churches.

You do not need to be a believer to feel it. All you have to do is to venture off the beaten track, and discover the discreet charm of Bulgaria's village churches.

Assumption Chapel, Borovo
Where: The Northern Rhodope
When: 2000s

Borovo village is the last inhabited place before one of Bulgaria's most famed religious sites – Krastova Gora, or Cross Mount. Since the early 1900s, people have been visiting the 1,413-metre high peak in the belief that a chunk of the Holy Cross is buried there, prompting miracles to occur from time to time. Sadly, the aggregation of new, soul-less churches and chapels in the area is a drawback for any non-religious or aesthetically fastidious visitor. The Assumption Chapel, on a slope outside the complex and visible from Borovo village, is a bit of a compensation. It is as new and as ugly as the churches on Krastova Gora, but its location atop a hill surrounded by towering mountains turns it into a place that, when looked at from a safe distance, inspires spirituality.

St Archangel Michael, Balgarevo
Where: Northeastern Bulgaria
When: 1896

Balgarevo is a village inhabited by one of this country's most intriguing minorities – the Gagauz, who speak an archaic version of the Turkish language, but are devout Christians. There are two churches in Balgarevo. Ss Peter and Paul was built in 1901, but recently underwent a restoration so severe that its old character has been completely destroyed. From the outside, the 1896 St Archangel Michael is not that imposing, but its dark interior and humble icons and furnishings make it a quiet, moving place that inspires a spiritual journey, at least for a couple of minutes.
The third house of prayer in Balgarevo is more eccentric. The village priest has built a whole new religious complex, the St Catherine monastery, in the yard of his own family house.

St Dimitar, Brashlyan
Where: The Strandzha
When: 17th Century

Low and half-dug into the ground, the church of Strandzha's best known traditional village is remarkable for its connection with, of all things, paganism. St Dimitar was built on the site of an ancient Thracian sanctuary to Dionysus, and the builders did not hesitate to use parts of the ancient temple for the Christian shrine. The base and the head of a marble column were turned into chandeliers, and the altar, with an ancient inscription to the old god, ended up as an altar to Christ. Sadly, due to the rules of the Eastern Orthodoxy, no layman – and especially no laywoman – can enter the altar doors and see the reused altar.

St Dimitar, Boboshevo
Where: Western Bulgaria
When: 15th Century

From the outside, the former monastery church appears unassuming – its unimpressive architecture is hardly enhanced by an ugly 19th Century narthex. But once inside, you will forget this: the western side of the original structure is covered with frescoes, dominated by the figures of Christ and the church's patron saint, St Dimitar, on horseback. Around them, there is a pandemonium of Doomsday saints, devils and sinners. More murals await in the church itself, including a sponsor's inscription that dates the frescoes in 1488. The paintings cover every square centimetre, and include some intriguing scenes, like Judas hanged under a table where two Pharisees count the infamous 30 pieces of silver.

St Nicholas, Gumoshtnik
Where: Central Stara Planina, near Sevlievo
When: 1839

Gumoshtnik is one of those quiet villages in the Stara Planina where few people live and tourists visit only occasionally. Two centuries ago, it was the opposite – Gumoshtnik had enough inhabitants to justify the building of a large church a few years after the Ottomans permitted new Christian places of worship to be erected. St Nicholas was decorated by the best icon-painters and woodcarvers in the region, and soon after its consecration a school was opened next to it to provide basic but much needed education to the local children. The murals and the woodcarvings are still there, the school is now a museum, and the churchyard is filled with lush grass and old tombstones. Most of the few visitors, however, visit St Nicholas for another reason – the small obelisk erected to the memory of eight young men from Gumoshtnik who perished with the Titanic in 1912.

St Nicholas, Kovachevitsa
Where: Southwestern Bulgaria
When: 1840s

The whitewashed four-storey belfry of St Nicholas looks almost Mediterranean, but the church and the village that it belongs to are deep in the western Rhodope. St Nicholas was built at an important moment for the people of Kovachevitsa – they were already rich and numerous enough to replace their previous chapel with a new, modern church with fine murals. St Nicholas soon became the centre of village life, and in the following decades a school and a community centre appeared next to it. Things went quiet after the Communists took over in 1944. The once vital local economy was killed off by nationalisation and most young people moved to the cities. In the 1970s and 1980s, Bulgarian moviemakers discovered Kovachevitsa's intact old architecture made a great set for historical dramas, and tourism boomed. In spite of this, Kovachevitsa – and its church – remain quiet most of the time.

St Paraskeva, Leshten
Where: Southwestern Bulgaria
When: 1837

While Kovachevitsa was the home of the rich, the nearby village of Leshten was inhabited by poor but dextrous itinerant masons. Interestingly, they managed to build their own church devoted to St Paraskeva years before their rich neighbours in Kovachevitsa erected St Nicholas. St Paraskeva is small, domed and prettily perched on a slope amid the beautiful local houses, looking out at a vista of the Pirin. In the early 2010s, it suffered great damage in a fire, but was eventually restored and is again welcoming visitors, who arrive at Leshten mainly to enjoy the village's old architecture, beautiful landscapes and excellent food.

St John, near Potsarnentsi
Where: Near Pernik
When: 14th Century

Small and made of roughly hewn stones, the church of St John used to be the heart of Pchelintsi village, preserving frescoes from the 16th Century and the memories of generations of people. It all ended in the 1970s, when Pchelina Dam was constructed above the village. Only the church, located on a hill, was spared from the flood. Today, it is one of the most photogenic sites in the area. Visit any weekend, and you will find at least a couple of others who have come to sit on the old bench by the door of the church and to enjoy the magnificent views of the nearby hills and the reservoir.

