Issue 123-124

A FEW MORE WEEKS OF BOYKO

DimanaT — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 11:54:59 +0000

A FEW MORE WEEKS OF BOYKO

by Anthony Georgieff

DimanaT Tue, 01/03/2017 - 13:54

President's refusal to appoint a caretaker government hurls nation into prolonged political crisis

Like so many other things in Bulgaria since 2009, it all started with the inimitable mixture of populism and demagoguery of this country's outgoing prime minister, Boyko Borisov. The current political crisis has its roots in Borisov's threat to resign in case his handpicked nominee for president, Tsetska Tsacheva, failed to win. Which she did in the November ballot, by an unprecedented margin in Bulgaria's presidential elections since the fall of Communism.

Perhaps Borisov was led on by his associates and media stooges to believe that he still was the undisputed strongman leader of Bulgaria. Possibly, his increasing detachment from reality, after so many years at the helm of a poor Balkan nation, had obfuscated his sense of judgement. This way or the other, Borisov thought that he could have an easy, hands-down replay of the previous presidential election, in 2011, won by his man, Rosen Plevneliev. "Whoever I had put forward would have won," a jubilant Borisov said at that time. That, indeed, was the case.

But not any longer. Borisov continues to be popular among many Bulgarians who find endearing his uncouth nativism and projected image of a middle-aged football player who always scores penalty kicks. However, Bulgaria in 2016 is a very different place from what it was when Borisov ascended to the Council of Ministers back in 2009. At that time, the huge (in Bulgarians standards) growth of the 2000s was still something to fall back on when the world financial crisis struck. Unlike other countries in Europe, however, Borisov did little if anything to ensure resumed growth or even to cushion the plummet. Instead, he focused on being seen on TV inaugurating anything from kindergartens and village sports halls (constructed with EU funds, often in places where the number of seats by far outnumber the village residents) to being seen kissing the hands of Orthodox priests in front of stretches of substandard asphalted roads.

Borisov is not known in Bulgaria for keeping his word particularly meticulously, but sensing the huge amount of discontent at the ballot boxes when voters elected the new Bulgarian president, Rumen Radev, in November, he did – and resigned. The official version, propounded by him and his cronies, was that it would be "immoral" to continue to be prime minister unless he had a clear majority. The real reason, however, was that Borisov's ego was hurt. Badly hurt. The man who used to be a fireman and a bodyguard could not swallow the fact that his power would no longer be undisputed.

Enter Rosen Plevneliev, Borisov's "appointment" for president. The Bulgarian president, curiously, is chosen in a direct, first-past-the-post ballot, but unlike other European countries with a similar system, he has very limited powers. One of them is to appoint caretaker governments at times the elected government is gone or refuses to perform. Under the Constitution, the president has to ask the largest political power, in this case Borisov's GERB, to form a government. Plevneliev did, and GERB refused instantly. Then the president has to turn to the second largest political power, in this case the BSP, or Bulgarian Socialist Party, the former Communists. Plevneliev did, and the BSP promptly refused. Then, under the Constitution, the president has to pick up a third political force of his choice. Normally, it would have been the third largest political power in Bulgaria, the alliance between the extremist Patriotic Front and the VMRO, or Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation. Plevneliev did not do that, however, saying he could not give a mandate to a political grouping with pronounced xenophobic, anti-EU and anti-NATO views. Instead, he chose the Reformist Bloc, a motley crew of small parties identifying themselves in various degrees as pro-Western "rightwing" democrats.

Surprisingly, the Reformist Bloc took up the mandate and said it would conduct talks with GERB and the Patriotic Front to form a new government. It took them a week to do that, with the foregone result being that the talks fell through, and an early general election would have to be called.

Though Rosen Plevneliev, a former civil engineer and a former minister in Borisov's first government, was obliged by the Constitution to appoint a new caretaker government under the circumstances, he refused. Instead, he said he would give the opportunity to his successor, the US-educated Ret Gen Rumen Radev, to do that when he steps in office, on 22 January 2017, thus letting Bulgaria into the hands of Boyko Borisov and his people for a few more weeks.

It remains to be seen what kind of a caretaker government the new president will put forward in late January, with analysts asking themselves whether he will be able to emancipate sufficiently enough from the BSP, the party that nominated him.

Reactions to Plevneliev's manoeuvre were diametrically opposed. Borisov's GERB applauded. They billed Plevneliev's act "extremely responsible," for otherwise Bulgaria would have become a laughing stock internationally by appointing a caretaker government for just a few weeks, over the Christmas and New Year's holidays and the subsequent series of name days celebrated widely in this Orthodox country.

The BSP disagreed. They accused Plevneliev of dawdling and procrastinating instead of acting under the Constitution and appointing a caretaker government a month ago, when it became clear the main political players would not agree on any "regular" government.

Few things in Bulgaria are the way they seem, however, as there is always some hidden agenda, even when it comes to pretty obvious Constitutional obligations. Tactically, Plevneliev is again playing into the hands of his former boss. By not appointing a caretaker government he eschews the responsibility and gives his successor a bad start. Borisov will thus have at his disposal one of his favourite political tools, the opportunity to blame someone else for all failures while taking the credit for all accomplishments for himself. Come next spring, when the early general election will probably be held, GERB will again try to appear as "saviours," in the hope that the Bulgarian nation will have forgotten that it was GERB and no one else who is to be held responsible for the current political crisis in the first place.

