The Land of Roses
Bulgaria is one of the oldest countries in Europe with a rich and fascinating history. Bulgaria is a Balkan nation with diverse terrain, encompassing the Black Sea coastline, a mountainous interior and rivers, including the Danube. At the foot of domed Vitosha mountain is its capital city, Sofia, dating back to the 5th century B.C The country is remarkable for its variety of scenery attracting many visitors.
TravelJingles magazine in conversation with H.E. Dr. Nikolay Yankov, PhD, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of India, tells us about Bulgaria.
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world. Tell us three must-visit places in Bulgaria.
It is hard to narrow it down to only three must-visit places in Bulgaria, as our country is rich in natural beauty and history. Bulgaria captivates everybody with its magnificent nature and centuries-old traditions. If one plans to visit the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, they should also consider a city tour of our capital, Sofia, as it is truly the cultural, educational, administrativeeand industrial centre of Bulgaria. Sofia is surrounded by enchanting mountains, which house a number of monasteries and churches. Other than this, I would recommend a visit to the Rila monastery. It is the biggest and most impressive Bulgarian monastery. It was established in the 930s by Ivan Rilski, one of the first Bulgarian monks and hermits, who has also gained world fame.
The medieval capital of Bulgaria – VelikoTarnovo– is an astonishing place with unique beauty. The city is located in Central Bulgaria, at the foot of Stara Planina mountain. The old part of the city is situated on the historical hills Tsarevets, Trapezitsa, and Sveta Gora.
Plovdiv is the second most populous city in Bulgaria, which was also titled European Capital of Culture in 2019. A number of ancient monuments are preserved in the city, such as the ancient theatre, the Roman Odeon, the Agora (the Roman Forum), the Roman stadium, the Eyrene building from late antiquity, etc.
Bulgarian yogurt is very famous. Tell us about the gastronomy of the country.
Bulgarian cuisine is rooted in centuries-old traditions and practices, which are quite diverse. In some places. Recipes, have been passed down from generation to generation and have remained unchanged for hundreds of years. A typical trait is the simultaneous heat treatment of most products. Our food is rich in spices, and has a specific and unique taste. Typically, we add a lot of garlic, black pepper, thyme, spearmint, savory, bay leaf and paprika. The spices, fruits and vegetables we use are oftentimes organic, grown in our own gardens. In Bulgaria one can experience the original taste of the world-famous Bulgarian yoghurt, as well as many delicacies, prepared with it, such as the richly flavoured white cheese. Bulgaria is also famous for its rich tasting, herbal honey.
Bulgaria has ten UNESCO sites. Comment.
The rich cultural and natural heritage of Bulgaria is well recognized by UNESCO. The UNESCO List of Global Cultural and Natural Heritage sites, which includes sites of great importance to humanity, contains ten Bulgarian entries – seven cultural and three natural sites. Additionally, Bulgaria maintains a list of 16 entries on the tentative UNESCO list of sites. Among the enlisted sites are several Thracian tombs, old churches including a rock church, the Rila Monastery, the ancient city of Nessebar, etc.
The Rose Valley of Bulgaria is famous. What makes it so special?
The Rose Valley, located in the south of our country, is famous for its rose-growing industry. Various sorts of roses have been cultivated there for centuries, amongst them are the most outstanding being the Kazanlak Damask rose, which is grown in the fields near the town of Kazanlak. This variety stems from the Rosa Damascena group, which was brought to our land a long time ago and which, with the help of the unique climate and soil of the valley, has shaped up into a Bulgarian strain, different from the Damask roses elsewhere.
Nowadays, the rose harvest is one of the most important activities in the Rose Valley, and it gets celebrated with special ceremonies, such as ‘The Festival of the Roses’. The festival was first held in 1903, and it has become a tradition to hold it in the first weekend of June, since this is when the Kazanlak roses bloom. The festival has gained international prominence and attracts thousands of guests. The festival includes the crowning of the ‘Rose Queen’ and the ritual gathering of roses and the distilling of rose oil.
Bulgaria offers mountain and beaches. What are the must-do activities here?
The mountains of Bulgaria cover some 30% of the country’s territory and are exceptionally diverse in relief. The ski season in the medium high and the alpine resorts, lasts some 130 days per year, and during the summer time, tourists may enjoy hiking in our centuries-old forests.
The Bulgarian seaside is best known for its long sandy beaches, clear water and immense variety of resorts. Our Black Sea, provides wholesome experience for everybody – from families to young fun-seeking people, or nature lovers who prefer a peaceful and quiet holiday. Among the most popular sea sports that can be practised here, is water skiing, kite surfing, windsurfing and yachting. Black Sea resorts also offer hiking, biking and horseback riding, as well as ecotourism, photo safaris, and trips to natural, cultural, and architectural landmarks. In the northern part of the Black Sea, we have 3 world-class golf courses. Along the coastline, we have mineral water springs that have been utilized by a number of balneological centres, which provide the opportunity to combine seaside holidays with spa and wellness tourism. The seaside towns Sozopol and Nesebar- both UNESCO heritage sites – are famous for their beautiful coastal nature combined with rich and old history, which attracts a steady stream of tourists in the summer season.
One-third of Bulgaria’s land area is designated as natural protective areas. Comment.
The diverse landscape and climate, as well as the animal and plant diversity make the nature in Bulgaria unique. Furthermore, Via Pontica – the route of the migratory birds from Europeto Africa, passes through the territory of our country. Тhis calls for special measures from our side to protect and preserve it, namely by creating national conservation parks.So far, three national parks have been established on the territory of Bulgaria – in the mountains of Pirin, Rila and Central Balkan. We also maintain 11 natural parks, 89 reserves and 2,234 sites that are declared natural landmarks.
Within the borders of the National Park Pirin, is located the oldest tree in the whole country – the Baykusheva Mura, which is estimated to be more than 1,300 years old. The park is also rich in unique eco systems and rare plant and animal species, a large part of which are included in the Red Book of Bulgaria. The biosphere reserve Srebarna, which covers the SrebarnaLake and the surrounding territories, presents an exceptional diversity of plant and animal species, some of which are migratory, and is one of the most interesting wetlands of Europe.