Holy Mother of Christ, Shiroka Laka
Where: The Rhodope
When: 1834-1835

The 1830s were times of significant changes in the mountainous community of Shiroka Laka. Reforms in the Ottoman Empire eased the procedure for the building of new non-Muslim places of worship, and the people were more than eager to pray in their own church. Their enthusiasm is reflected in a local story, which says the whole village participated in the building of the Holy Mother of Christ Church, which was finished in only 40 days. A year later, they founded a school beside it, followed through the decades by a belfry, a secondary school and a community hall. Today, the complex around the church is one of the major sights of Shiroka Laka.

St Ivan of Rila, Sennik
Where: Central Stara Planina, near Sevlievo
When: 1914-1919

Built during the Great War and at a time of significant hardship for the Bulgarians, St Ivan of Rila is nevertheless imposing. It sits on the top of a hill and is visible from afar, a fine example of early 20th Century religious architecture. Moreover, it has two rare features. In 1920, the church was adorned with a clockwork mechanism that still tells the time while, twenty years later, Sennik's most famous native was buried in the churchyard. Born in 1892, Dan Koloff emigrated to the United States in 1909 and became a famous wrestler, winning several international championships. When his career ended, he returned to his native Sennik and donated all of his money to charities, before his early death from consumption.

High Beam is a series of articles, initiated by Vagabond Magazine, with the generous support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation, that aims to provide details and background of places, cultural entities, events, personalities and facts of life that are sometimes difficult to understand for the outsider in the Balkans. The ultimate aim is the preservation of Bulgaria's cultural heritage – including but not limited to archaeological, cultural and ethnic diversity. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the America for Bulgaria Foundation and its partners.

Issue 109 America for Bulgaria Foundation Rural Bulgaria Bulgarian art Bulgarian architecture Revival Period

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PECULIARITIES OF VRATSA

DimanaT — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 10:59:50 +0000

PECULIARITIES OF VRATSA

by Dimana Trankova; photography by Anthony Georgieff

DimanaT Thu, 11/05/2015 - 12:59

Once thriving Balkan range town retains beauty despite economic downturn

Built in the 16th Century as a last refuge against brigands, this tower was turned into a clock-tower in the 19th Century

In Bulgaria, there is only one museum besides the archaeology and national history ones in Sofia where you can see a great Thracian treasure in its (almost) full ancient glory. No, this museum is not in Varna, nor in Plovdiv or Stara Zagora.

We know this is hard, so here is a hint. This city is the only one in Bulgaria with a display of late-19th Century carriages and other horse-drawn vehicles. It is also the only one with a monument of Hristo Botev, perhaps Bulgaria's best-known poet, which was removed because it was seen as insufficiently Socialist by one of the country's Stalinist dictators.

This city is also the largest in Bulgaria's North-West, the poorest region of the EU, a place of soaring unemployment and mass emigration in search of a better life elsewhere.

Today, Vratsa is known mainly because of this last characteristic. This hardly sounds appealing for tourists, who generally seek happier destinations, but it actually makes Vratsa one of the most rewarding hidden treasures of Bulgaria. Here, nature, history, architecture and stories combine in a way that is hard to equal or to forget. The closing of a major chemical plant in the city in 2003, for example, was a heavy blow for the scores of workers made redundant, but it dramatically improved the levels of pollution, making the region better for green tourism.

The monument to poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev is the focus of local life

Vratsa is a hidden treasure, not only metaphorically. The city is the home of the Rogozen Treasure. Discovered in the 1980s, it consists of 160-plus vessels of silver with gilt and is the biggest Thracian hoard ever found in Bulgaria. Unlike other significant treasures, such as that of Panagyurishte, the bulk of the Rogozen Treasure was not sent to the exhibitions of the larger museums in Sofia. Instead, it is on display in a darkened, guarded and humidity controlled hall in the history museum of Vratsa. There, it shares the space with other astonishing objects of ancient Thracian gold smithery: a beautiful gold wreath that was buried with a young lady, and a grieve of gold and silver, depicting the tattooed face of the Thracian Great Goddess on the kneecap.

Near the museum two massive defensive towers are preserved, a rarity in Bulgaria. They were built in the 16th-17th centuries to protect the locals from the raids of bandits who terrorised this corner of the Ottoman Empire.

The fact that Vratsa attracted the attention of robbers in those times shows that the city was rich enough. Indeed, exploitation of the copper mines in the area began as early as the 2nd Millennium BC, and in the centuries that followed Thracians and Romans, Bulgarians and Ottomans made use of the deposits of copper, lead, zinc, silver and gold. The mines remained active well into the collapse of Communism and the planned economy in the 1990s. Today production has all but ceased.

The carriages in the Sofroniy Vrachanski Ethnographic Complex are yet another remnant from the times when Vratsa and the words "economic prosperity" could appear in the same sentence without raising an eyebrow. They were produced by a local entrepreneur from the 1880s, and reached international markets in the early 1900s. The business was killed not by automobiles, but by the Communists, who nationalised it soon after 1944.

Vratsa is located where the Stara Planina and the Danubian Plain meet, in a stunningly beautiful area

The natural environment around Vratsa trumps even its historic landmarks. Located at the end of a once busy, but now forgotten pass over the Stara Planina, the city is set amid a number of stunning places to explore.

The rising cliffs of the Vratsata, or The Gate, Pass form forbidding walls that rise up to 400m, and are among the best for rock-climbing in Bulgaria. About 140 tracks and 400 rock-climbing routes with different levels of difficulty criss-cross the area. The pass leads to the Ledenika Cave, whose ten "halls" are packed with stalactites and stalagmites. One of the "halls" has acoustics so good that the Vratsa philharmonic orchestra has concerts there, but another curiosity has made Ledenika a name familiar across Bulgaria. A few years ago, a collection of kitschy statues of wild animals and fairy tale heroes appeared at the entrance to the cave – an offence against good taste financed by the EU's Regional Development programme.