Issue 123-124 Boyko Borisov

BULGARIA POLITICS

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YEAR OF HOLIDAYS

DimanaT — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 11:54:00 +0000

YEAR OF HOLIDAYS

by Anthony Georgieff

DimanaT Tue, 01/03/2017 - 13:54

Parliament adopts law to streamline Bulgarian days off

One of Bulgaria's oddest quirks, the Council of Ministers passing decrees every year to "combine" holidays, is about to change.

The new holidays act, which the current parliament passed in December, intends to terminate the practice of combining holidays, which sometimes resulted in as many as seven-eight days off, especially in spring, when Bulgarians celebrate 1 May (the Communist-era Labour Day) and 6 May (the Christian Orthodox St George's Day), and in early Autumn, when 6 and 22 September are official bank holidays commemorating Unification and Independence respectively. Throw in as many as four days off for Easter and sometimes a whole week to "connect" Christmas with New Year's and you would be joining several million Bulgarians who constantly whine they live in the poorest EU economy but do enjoy the prolonged lunches, dinners and time offs that the government provides them with with the sole justification of enabling the population to relax more "efficiently."

Interestingly, some business days made days off in this manner had to be "worked" on preceding or following Saturdays. Knowing the work ethic of Bulgarians, especially in the civil service and the service sectors, it would not take a lot of imagination to see how "efficient" those Saturdays were.

Under the new legislation, holidays will be holidays on the exact day they fall – pretty simple and predictable with the exception of Easter, which is of course moveable in the calendar, but is always on a Sunday. To cushion the work blow, however, parliament decided that if a holiday fell on a Saturday and/or a Sunday, then the following Monday and/or Tuesday could be declared a bank holiday.

It seems puzzling at first, but here is a breakdown. In 2017, Bulgarians will officially not work in keeping with the following schedule. 2 January will be a day off as it is the Monday after New Year's. 3 March is an official bank holiday anyway. 14 and 17 April will be off (four days for Easter, which in Orthodox Bulgaria is on 16 April). 1 May, a Monday, is off anyway, but 8 May (also a Monday) will be off as well as St George's Day, 6 May, falls on a Saturday. 24 May, a Wednesday, is off anyway. 6 and 22 September are bank holidays on a Wednesday and Friday, so plenty of working days in September. Next Christmas will be 24, 25 and 26 December, with some MPs protesting that the following Wednesday, 27 December, should also be a day off because Christmas Eve falls on a Saturday.

Bulgarians will probably not mind as they, like everyone else in the Balkans, love to take a few days of work. However, the business community was displeased. Vasil Velev, the chairman of the Association of Industrial Capital, said as a result of the extra days off in 2017 Bulgaria's GDP would fall by 1 percent. To put it in plain language, every employee in Bulgaria would make 115 leva less in wages.

In an unusual move the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce sent a protest letter to the National Assembly in which it pointed out Bulgaria stood to lose about 1 billion leva as a result of the many holidays. Tim Kurt and Carmen Schtruck of the Deutsche-Bulgarische Industrie- und Handelskammer, the chamber that associates all German businesses in Bulgaria, pointed out that Germany also has a number of both fixed-date and moveable holidays that also sometimes fall on weekends. However, no German lawmaker would turn the following Monday into a bank holiday just as a compensation for the "unjust" calendar. If any German employee required to take an additional day off they could apply for paid leave.

It remains to be seen how businesses will apply the new legislation especially as after so many years of "combined" holidays Bulgarians have become used to longish breaks sometimes starting on a Thursday. According to the new act, the government will still be able to turn work days into bank holidays to commemorate important "historical, political, cultural and other" events.

Happy Bulgarian holidays!

Issue 123-124

BULGARIA SOCIETY

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BULGARIA'S TOP CAVES

DimanaT — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 11:41:28 +0000

BULGARIA'S TOP CAVES

by Dimana Trankova; photography by Anthony Georgieff

DimanaT Tue, 01/03/2017 - 13:41

How many caves there are in Bulgaria is a question with no definitive answer.

So far, more than 4,500 have been discovered and mapped. The number is so high because 22 percent of the country is covered with karst, a topography created when water soaks, dissolves and carves sedimentary rocks, mainly limestone, dolomite, and marble. Over millennia, the water shapes the karst into a variety of forms both on the ground and deep below. Caves are some of the most spectacular results of this activity.

The most interesting caves in Bulgaria are in the Danubian Plain, where limestone accounts for 75 percent of the bedrock; the Stara Planina, where the deepest and most of the longest caves in the country are to be found; and the the western Rhodope, where marble is common.on.

Geologically speaking, caves are young formations: it takes them only a handful of millions of years to be formed. This allows time enough for running and dripping water to create impressive formations like stalagmites, stalactites and stone columns, and for life to adapt to these extreme habitats. Bulgarian caves are home to a range of bats and insects. Some of them also provided early humans with shelter.

Less than 60 caves in Bulgaria can be visited by tourists and are staffed by guides to explain the history of the particular site, and to point out its most interesting formations that, after a Rorschach-type of association game played by speleologists, have received names like the Ostrich, the Rocket, the Mushroom, and so on. The Madonna with the Child is probably the most widely distributed "identification" to cave formations in Bulgaria.