Beyond the Vratsata Pass, there is more. The Ponora Cave, near Chiren village, is one of the biggest water caves in the Balkans. It is 3 km long, and is submerged by an underground river.
Above ground, two waterfalls tumble down the cliffs near Vratsa. Visible from the centre of the city, the Skaklya Waterfall is 141m high, the highest non-constantly running waterfall in Bulgaria. Borov Kamak Waterfall is only 63m high, but you will find it flowing all year round. It is accessible via a pleasant tourist path.

Vratsata Pass is a heaven for rock climbers

A peak near Vratsa blends the stunning natural landscape with a tragic story.

In 1876, Vratsa became one of the centres for the preparation of a major revolt against the Sultan. Unexpectedly, this revolt, later called the April Uprising, broke out in Central Bulgaria a few days before the date set. When the news reached Vratsa, it was already too late for the clandestine revolutionary organisation to take up arms – the uprising was already being crushed, and there was a significant Ottoman army presence in the city.

Vratsa remained quiet.

A few weeks later, however, poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev crossed the Danube with a group of armed men and headed for Vratsa. His aim was to reach the city and re-ignite the uprising there, but the local revolutionaries had already witnessed the brutal suppression of the April Uprising, and were reluctant to join Botev. The poet led his men up into the mountains, and was killed in battle in the locality of Okolchitsa, near Vola Peak. In a few days, most of his followers were also dead.

In 1901, a monument was built on Vola Peak, a giant cross that looms over the plain. Today, groups of Bulgarians commemorate these events by retracing the route of Botev and his men, all the way from their landing at Kozloduy to their end at Okolchitsa.

A memorial of Botev on Vola Peak, near the place he died, in 1876

The first monument in Vratsa to Botev appeared even earlier. In 1890, a Romantic-style bronze statue was erected on the very spot in the city centre where, in 1876, the Ottomans piled up the severed heads of the fallen revolutionaries. In 1955, Stalinist dictator Valko Chervenkov visited the town, and thought the monument was bad. The statue was taken down and replaced by a substitute bust that remained there until 1964, when a new bronze monument, in line with the new Socialist aesthetics, was erected. Ironically, at that time, Chervenkov had been all but forgotten, outwitted by Todor Zhivkov.

The 1964 statue is still in the centre of Vratsa. For decades, the original one had been moved around the city, until it finally ended up in the history museum.The Great Goddess of the Thracians stares at you from this priceless grieve, in Vratsa's Museum of History

High Beam is a series of articles, initiated by Vagabond Magazine, with the generous support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation, that aims to provide details and background of places, cultural entities, events, personalities and facts of life that are sometimes difficult to understand for the outsider in the Balkans. The ultimate aim is the preservation of Bulgaria's cultural heritage – including but not limited to archaeological, cultural and ethnic diversity. The statements and opinionsexpressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the America for Bulgaria Foundation and its partners.

Issue 109 America for Bulgaria Foundation Museums Bulgaria Revival Period Monuments Hristo Botev Famous Bulgarians

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STONED RHODOPE

DimanaT — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 10:51:31 +0000

STONED RHODOPE

by Dimana Trankova; photography by Anthony Georgieff

DimanaT Thu, 11/05/2015 - 12:51

Wonders of nature inspire local lore and awe

Stone Mushrooms near Beli Plast

Traditional architecture and music, great food, and mystic landscapes: the Rhodope, the mountain range that covers a significant part of the south of Bulgaria, is cherished by nature lovers for many a reason. Its strange rock formations are one of them.

The Rhodope is geologically ancient, and has been around for long enough to allow nature to create a number of stunning gorges, caves and rock phenomena. Some of them require an investment of time and effort from the modern visitor, like the so-called Petrified Forest, near Raven Village in the Tatul area. This phenomenon is 20-odd scattered yellowish logs still standing in a deep ravine. About 30 million years old, they are the calcified remains of a prehistoric forest that was engulfed by the eruption of a volcano. Some even claim that you can see the annual growth rings in the logs. This interesting site, however, is not clearly marked. To find it, it is better to ask for assistance from one of the villagers.

Petrified Forest is hard to find and not that spectacular, but makes for a nice trek

The Rock Window also requires walking on a path that is not clearly signposted. Located near Krushka and Golyama Bara villages, in the Kardzhali area, it is a rock bridge 10m high, 15m long and 7m wide, formed by the waters of the Kostinsko Dere river.

One of the most popular rock phenomenon in the Rhodope is the Vkamenena Svatba, or the Petrified Wedding, which is easy to access. Close to Kardzhali, near the village of Zimzelen, it is beside the road. The wind and water have carved the soft volcanic rock into a group of white conical columns. Among them, two reddish pillars stand out. According to legend, these are the petrified remains of a bride and groom. The white stones around them are the rest of the wedding party.

This is the story of how they all froze into eternity and into legend – while the wedding party was descending the slope on its way to the home of the groom, a gust of wind lifted the veil covering the bride's face. The father-in-law saw the beauty of the bride and an unholy passion overtook him. Enraged by this breach of decency, God turned everyone to stone.

Petrified Wedding, near Kardzhali

Nearby, close to Beli Plast village, stands a group of stone mushrooms. The most spectacular of this "species" rise up to 2.5 m. This phenomenon is the result of underwater volcanic activity, combined with erosion when the sea, where the Rhodope now is, withdrew. The Stone Mushrooms are also easily accessible by car.

Farther to the west, by the village of Zabardo, you will find a phenomenon so magnificent that the locals have named it Chudninte Mostove, or the Wondrous Bridges. Among the dense green pine forests at the foot of Golyam Persenk Peak (2,091 metres above sea level), rise two huge arches of white marble.

The larger of the bridges is almost 100 metres long, 15 metres wide and the highest of its three arches rises to 45 metres. The second bridge is 60 metres long and 30 metres high. There is a third, smaller bridge, which ends in a cave. The rocks are about 600 million years old and once formed an enormous cave with an underground river. The river is now a small stream.

The Wondrous Bridges, near Zabardo village

According to legend, the arches were created by a dragon. The monster did not eat humans, but its appetite for sheep was insatiable and one day the people of Zabardo decided that they had had enough. They loaded a donkey with tinder, set the tinder on fire, and rushed it to the dragon's den. The dragon was delighted, and devoured the "Trojan" donkey without giving it a second thought. It was too late when the dragon felt the fire burning inside him. He rushed towards the stream and dug himself into the ground, but he could not extinguish the fire and died. His giant corpse, buried in the ground, finally rotted and disappeared. The marble arches of the Wondrous Bridges are the only trace left of him.

In the course of the millennia, people did not only marvel at – and tell legends about – the strangely shaped rock formations of the Rhodope. They also venerated them as manifestations of divine powers. A number of rocky peaks and plateaus in the mountains were sanctuaries of the ancient Thracians, like the rock city of Perperikon and the shrines at Tatul and Golyamo Bivolyane. Even today, the modern imagination is eager to see in the strangely-shaped rocks of the Rhodope human faces and animals, such as snakes, turtles and even crocodiles. The most popular site of these "rock menageries" is near Dolno Dryanovo village, in the western Rhodope.

The ancient Thracians used odd Rhodope rocks for their sanctuaries, like Kovan Kaya, near Dolno Cherkovishte village (above) and Belintash near Asenovgrad (bellow)

High Beam is a series of articles, initiated by Vagabond Magazine, with the generous support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation, that aims to provide details and background of places, cultural entities, events, personalities and facts of life that are sometimes difficult to understand for the outsider in the Balkans. The ultimate aim is the preservation of Bulgaria's cultural heritage – including but not limited to archaeological, cultural and ethnic diversity. The statements and opinionsexpressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the America for Bulgaria Foundation and its partners.

Issue 109 America for Bulgaria Foundation The Rhodope Nature Natural phenomenon Archaeology Bulgaria

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THE UNBULGARIANS TRAVEL AROUND BULGARIA, END IN SOFIA

DimanaT — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 10:39:50 +0000

THE UNBULGARIANS TRAVEL AROUND BULGARIA, END IN SOFIA

by Bozhidara Georgieva

DimanaT Thu, 11/05/2015 - 12:39

As news about asylum-seekers trying to enter the EU continues to be hot throughout Europe, the UnBulgarians exhibition has concluded its peregrinations around Bulgaria. The project showcases the personal stories of foreigners living in the country.

It was organised by the Free Speech International Foundation and the Multi Kulti Collective, supported by the Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein NGO Programme under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area.

The UnBulgarians show the "Bulgarian life" of people from New Zealand to the United States, from Russia to India, and from Peru to Japan, but also of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Sub-Saharan Africa, asking thought-provoking questions about multiculturalism, tolerance and national identity.

It opened to considerable interest in Veliko Tarnovo, on 8 October, at Debut Hall of the Rafael Mihailov Art Gallery, and then travelled on to Varna, where it opened on 13 October at the Radio Varna Gallery.

Sofia was the last stop in the Bulgarian trip of The UnBulgarians. The exhibition was the inspiration behind a public discussion on xenophobia and migration that took place on 20 October, at the Vivacom Art Hall. Later in the evening, the same venue hosted the opening of the exhibition. The event attracted an international crowd of over 200 that included intellectuals, journalists, people interested in the topic, and top diplomats including the ambassadors of Turkey, Israel, Denmark and Morocco. Some of the UnBulgarians were also in attendance.

The ambassador of one of the donor countries of the project, Norway's Guro Katharina Vikør, as well as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' representative in Bulgaria Roland-François Weil and Georgi Stoychev, the director of the Open Society Institute, spoke at the opening. They focused on the role of UnBulgarians in the creation of a stable multicultural society with foreigners, refugees and minorities in it. Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva sent in an official letter.

On 16 November, The UnBulgarians will be presented in Strasbourg, as a part of the Bulgarian chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

For more details, the complete photo project and the stories of the participants, visit www.multikulti.bg/unbulgarians/

The exhibition in Veliko Tarnovo

Nick and Nicky Kinson, participants in the project, at the Veliko Tarnovo opening

Elitsa Videnova, director of Radio Varna, opens the exhibition

The UnBulgarians' opening at Varna

The Sofia opening attracted more than 200 visitors

The opening was attended by Süleyman Gökçe, Ambassador of Turkey (third from left), Christian Kønigsfeldt, Ambassador of Denmark (fourth from left) and Latifa Akharbach, Ambassador to Morocco (sixth from left)

Georgi Stoychev, the director of the Open Society Institute, Sofia

The UnBulgarians photographer Anthony Georgieff at the Sofia opening, with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' representative in Bulgaria Roland-François Weil, the Ambassador of Norway Guro Katharina Vikør and husband (from left)

UnBulgarian Zoë Holliday, Sofia

UnBulgarian Rory Miller, Sofia

UnBulgarian Dmitry Yagodin, Sofia

Issue 109

BULGARIA ART

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WHAT IS MUZEIKO?