Here is our selection of the underground experiences for non-spelunkers in Bulgaria. Just remember to wear proper shoes: the constantly high humidity makes the paths and stairs slippery.

MAGURATA CAVE

Where: Near Belogradchik, in the Stara Planina
What: 2,608m long, 56m deep, temperature 12ºC
Visit for: Bulgaria's only prehistoric cave drawings

One of Bulgaria's largest caves, the Magurata started forming about 15 million years ago and now has halls packed with stalagmites, stalactites and stone columns, a small lake, plus a colony of eight bat species.

What makes the visit outstanding is Magurata's gallery of prehistoric drawings. These black, crude figures of people, animals, birds and geometrical shapes are still puzzling: some of the scenes have been interpreted as hunts, others as religious rituals, and possibly as a form of early calendar. How early is hard to say: the Internet attributes some of the drawings to Neolithic people but, according to historians, they are much later, from the 1st millennium BC. The gallery of drawings is opened for visitors who have paid an additional fee.

In the 1970s, because of its clean air, the cave was turned into a sanatorium for patients with respiratory diseases. A local winery uses one of the cave halls to mature its wines.

DEVETAKI CAVE

Where: Near Lovech, on the Danubian Plain
What: 2,442m long, 60m high
Visit for: Stunning cave halls, Sylvester Stallone

Cut deep into the hills near Lovech, the grandeur of the Devetaki Cave cannot be imagined by the traveller until they finally reach its enormous entrance. The entrance hall of the cave is the largest in Bulgaria (St Alexandr Nevsky Cathedral would easily fit into it), and is filled with the echo of a murmuring stream and the screams of the birds who live there, as do 14 rare bat species.

The Devetaki Cave was inhabited in prehistoric times but, in spite of its historical and ecological significance, under Communism it was closed and turned into a secret military fuel depot (the stink of petrol is still discernible). In 2011, the cave became the movie set for The Expendables 2, starring Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham.

Access to the cave between 1 June and 31 July, during the bats' mating season, is forbidden.

DEVIL'S THROAT CAVE

Where: Near Trigrad, the Western Rhodope
What: Abyss cave, 548m long, 89m deep
Visit for: The highest cave waterfall in the Balkans

No stalagmites and other fancies here: the Devil's Throat deserves its name for the stunning, hellish combination of a 42-metre waterfall descending through a narrow hole into one of the largest cave halls in Bulgaria. It is hardly a surprise then that according to a (modern) legend, Orpheus entered Hell from here.

The cave has proved to be ideal for bats and provides a home for one of Bulgaria's largest bat colonies, numbering four species and 35,000 creatures.

The Devil's Throat is a part of the magnificent Trigrad Gorge, and nearby is another spelunking wonder, the Haramiyska Cave. Its two halls, connected by a 36-metre abyss can only be explored by experienced visitors with no (significant) fear of heights or claustrophobia, and who are really excited by the idea of descending through the darkness hanging onto a rope.

LEDENIKA CAVE

Where: Near Vratsa, in the Stara Planina
What: 320m long, 21m deep, temperature from -7 to 15ºC, 92 percent humidity
Visit for: Ice formations, multimedia

One of the most popular sites in the Vrachanksi Balkan Nature Reserve, Ledenika is a rarity for its temperatures that are generally lower than those in other caves and which, in winter, allow surreal ice formations to appear around the entrance. It also has a fine collection of stalagmites, stalactites and stone columns, which are visible all year round. Recently, Ledenika became infamous for an EU-funded theme park of grotesque fairytale characters created around it. The aim of the project was to make the cave more "appealing" to the modern tourist, but has resulted in a multimedia show, performed in the main hall of the cave.

Four bat species and a rare beetle which has adapted to living in complete darkness inhabit Ledenika.

When visiting in winter, be careful, as ice accumulates on the paths and stairs.

PROHODNA CAVE

Where: Near Karlukovo, on the Danubian Plain
What: 262 long, 56m high
Visit for: The "Eyes of God"

Bulgaria's longest tunnel cave is one of the easiest caves to visit: the road between Karlukovo village and Lukovit passes right over it. Walking the corridor carved into the rock by a long gone river, accompanied by the wind the tunnel creates, is a memorable experience. It gets even better when you reach the two openings in the ceiling, which resemble a pair of eyes and are therefore called "The Eyes of God." They have frequently appeared in films, including the nationalistic Bulgarian movie A Time of Parting (1987) and a less ambitious American low-budget adaptation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

The Karlukovo region is particularly rich in caves and karst formations, some of which can be explored from the Iskar-Panega Geological Park eco path.

SAEVA DUPKA CAVE

Where: Near Brestnitsa village on the Sofia-Varna highway, in the Stara Planina
What: 210m long, 40m denivelation, temperature 7-11ºC, 90-98 percent humidity
Visit for: The largest stone column in Bulgaria

Hands down, this is the most beautiful of all the caves in Bulgaria. The Saeva Dupka stuns from the very entrance, when the visitor passes by the work of a mighty earthquake that crushed large stalagmites and stalactites to the ground, and then has to squeeze past a curtain of tubular formations, to reach a series of halls densely packed with stalactites, stalagmites and stone columns. The circuit of the halls leads around the largest stone column found so far in Bulgaria; its circumference is about 60m.