DimanaT — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 10:32:44 +0000

WHAT IS MUZEIKO?

by Dimana Trankova; photography by Yulian Hristov

DimanaT Thu, 11/05/2015 - 12:32

America for Bulgaria Foundation grants children high-tech science museum

Most museums in Bulgaria are still stuck somewhere in the 1970s in terms of the organisation of exhibits, captions layout, photography policy and the content of gift shops. In recent years this has started to change with places like the Stara Zagora's history museum and the Pliocene museum at Dorkovo village, in the Rhodope.

The most ambitious and creative newcomer is Muzeiko, the first museum in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe specifically designed and built for children. Located in Sofia's Students Town, Muzeiko is the brainchild of the America for Bulgaria Foundation that invested $21 million in the project.

Muzeiko is not just a museum. It is a scientific centre that amalgamates the main fields of science. When children venture on its three brightly lit, colourful floors, they have their first look through a telescope or at the plants in a space hothouse, discover how much they would weigh on Mars. They get a concept of what energy is and learn about the geological and archaeological past of the planet. They get to see how earthquakes and volcanos work, and make their first steps in meteorology. There is much more, of course, as Muzeiko has 130 scientific games in 12 permanent and one travelling thematic exhibitions.

Connecting the three floors of the building, Muzeiko's crazy tree also connects different fields in science, from archaeology to space exploration

Muzeiko is for kids between four and 12, and follows the philosophy of learning through play and interactive activities. A visit in the centre can take between two hours and a whole day.
The building's concept and its design are by Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership Team (LHSA+DP), an American bureau specialising in children's museums. The building is "green" – it generates its own electricity, collects rainwater and uses geothermal energy for heating. Dozens of Bulgarian scientists, educators and designers contributed in the creation of the exhibition.

A splendid organic food café and a well-stocked gift shop complement the picture of what is arguably Bulgaria's best modern museum.

Muzeiko is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. It is located is at 3 Professor Boyan Kamenov St. You can plan your visit on www.muzeiko.com.

Members of the board of America for Bulgaria Foundation, from left: Joseph Borgatti, Marshall Miller, Stephen Fillo, Melanie Kirkpatrick, Michael Dunn, Lynn Daft, Nancy Schiller, Chris Matlon, Valentin Braykov, Gary MacDougal and Carl Pforzheimer

The exhibits and games explain complex concepts of science and life in ways kids will understand and remember

Structure of DNA, ready to reveals its secrets to young visitors

Lynn Daft, Chairman of the Board of Directors, speaks during Muzeiko's inauguration

Muzeiko's architecture comprises of three symbolical "mountains," covered with wood, cloth and ceramics, representing the three traditional Bulgarian crafts: woodcarving, embroidering and painted ceramics

Issue 109 America for Bulgaria Foundation Museums Bulgaria

VAGABOND FEATURES

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EXPAT CAPITAL

DimanaT — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 10:30:37 +0000

EXPAT CAPITAL

interview and photography by Anthony Georgieff

DimanaT Thu, 11/05/2015 - 12:30

Nikolay Vassilev, investment banker and former government minister on pros and cons of private banking in Bulgaria

Expat Capital is the largest independent Bulgarian company for managing individual investment accounts. It manages three mutual funds and over 500 clients with their personal portfolios of financial instruments. Expat Capital is the brainchild of Nikolay Vassilev, who was minister in two governments in the 2000s. Vassilev, who had been an investment banker before he took up politics, has now made full circle.

I would describe Expat as the alternative to the traditional saving methods in the country. We operate by following the model of the large investment banks in Zurich and London, and we also provide an approved and secure manner of long-term personal savings and family wealth management through opportunities for greater security, profitability and control. Via their Expat accounts, the investors can control and manage the different investments as they always have full information and reporting.

What differentiates Expat Capital from ordinary Bulgarian banks?

In Bulgaria, deposit accounts are the widespread form of "investing" and saving. In Western Europe and North America, however, the average citizens amass their family wealth in personal investment accounts rather than in banks, thus participating in mutual or pension funds, or by holding individual investment portfolios managed by professional managers at investment companies.

The money in the deposit accounts of the commercial banks behaves in a completely different pattern than the money in the investment accounts under the licensed investment managers' control. The banks usually take deposits and then inject them back in the economy as credits. Under normal conditions, the well managed and well capitalised banks offer interest rates slightly above the inflation rate.

If an individual is seeking higher yields, maybe it is time for them to consider alternative means of investing. That is exactly what we offer. In our opinion, the long-term savings of the individuals should be in the financial markets where a large part of people's savings around the world are.

What is the difference between an individual investment account and a traditional savings account?

Most of the people who live abroad, regardless of their earnings, entrust their personal wealth to specialised firms which are far more prepared to react upon the changing economic and market conditions. In our country, there are very few asset management companies that offer quality level or scale of the service provided that is comparable to the Western models for long term active individual portfolio management. We compose an individual strategy for each client and we also seek to build a long-term relationship with them. Often whole families or a few generations of a single family are our clients.

We aim to offer our customers better diversification for their savings. Due to objective reasons, usually a Bulgarian client would have a strong concentration of Bulgarian political and economic risk: their business, family occupation, homes and, most probably, a large part of their assets are based in Bulgaria. That is why it is recommendable for the family savings not to be influenced by the domestic environment whatsoever. Thus, our strategy is to invest primarily in foreign instruments.

We are in partnership relations with numerous foreign brokers and banks so that we can trade and hold different asset classes from throughout the world for our clients. During a period of very low interest rates, the individual investment account may gain returns times above the annual deposit interest rates in euro offered by stable banks. The investor has full information and control of what is being invested in and also has immediate liquidity. All instruments in the portfolio can be immediately sold in the global financial markets.

What are Expat's major advantages?

Security, profitability, control. These are the three stepstones on which we build our client relationships.
When one has a problem with their heart or kidneys, they seek the best doctors they can possibly trust. When it comes to their money, however, one is utterly mistrustful and even prefers to hold the scalpel on their own. We all think that we know best about football, politics and investing. It is quite sensible to refer to asset management companies where professionals, equipped with technologies and software, perform serous analyses and compose their own monitoring and grading systems on a daily basis. We regularly observe hundreds of stocks and bonds from throughout the world and are capable of timely recognition and reaction upon the changing market conditions.

Who is Nikolay Vassilev?

Nikolay Vassilev has been Managing Partner at the investment company Expat Capital since 2009. Before joining the private sector, he took part in two consecutive governments (2001-2009) as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications, and Minister of State Administration.

Before coming back to Bulgaria, Vassilev worked in the areas of equities and emerging markets as Senior Vice President at Lazard Capital Markets, London; Associate Director of UBS in their Tokyo, New York and London offices; Tax Consultant at Coopers & Lybrand, Budapest.

Nikolay Vassilev studied Economics and Finance in Hungary, the Unites States and Japan. He has the Chartered Financial Analyst qualification. He speaks English, Hungarian and Russian, and has basic knowledge of French, German and Japanese.

Issue 109

BULGARIA INTERVIEWS

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'RUSSOPHILES' VERSUS 'RUSOPHOBES'?

DimanaT — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 13:56:57 +0000

'RUSSOPHILES' VERSUS 'RUSOPHOBES'?

by Christopher Buxton

DimanaT Tue, 11/03/2015 - 15:56

Bulgarians' love-hate relationship with Russia analysed

Let us imagine that back in the 1970s I had two pupils who shared a desk – Ruska Filova and Rilka Russofobska. Ruska Filova studied Bulgarian philology at university and came to appreciate the superiority of the Slavic soul. Inflamed by her love of Russian culture, she became a teacher in a provincial town. She now endures low pay and complains that her pupils no longer behave. Rilka Russofobska studied English philology and now lives and works in the big city. They are both my friends on Facebook, and both now are engaged in a relentless war of words. Their sniping is reflected in myriad exchanges and shares by their similarly divided compatriots. Ruska Filova writes in capital letters. Rilka Russofobska relies more on patronising wit. As recipients of an exceptional education, both base all their positions on "incontrovertible facts."

To understand these positions, we have to examine the narratives that lie behind them. Ruska Filova repeats the narrative she learnt at school in the 1970s. Bulgaria – the oldest civilisation in the world – was doomed to fall under the "Turkish Yoke" for 500 horrible years. They were rescued from barbaric slavery and "genocide" by the heroic self-sacrifice of the Russians. And in 1944, Russia again had to step in to rescue Bulgaria from an oppressive pro-German "fascist" government and usher in a period of Communist stability with jobs for all, free health care and education, and pensions that guaranteed dignity in old age. Imprinted on her memory is the poster of Brezhnev clasping the Bulgarian premier Zhivkov in his arms and the slogan Eternal Comradeship from century to century. (Or at least up to Zhivkov's fall in 1989).

This narrative then helps form Ruska's explanation of events following 1989. First the malignant West with the help of the "traitor" Gorbachev finally succeeded in undermining the Communist bastion. Then a succession of corrupt "democratic" politicians and criminal oligarchs, interested only in filling their pockets, destroyed the Bulgarian economy. As a result of closing down factories, the nation was being fatally weakened by the mass emigration of the young and most talented. Meanwhile the West continues to exert its malignant influence. Bulgarian Orthodox culture is under constant attack from NGOs espousing "Western values" of multiculturalism, gay rights etc. Bulgaria was sleepwalked into NATO and the EU, organisations that are intent on completing Bulgaria's destruction. Attacks on the traditional Bulgarian family means that it is only a matter of time before Gypsy and Muslim populations become the majority. The CIA dream of a friendly Muslim power stretching from Diyarbakir to Tirana will have been realised.

Ruska Filova is keen to remind us that from the Crusades onwards the West has always been anti-Bulgarian. In the 1870s, the Western powers supported the Ottoman Empire in its "genocidal" oppression. Some of her friends go so far as to suggest an infernal Jewish conspiracy, linking Disraeli with Suleyman Pasha, the perpetrator of the Stara Zagora massacre. On the anniversaries of the April Uprising and the Battle of Shipka, Ruska posts that the Ottoman Bashibozouks, or irregulars represent "Western values." For her "Western values" are unchanging through the centuries and are essentially hostile.

This special hatred for Bulgaria applies to more recent events, particularly the Treaty of Neuilly following the end of the Great War. Then the Allied bombing of Bulgaria during the Second World War is denounced as a war crime and explained by Winston Churchill's legendary "hatred" of Bulgaria. Some of Ruska's friends, who while being pro-Putin do not share her enthusiasm for Communism, still blame Churchill for allowing Stalin to take over Bulgaria.

It comes as no surprise then that for Ruska, Vladimir Putin is a hero and she readily reflects the Putin view of the world. She is horrified that Bulgarian politicians have showed such ingratitude to Russia by joining the anti-Russian NATO and that as a result Bulgaria will be dragged into the Third World War on the wrong side. (Even the "fascist" King Boris III did not allow Bulgarian soldiers to fight against Russia.) She applauds Putin's bold stand against Western influences. She points out that with his fearless involvement in Syria once again Russia will save Europe from the barbarians. She holds Western meddling entirely responsible for every crisis in the world – she will offer facts to prove that American provocateurs were responsible for the unrest in Ukraine. She will post pictures of the eviscerated bodies of East Ukrainian children and accuse the Western press of hypocrisy in ignoring the "war crimes" of Ukraine's "fascist" government.