Eight bat species inhabit Saeva Dupka, and during hibernation season the guide will point out to you their small bundles hanging from the ceiling.

BACHO KIRO CAVE

Where: Near Dryanovo, in the Stara Planina
What: 3,500m long, no denivelation, 13ºC temperature, 95 percent humidity
Visit for: Seeing a place inhabited by Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons

Tucked into a spectacular rocky canyon a short walk from Dryanovo Monastery, the Bacho Kiro cave has its fair share of stalagmites, stalactites, stone columns and flowstone (sheet-like deposits), in which the eager imagination may discern fish, snakes, people and, of course, the Madonna. Visitors are also invited to squeeze though a narrow corridor called Purgatory: successful passage guarantees that you are without sin, or maybe just that you are agile enough.

Bacho Kiro cave stands out because of its role in early human history. Archaeological research has found that the cave was inhabited during the Palaeolithic period by both Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens, although not simultaneously. It was the first cave in Bulgaria to be adapted for tourist visits.

YAGODINSKA CAVE

Where: Near Yagodina village, in the Western Rhodope
What: 10,000m long, 36m deep, temperature 6ºC, 92 percent humidity
Visit for: An extravaganza of stalactites, stalagmites, stone columns and other cave formations

It is probably Bulgaria's most popular cave, and deservedly so. Yagodinska Cave abounds with fascinating stalactites, stalagmites and stone columns, and formations like flowstone, rocks coloured like leopard skin, and cave "pearls." Access to the cave is easy, and the guided tour includes only about a kilometre of its total length. The Yagodinska Cave is in one of the most picturesque parts of the Rhodope.

All of this explains why some couples have chosen it for their wedding and why speleologists celebrate the arrival of the New Year there. Their festive tree stays in one of the halls year round; the high humidity keeps it green and fresh for years before a replacement is needed.

Eleven species of bats inhabit the cave, and the remains of a house from the 4th millennium BC have been discovered near the entrance.

STALBITSA, OR STAIRCASE, CAVE

Where: Near Karpachevo village, on the Danubian Plain
What: 145m long, 48m deep
Visit for: The spine chilling experience of facing the darkness of the underground

This fascinating, free-entrance cave should only be explored if you have at least proper footwear and a torch, but having a local guide with you is recommended. The Stalbitsa is for those who dare to descend into its unlit cavity via a staircase (which gave the cave its name), and to stare into the utter darkness. It is absolutely unnerving. Our Cro-Magnon ancestors probably felt the same when they had to decide in a matter of seconds if the pitch black cave they were considering for an overnight shelter was safe or was hiding an angry and hungry sabre-toothed cat or cave bear.

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 123-124 America for Bulgaria Foundation Nature Natural phenomenon

HIGH BEAM

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HELL IS NO JOKE

DimanaT — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 11:32:26 +0000

HELL IS NO JOKE

by Dimana Trankova; photography by House of Humour and Satire, Gabrovo

DimanaT Tue, 01/03/2017 - 13:32

What first attracts your attention in a Bulgarian Revival Period church?

The architecture? The silver-haloed icons of the Virgin Mary? The elaborate carvings of the icon doors? These may all be astonishing, but have you noticed the river of fire, on the outside western wall of most of the churches, flowing towards the gaping mouth of a dragon-like monster? Have you bent to see in detail the devils in the flames? Have you wondered what were the crimes of the sinners they torture?

Images of Judgement Day and the power of evil over humanity are not unique to Bulgarian religious art. The reliefs carved in Gothic cathedrals and Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel are only a couple of examples. Throughout the centuries, particularly in times of low literacy, images of the Last Judgement and the punishment of sinners have served as moralising comic strips for the general public.

The scenes from 19th century Bulgarian churches, however, stand out in this hellish cacophony because they engagingly combine Mediaeval tradition, naïve artistic style, patriarchal mores, a hint of burgeoning national identity and an odd sense of humour.

The tradition set in Byzantine times and preserved throughout the Ottoman period stipulates that the Judgement Day scene should adorn the western wall of the church, where the main entrance is. The first thing a parishioner sees upon entering, it depicts Christ separating sinners from the righteous, who just flock to the left towards Heaven, while the damned to the right are swept along by the river of fire and overexcited devils, with Hell ready to swallow them up.

Danger, darkness and sin have always intrigued humanity more than piety (taking the wrong path is always easier), so the modern visitor, just like the Revival Period churchgoer, is more interested in the sinners of the 19th century churches. The artists were aware of this and, while they painted the pious with a boring sameness as a compact group, they spared no time, effort or imagination when it came to the frescoes on the right-hand side of the scene. Each person there counts, if not for their individuality, then for their individual sins.

Here they are, dozens of the damned, being led to Hell or already being punished for their misdeeds: the murderers and the adulterers, the thieves, the envious and the misers, the liars and the corrupt judges dying in the webs that they spin, along with the drunkards and the unbaptised, demonstrating to the worshippers the type of behaviour not tolerated in Heaven and thus defining the moral standards of the community. To broaden their popular appeal, Revival Period painters covered a broad spectrum of sins. As a result, the murals can be read as a satirical view of the Bulgarians of the day, and are rich in charming and informative details from the type of clothes to the type of sins in fashion at the time.

Look closely at the figures of the people bound for Hell, and you will see the indulged higher clergy in their expensive robes, guilty of not paying attention to the small folk, and the exquisite dresses of the rich city women damned for their vanity, adultery and love of makeup. As this period saw the emergence of the Bulgarian national identity, Hell was also open for the special sort of sinners who, according to the inscriptions above their heads, "betrayed their nation." Sheep stealers, flour-stealing millers, publicans who dilute their wine with water and cheating shopkeepers, and those who did not bother to wake up early to go to work or to Sunday mass, also have places reserved for them in the inferno. They are punished according to their deeds. Millstones and lambs hang from the necks of crooked millers and sheep stealers, while oversleepers lie on beds of fire-hot iron. Ouch.

In spite of their naïvety and crudeness, or precisely because of them, the 19th Century sinners engage the modern viewer (particularly if you are not an early bird). The demons are fascinating in another way, for their deformed features and general hilarity. We are not aware what the average Revival Period churchgoer thought of them, but today they appear very amusing. The only exception is of course Satan: an ominous, muscular figure embracing a bunch of damned souls.

Torture of shopkeeper and tailor who stole from their customers, main church of Rila Monastery

Devils in Bulgarian Revival Period churches escape from the confines of the Last Judgement murals. You will find them all over the place, as in the moralising scenes of desperately ill people seeking help from clairvoyants. The Church did not approve of the (usually female) healers, and so their deeds were denounced with strong artistic language: in murals, these well-dressed women take advantage of the poor sick as they "heal" them with demon faeces.

Demons feature heavily in the scenes of a popular cycle of frescoes dedicated to the wanderings of a dead man's soul in the 40 days after his death. During this period the soul, guided by an angel, has to endure a number of temptations and to witness the punishment for various sins, with demons in a range of colours, shapes and with various attributes representing these.
While devils seem to be having a generally good time in Revival Period churches (including dancing a joyous Horo while clairvoyants do their business), they look truly pitiful in the depictions of St Marina, who is venerated as an able fighter of evil creatures and so is often depicted beating the hell out of a demon (pun intended) with a mallet.

There is hardly a Revival Period church in Bulgaria that does not display at least one Last Judgement scene with its collection of sinners and devils. The most beautiful examples were painted by Zahariy Zograf, the leading artist in Bulgaria at the time, in the main church of Rila monastery, and at Preobrazhenski monastery near Veliko Tarnovo. But while Zograf's frescoes are refined and bordering on the glossy, the cruder creations by ordinary painters in lesser known churches are a true delight. Searching them out in an obscure place turns into an exiting exploration of times past, when damnation was the result both of a major sin like murder, and something as harmful to the community and the soul as having a lie-in.

If you want to see a fuller collection of the best examples of Revival Period devils and damned souls, visit the The Sin, a permanent exhibition in the House of Humour and Satire in Gabrovo.

Punishment of a miller who stole flour, detail from Last Judgement mural from St Petka church in Penkyovtsi village, Pernik region, 1867

The perils of visiting a clairvoyant, main church of Rila Monastery, 1844

The punishment of clergy, St Archangel Michael church, Leshko village

Sinners, including a thief, a perjurer and a poor soul who dared to eat before going to church, from Last Judgement mural at St Irina church, Hotnitsa village, near Veliko Tarnovo

Punishment of the usurers and thieves, The Wanderings of the Soul scene from Our Lady's Shroud church, Rila Monastery, 1811

The devil and the clairvoyant, a mural from St Archangel Michael church, Leshko village, Blagoevgrad region, 1889

"St Marina beats the devil with a mallet on the head", from the St Archangel Michael church, Leshko village

"The devil holds the mirror to those who make up themselves", from the St Archangel Michael church, Leshko village

Issue 123-124 Funny Bulgaria Revival Period Bulgarian art Religion

VAGABOND FEATURES

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A PICTURE SAYS 1,000,000 WORDS...

DimanaT — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 11:31:26 +0000

A PICTURE SAYS 1,000,000 WORDS...

by Stamen Manolov

DimanaT Tue, 01/03/2017 - 13:31

... Especially if accompanied by a few sentences to explain the context.

The man in the middle is Bulgaria's former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. The location is Hitrino, a village in northeastern Bulgaria. The occasion is a major train accident at the village station that resulted in a huge explosion leaving eight people dead and devastating many people's homes.

Borisov was quick to show up at the scene and have a few pictures of him with members of the fire brigade. He is himself a former firefighter. He also said his government would be giving 10 million leva to support the affected villagers. It is unclear how the train company's insurers would respond.

The two train drivers were arrested and stand accused for manslaughter. The expert commission appointed to investigate the accident said it would take as long as six months to reach any conclusion.
Borisov's governments had for years been ignoring Bulgaria's dilapidated train infrastructure, heavily subsidising it with taxpayers' money and at the same time doing little to improve it and make it profitable. Bulgarian State Railways have had many accidents in the past, often resulting in deaths. Several Bulgarian trains have caught fire, owing to electrical faults, and passengers have burnt alive.