On the other hand, Rilka Russofobska routinely describes Ruska and her friends as brainwashed "Red rubbish." Of course she has a different set of facts and this forms a new narrative, which directly contradicts most of what she and Ruska learnt at school. For her the outstanding catastrophe in Bulgaria's history (far worse than either the Ottoman "presence" or the First World War settlement) was the illegal invasion by the Soviet Union in 1944 and the subsequent imposition of an alien Communist system that resulted in the extermination of Bulgaria's intellectual and entrepreneur class and the demolition of a thriving agricultural and industrial economy.

Rilka even questions whether Russia has ever been a true friend of Bulgaria. Didn't the Russian invasion in the 10th Century lead to the fall of the first Bulgarian kingdom? Wasn't the Russian Tsar's "liberation" of Bulgaria just a move to gain Russian access to the Bosphorous? Great figures from Bulgarian history – Rakovski, Levski, Botev and Stambolov – had all forewarned the Bulgarian people of the dangers of the anti-democratic Russian bear. Rilka is fond of repeating the story of the oppressed Russian peasants in the Tsar's army in 1877-1878, how they were amazed at the freedom and prosperity of their Bulgarian counterparts. And the Russians proved to be capricious. In the years following 1878 Russia shifted its friendship first to Serbia and then to Yugoslavia, thus preventing Bulgarians' desire to re-unite with their "brother Macedonians."

Despite the catastrophe of the Great War Rilka puts a positive gloss on Bulgaria between the wars. She vehemently denies that Bulgaria was ever a fascist society and praises the statesmanship of Tsar Boris III. She paints a golden picture of selfless politicians and civically minded generals, steering a principled path despite Communist terrorists and peasant demagogy. Why then did the Tsar ally himself with Hitler? Rilka maintains it was because he had no choice. In the deteriorating Balkan situation, with Germany in the ascendant he had to put the safety and interests of Bulgaria first. But he was no pawn in Hitler's hands. He refused to declare war on Russia, in spite of Russia's murderous terrorist campaign. Rilka goes on to insist that it was down to Tsar Boris alone that Bulgaria's Jewish population were not dispatched to Nazi extermination camps. This has led to some memory conflicts with prominent Jewish writers. Facts are exchanged like machine gun bullets.

Jumping to the present day, how does Rilka explain the current state of Bulgaria to her former classmate Ruska? Well of course it's the Communists to blame. Those far-sighted scoundrels had foreseen the fall of the Berlin Wall and had infiltrated every so-called opposition party, so that whoever won the elections, Bulgaria would be asset stripped for the benefit of Communist children and grandchildren. Rilka also blames the Bulgarian people for being so easily hoodwinked particularly by demagogues and pseudo-patriots. She is alarmed at the rise in Vladimir Putin's popularity. She calls Putin "Putler" and adorns his photo with a moustache. She periodically laments the weakness of the West's response. Her heroes are Ronald Reagan and Maggie Thatcher.

Of course Rilka and Ruska are extreme stereotypes, but their debate on Facebook involves a thousand divided voices, each accusing the other of being in the pay of the CIA or the KGB. Meanwhile, as one of my more neutral ex-pupils pointed out, Bulgaria is 75 percent Russophile yet it continues to vote for moderately Russophobe politicians.

Christopher Buxton was an English language teacher in Bulgaria, in the 1970s

Issue 109

BULGARIA SOCIETY

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BULGARIAN ORTHODOXY'S RESPONSE

DimanaT — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 13:51:30 +0000

BULGARIAN ORTHODOXY'S RESPONSE

by Anthony Georgieff; photography by BTA

DimanaT Tue, 11/03/2015 - 15:51

Refugee 'crisis' prompts senior clergy to urge rejection of asylum seekers

The Bulgarian Holy Synod, the most senior body of the Orthodox Church, issued an official statement urging the government not to accept refugees who did not belong to the Christian, preferably the Orthodox, faith because, it said, refuges jeopardised, among other things, Bulgaria's very statehood. In this way Bulgaria's top priests put themselves at sharp variance with most other Christian churches in the world, including The Vatican, the Church of England, most Protestant denominations, and even other Orthodox churches including the Greek and the Romanian. All of those had unequivocally called for charity and benevolence to the thousands of asylum-seekers pouring into the Balkans on their way to Western Europe. To understand why – and indeed how – a Christian church can preach rejection instead of humanity it would be helpful to look at the background against which the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has evolved through the years, as only the context can explain why it is where it stands now.

Many years ago, when Bulgaria did not exist as a state because it was a part of the Ottoman Empire, the Orthodox Church, then run mainly by Greeks who used Greek in their liturgy and everyday speech, was seen as yet another taxman that would take what the Sultan had left to the poor farmer. Significantly, it was also a bulwark of Bulgarianness. National identity in those years was articulated through language and the Church. While the Bulgarian Church in the 15th-18th centuries was preoccupied mainly with weddings and funerals, churches and monasteries became more than just houses of prayer as schools, libraries and charity centres developed around them. Bulgarian lore pertaining to the period of Ottoman occupation, or the "Turkish Yoke," as some politicians and even academic historians continue to refer to it, made few direct references of the Christ, the cross and so on. Folk songs and tales were mainly preoccupied with the harvest, with buxomy unmarried girls, and with strong Balkan men with bushy moustaches. However, there were ample references to Christianity in general as well. The strife for Bulgarian Church independence was interwoven with the strife for Bulgaria's national liberation. Consequently, Orthodoxy was one of the main factors to preserve the Bulgarian national spirit through the centuries of Muslim domination.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church became independent in the 19th Century and Orthodox Christianity was installed as the official religion of the Kingdom of Bulgaria. As Orthodoxy traditionally focuses a lot more on the liturgy and the importance of fasting and lighting candles than the Roman Catholic Church and of course the various Protestant denominations, it largely abstained from getting involved in Bulgaria's turbulent early 20th Century politics. What it did, quite vocally at that, is it professed what it called "traditional Christian virtues": humility, alms-giving, good will, charity.