In 1971, the express train from Sofia to Burgas covered the 400-kilometre distance in less than 4.30 hours, about two hours faster than now. The Ruse-Varna railway, the first in Bulgaria, was built in 1866, when Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire, in less than two-and-a-half years. Under Borisov, no railway line in Bulgaria has been even modernised fully.

The picture above has been circulating on social media immediately after his visit. Sometimes an image is indeed worth a million words.

Issue 123-124

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BANSKO

DimanaT — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 11:26:39 +0000

BANSKO

by Dimana Trankova; photography by Anthony Georgieff

DimanaT Tue, 01/03/2017 - 13:26

We all love snow in the city on the first day after it falls, while the air is still crisp and pristine white covers the dusty streets, the cars, the leafless trees. However, after its first day in Sofia, snow becomes just another urban annoyance.

The compacted ice on the pavements. The impassable streets. The grey, yellow and black hues the snow assumes from the dirty city air. Not. Enjoyable. At. All.

In Bansko, however, one can easily love snow from the appearance of the first snowflake in December to the thaw in April. Snow here is 100 percent for fun.

Bulgaria's most popular ski resort is spread at the foot of the Pirin Mountains, under the Alpine peaks and the thick fir forests of the UNESCO-listed Pirin National Park. Since the 2000s, Bansko has been making the most of its location, with 75 km of ski runs of all levels of difficulty, a well-developed network of lifts, and snow guns working their guts out in case there is not enough snow. A prime winter destination for Bulgarian, Greek, Turkish and British skiers, Bansko has sadly fallen prey to overdevelopment, with row upon row of hotels appearing on what was, until not that long ago, farmland.

However, even excessive development cannot entirely overpower the allure of the Pirin snow, ski runs and clear air, particularly once you ascend the mountain, and escape the cloud of yellowish smog hanging over Bansko, emitted by the coal and wood burners.

The resort has a developed network of ski runs and lifts, and the controversial ambition to grow bigger at the expense of Pirin National Park

While the new quarter of Bansko is mostly a soulless parade of hotels, speciality stores, flashy and not so flashy restaurants, and a lack of parking spaces, the old Bansko is still enjoyable. It has B&Bs and traditional taverns located in 18th and 19th century mansions, slow-moving elderly ladies clad in black, stray cats and hand-knitted woollen socks and hats sold as souvenirs. The sites of interest here actually appeal mostly to Bulgarians, who are aware of the town's most prominent sons. These include Paisiy Hilendarski, the 18th Century author of the first modern Bulgarian history book (the impressive statue in the main square is his), Neofit Rilski, the 19th century educator (his birth place is a museum), and Nikola Vaptsarov, the modernist and Communist poet executed for anti-state activities in 1942 (he has both a statue and a museum).

Some of Bansko's historical sites, of course, could be interesting even for people unaware of Paisiy Hilendarski or Vaptsarov's role in the nation's history. The most obvious of these is the Holy Trinity Church. Built in 1835, it is considered one of the finest examples of Revival Period religious architecture in Bulgaria. The Velyova House is a more off-the-beaten track experience. Located in the maze of old Bansko, it was constructed like a small fortress, with sturdy walls and tiny windows to provide security against bandit raids, but it is lavishly painted inside and out with naïve murals. Good luck in finding it open.

A walk around the tiny centre of Bansko will not take you long, not only because of the restricted size of the place and the difficulties of moving on thick ice over cobblestones, but also because of the aromas and the Macedonian folk music wafting from traditional restaurants. It is hard to resist. Bansko is the centre of a particular type of Bulgarian local cuisine, which relies heavily on pork, beef and lamb stewed for hours in earthenware pots. It is definitely not for vegans or healthy eating enthusiasts. For them, there are plenty of options in new Bansko.

Visitors from all over Europe swarm in wintertime Bansko

Revival Period architecture defines Bansko's old part

The monument of Paisiy Hilendarski dominates the central square

Issue 123-124 America for Bulgaria Foundation The Pirin Nature Revival Period

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WHICH OF THESE BULGARIAN MOUNTAINS HAS CIRCUS LAKES?

DimanaT — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 11:22:34 +0000

WHICH OF THESE BULGARIAN MOUNTAINS HAS CIRCUS LAKES?

by Bozhidara Georgieva

DimanaT Tue, 01/03/2017 - 13:22

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

1. The Bulgarian president's term lasts for...
A. Four years
B. Five years
C. Three years

2. In Bulgarian fairy tales, which is the cleverest animals?
A. The fox
B. The bear
C. The wolf

3. Which is the only Bulgarian city with trams?
A. Plovdiv
B. Varna
C. Sofia

4. Bulgarians celebrate their independence from the Ottomans on...
A. 19 February
B. 3 March
C. 1 March

5. What is a Kuker?
A. Bulgarian mummer
B. Bulgarian cheese variety
C. Bulgarian curse word

6. The name of which Bulgarian region means "Crazy Forest"?
A. The Dobrudzha
B. The Podbalkanski Fields
C. The Ludogorie

7. The most popular fruit for Rakiya making is...
A. Grapes
B. Plums
C. Apricots

8. When was Veliko Tarnovo the capital of Bulgaria?
A. Between 681 and 893
B. Between 1185 and 1393
C. Between 1879 and 1944

9. Which of these Bulgarian mountains has circus lakes?
A. The Stara Planina
B. The Pirin
C. The Rhodope

The correct answers to the questions:

1. – B; 2. – A; 3. – C; 4. – B; 5. – A; 6. – C; 7. – A; 8. – B; 9. – B.