It did quite well. A number of senior Bulgarian Orthodox clergymen, for example, spoke openly against the Kingdom of Bulgaria's planned deportation of Jews during the Second World War. A couple of bishops were particularly active, offering shelter in churches to Jews who were being rounded up. It was through their direct action that the then king, Boris III, reluctantly postponed and then altogether abandoned the mass extermination of Bulgaria's Jewry which he had agreed to with his ally, Adolf Hitler.

In 1944-1945 the Communists took over. The Kingdom of Bulgaria was done away with and the Church was made fully subservient to the Moscow-appointed apparatchiks.

During the years of Communism, the Orthodox Church was not banned, as some newly-fledged "anti-Communists" now claim, but church-going was not encouraged. Bulgarian National Television famously aired American movies on the Saturday before Easter to gull citizens into staying at home rather than go out to attend midnight mass. Christmas was not a public holiday, and even Father Christmas was called "Father Frost," a borrowing from the Soviet Union, to avoid any biblical connotation. The Communists did prosecute, banish to labour camps, and murdered many clergymen – Catholics, Protestants and Muslims. But as a rule they were less heavy-handed on the Orthodox, probably because they considered their doctrine so innocuous that they felt they could as well be turned into accomplices instead of critics.

Consequently, the Church was used as a cogwheel in Communism's machinery for repression. Recently declassified documents revealed that the overwhelming majority of senior clerics in the Holy Synod had been real or imaginary operatives of the Communist-era secret police. To put it in another way, you went for confession to your local priest – and your words might wind up in some secret police file.

Communism collapsed over quarter of a century ago, but Bulgaria – unlike all other former Warsaw Pact nations in Eastern Europe including Romania – is still reeling in its debris. One of the first things to happen in clerical circles in the Bulgaria of the 1990s was the infamous "Church Split." For most of the decade the Bulgarian Church was divided in two camps that accused each other of having been stooges of the previous regime and that sometimes resorted to physical violence to gain control over properties by kicking priests out of their churches. The "schism" confused believers and bemused citizens. In the meantime, clerical property previously stolen by the Communists was returned to the Church. Having found itself in possession of land and buildings, church leaders turned to more serious matters such as expensive American cars and Rolex watches. In the meantime, village priests and monks continued to live on a pittance and depend on food handouts at weddings and funerals.

Significantly, at the end of 2000s the church willingly made itself available to some of the most retrograde forces in Bulgarian politics. Extreme nationalist groups, some of which in the current Bulgarian parliament, make generous use of the church in their propaganda, and con artists, including academics, of all shades and hues profess Orthodoxy as an excuse for their hate speech. In this context it is not difficult to see that Bulgarian Orthodoxy is at the pith of this country's growing pro-Russian sentiment. Russia and not the West, they thrust down the throats of the laity, is the world leader of Orthodoxy, the main building block of Bulgarian national identity. Russia, and not the West, liberated us from the "Turkish Yoke."

The Muslim refugees from the Middle East come at a very "convenient" time in Bulgarian politics when it is quite easy to use people's legitimate love for their country to stir up extreme nationalism, ethnic hatred and Christian supremacy. Instead of a protector, which one might have expected of a Christian organisation elsewhere, in Bulgaria a refugee is faced with a church that is all but hostile to anyone who is not either Orthodox or pro-Russian.

Some of the "intellectuals" upholding such views issued a separate "statement," in support of the Holy Synod, urging the government to "come to its senses" and not allow any refugees into Bulgaria. "Do not wait for the rightful people's rage to burst out," they warned, adding that the Bulgarian people's patience was not unlimited. The signatories included Academician Georgi Markov, a historian; Ivan Granitsky, a writer; and Haygashod Agasyan, a musician of Armenian descent most of whose ethnic kin came as refugees to Bulgaria at the beginning of the 20th Century.

In the meantime, Bulgaria's politicians including presidents, prime ministers, MPs, mayors and so on and forth vie to be seen on TV kissing the hand of some bearded priest at inauguration ceremonies. They are being joined, increasingly, by "Christian" "intellectuals," including writers and artists, who use Orthodox terminology to justify their at times outrageous xenophobia, racism and isolationism. And the Bulgarian Orthodox Church continues to issue statements to discourage young people from listening to Madonna and to slam any manifestation of LGBT as the "work of the devil." Putin's Russia looks on approvingly.

Issue 109

BULGARIA POLITICS

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QUOTE-UNQUOTE

DimanaT — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 13:50:01 +0000

QUOTE-UNQUOTE DimanaT Tue, 11/03/2015 - 15:50

Every time there is a fecal spillout, my heart bleeds.

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov

I am a lawyer, a movie director and a specialist in theory and history of art. Don't ask me about arithmetics.

Maria Musorlieva, deputy head of Sofia's Election Commission

75 percent of all actors are homosexuals and degenerates.

Iliyan Todorov, MP from Ataka

It was a mistake.

Businessman Alexey Petrov, after he survived an attack with two grenade launchers

Issue 109 Boyko Borisov

QUOTE-UNQUOTE