Issue 123-124

BULGARIA'S MONTHLY QUIZ

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AUGUSTA TRAIANA

DimanaT — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 11:15:41 +0000

AUGUSTA TRAIANA

by Dimana Trankova; photography by Anthony Georgieff

DimanaT Tue, 01/03/2017 - 13:15

Straight streets intersecting at right angles: Stara Zagora, a southern Bulgarian city of 150,000, is the only one of its type in Bulgaria.

This beautiful mosaic of a Dionysian procession is one of the star exhibits of the Regional History Museum of Stara Zagora

It is the result of a tragedy and a necessity. In the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish War, Stara Zagora was razed to the ground after a vicious battle. Rebuilding began in 1878 according to a plan by an Austro-Hungarian architect.

But no one was aware then that beneath the debris of houses, churches and mosques lay the remains of an ancient city with meticulous straight-street planning.

It was the Roman city of Augusta Traiana.

Situated on a fertile plain close to mineral springs and major roads, the region around today's Stara Zagora has been a coveted place for settlement since Neolithic times, and a well-preserved two-story house from this period, with all its crockery, is now exhibited in situ in the yard of Stara Zagora's hospital. In the Chalcolithic age there was a copper mine nearby, and in the 1st Millennium BC the area was inhabited by Thracians.

It was only natural that the Romans would appreciate the place. In 106, Emperor Trajan (98-117) founded a self-governing city and named it after himself: Augusta Traiana. A period of prosperity began. In the decades which followed, mainly under Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180), Augusta Traiana turned into an exemplary Roman city, with paved streets and an agora, water supply and sewage systems, richly decorated temples and mansions. It was granted the right to mint its own coins. The local economy included pottery production, metal and glass processing, and fine arts.

Around the city spread out the villas of the rich, one of which is now under the waters of the Chatalka Dam, complemented by sanctuaries to the Thracian God Rider, Apollo, Zeus and other deities. A fortification wall with towers and gates was built to protect Augusta Traiana from the Barbarians, whose raids became regular after the invasion of the Goths in 251.

As Roman Antiquity waned and became the Middle Ages, Augusta Traiana changed its name to Beroe. This took place in the fateful times when Christianity took over as official religion. Beroe became a bishopric and the bishop lived in a spacious palace. The city had also a martyrion, or a shrine to some local martyr of the faith.

The period was one of prosperity but also of danger, as Beroe was regularly on the path of Barbarian peoples such as the Huns, the Avars, the Slavs and the proto-Bulgarians. It experienced its greatest devastation under the Huns of Attila in the mid-5th century.

Yet Beroe was spared the fate of so many other Roman cities abandoned in the late 6th century, as it developed into a mediaeval city and remained inhabited until modern times.

In the 20th century new construction and regular excavations started to gradually bring to light its ancient life – public and private buildings, necropoli and shrines, streets and fortifications. This continues today, and Stara Zagora's archaeologists are regularly in the news with fresh discoveries.

Arguably the best example of Stara Zagora's rich past is the Old Mosque, the only building which survived the devastating fire of 1878. In the 10th and 9th centuries BC a Thracian shrine stood on this spot. In the Roman era, a sanctuary of the Thracian God Rider is believed to have existed, and in the 10th and 13th centuries the land was taken over by a Christian cemetery and a church. In the 15th century the Ottomans built a mosque, which is now the Museum of Religions.

The legacy of Augusta Traiana is now largely kept in the History Museum of Stara Zagora, one of Bulgaria's finest and richest. A Roman street is exhibited in situ in the basement, along with statues and reliefs, a replica of a Roman chariot, and some of the most beautiful Roman mosaics you are likely to see in the country. Be sure not to miss the one depicting a procession of Dionysus.

More of Augusta Traiana's incredibly detailed and well-preserved mosaics can be seen in the Central Post Office, and at the remains of a late Roman mansion on 117 General Stoletov Blvd, which you can visit if you call in advance to the museum.

The so-called forum of the Roman city was discovered during the construction of the local palace of justice, and includes the western gate of Augusta Traiana, parts of fortification walls, an open semi-amphitheatrical space, parts of the main street running from east to west and of the public baths. The area is open to visit, but during the reconstruction the use of concrete and reinforced steel has taken away some of its ancient charm. If you happen to be in Stara Zagora in the theatre season, don't miss the regular opera and theatre shows there – the city has one of the best theatre troupes and opera companies in Bulgaria. Ticket prices are nowhere near as expensive as those in the West.

The village of Starozagorski Mineralni Bani is a spa resort with thermal mineral springs. The Romans of course used these and, though not in perfect condition, part of the public baths survives and is worth a visit.

The remains of what is interpreted as Augusta Traiana's forum

Issue 123-124 America for Bulgaria Foundation Roman heritage Archaeology Bulgaria

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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?

DimanaT — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 11:14:02 +0000

WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?

by Stamen Manolov

DimanaT Tue, 01/03/2017 - 13:14

Bulgaria is probably not your idea of a place where New Ageism proliferates. Wrong.

Esoteric beliefs, faiths and even churches have existed since the dawn of Christianity in these lands, amalgamating – sometimes overwhelmingly – The Bible, The Quran and various pagan rites and passages. Common sense has never been held in very high esteem here, so belief in the transcendental, the bizarre and the occult has become a natural outlet for people's problems, woes and visions.

There are many locations in Bulgaria that are associated with the esoteric and its practices, but this picture of a shrine in northeastern Bulgaria shows some of the strangest symbols used for religious purposes in this country.

Where in Bulgaria are you?

Issue 123-124

WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?

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SOZOPOL'S PRIME GHOST

DimanaT — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 11:05:24 +0000

SOZOPOL'S PRIME GHOST

by Dimana Trankova; photography by Anthony Georgieff

DimanaT Tue, 01/03/2017 - 13:05

"Today I went to see that sort of an island with the ruins, but it was closed. I read that it used to be a school for fishermen," a British friend says, incredulously.

She sips her white wine, which we are enjoying in the best of Sozopol's restaurants, on the rocky shore of the old town, and adds: "Being a fisherman is not something you are taught in school, it is a trade that generally runs in the family."

The place she is talking about is difficult to miss. In modern Sozopol, a resort of brash new overdevelopment and manicured traditional architecture, the deliciously ghostly ruins on St Kirik island, just by the harbour, stand out. The beauty of the original building is still visible, deteriorating under the elements.

The building on St Kirik was indeed a school for fishermen, and was established under extraordinary circumstances.

In the early 1920s, Sozopol, which had been founded by Greek colonists in the 7th century BC, changed beyond recognition. The city, like all the major settlements on the Black Sea coast, had been almost exclusively Greek since the Russo-Turkish wars of the early 19th century when thousands of Bulgarians, fearing repercussions from the Ottomans, fled with the Russian troops. With tensions running high between Bulgarians and Greeks in the early 20th century, the brutalities of the two Balkan wars and the Great War in 1912-1918 proved too dangerous for both countries. In 1924-1925, the two governments agreed to de-escalate their conflict over disputed lands with a mutual exchange of populations. In this way neither Bulgaria nor Greece could later become embroiled in property claims relating to their citizens. This political decision came at great human cost, as thousands of Greeks and Bulgarians had to leave their ancestral homes. Local communities and economies changed as well. The Greek fishermen of Sozopol and all around the Bulgarian Black Sea coast were replaced by former shepherds and farmers, who had no idea how to make a living from the sea.

This was how the idea for a special school to teach fishing in Sozopol came about in 1924. The school would be under the patronage of the Bulgarian king, and would teach boys from the Black Sea settlements free of charge, while introducing modern seafaring methods and technologies.

In 1925, the construction of a school on St Kirik island, a couple of acres of land, started. Laying the foundation stone was a huge public event, attended by a number of officials and King Boris III himself.

If you are wondering why the opening of a school for fishermen attracted such attention, you would be right. The crème de la crème of Bulgarian political life was assembled in Sozopol because the school was more than it appeared on the surface.

It was a covert operation by the Bulgarian government to navigate around one of the most humiliating stipulations of the Neuilly Treaty of 1919, imposed by the Entente on defeated Bulgaria. According to it, Bulgaria had to completely demilitarise, dissolve its Navy and Air Force, and forget about having modern weapons. Compulsory military service was to be abolished and the armed forces of the entire country were not to exceed 33,000 men, including the police.

Bulgaria complied, but secretly began a series of initiatives to ensure that it would not completely lose its military tradition. Thousands of gun barrels, for example, were used for the fence of the Military Academy in Sofia, with the idea that if an enemy attack occurred, they could be used as weapons again. The Labour Corps was established: while officially it was a compulsory period for Bulgarian youth to work for free on the construction of important infrastructure projects, the government used it as a cover for the basic military training that the boys underwent.

So it was with the Sozopol school. It provided not only a seafaring education, but also hosted the cadets of the officially discontinued Navy Academy in Varna. As early as 1920, the Navy school was removed from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence, and its navigation unit was officially renamed as a unit of fishermen.

In 1927, a quay was built, connecting St Kirik to the mainland. The school opened in 1930, but a couple of years later a media outcry that the Black Sea did not have enough fish to sustain a fishing industry forced the government to close it. In 1934, the Marine Engineering School (the former Navy Academy) moved into the complex on St Kirik island.

The Second World War was just behind the corner, and in 1940 the political climate was so different that the Navy Academy reopened in Varna. The building on St Kirik was abandoned.

After 1944, the Navy took over the island, turning it into a military base that was home to two naval divisions and a maintenance unit. More buildings were constructed, together with three underground depots. The island remained off-limits for civilians until 2007, when the Ministry of Defence closed the Navy base and transferred its property to the Ministry of Regional Development.

The idea of making the island into a tourist attraction is yet to become a reality and, although there is ongoing archaeological research on St Kirik, the place remains closed to the public. Meanwhile, lack of maintenance has taken its toll, turning the empty school into a melancholy ruin, bound to captivate the imagination of anyone who has eyes for its strange beauty.

Issue 123-124 America for Bulgaria Foundation The Black Sea 20th century Bulgaria

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