Bulgarian Culture

Bulgaria has a rich and diverse cultural heritage a mix mainly of Thracian, Slavic and Bulgar cultures, but there are also Byzantine, Turkish, Greek and other influences.

The South Slavic language is written in the Cyrillic alphabet and remains one of the strong bonding points between Bulgarians and Russians, in fact Russian is indeed the second language of many elderly Bulgarians.

Exhibitions in the Archaeological Museum and the National Museum of History in Sofia and other local Museums proudly display the pre-historic Bulgarian culture. The sights of particular interest include the famous Karanovska Mound near Nova Zagora, as well as the incredible drawings on the walls of the Magoura Cave (the Rabisha Cave). There are remains from Palaeolithic cultures in several caves in the Stara Planina Mountain and the Rhodope Mountains, while traces of Neolithic and Palaeolithic cultures by the sea are preserved in the areas of Cape Kaliakra to the north along the coast to the southern town of Ahtopol.

Under communist rule, Bulgarians were unable to travel overseas much, so they came up with their own forms of entertainment and still today every town and village has its own colourful festivals and feasts.

Bulgaria is a cradle and crossroad of ancient civilizations. Thracians, Romans, Slavs and Bulgars have left their mark in the past on the culture of Bulgaria contributing to a heritage that combines long history, fine literature and unique folklore.

Bulgaria has nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Of these, two are Thracian tombs and three are churches and monasteries from the medieval period. In addition, it is worth mentioning that the Varna Necropolis, a 3500 BC burial site, contains what are believed to be the oldest examples of worked gold in the world.
 
Bulgarian culture continues to enrich the world heritage during the last two centuries. Prominent Bulgarians as John Atanasoff, the inventor of the modern digital computer and a number of noted opera singers, composers and artists are only a part of what makes Bulgaria well-known in the world.
 
The first Constitution of the modern Bulgarian state adopted in 1879 proclaimed that every slave becomes immediately free just by having stepped onto Bulgarian soil. During the dark years of the Second World War, the Bulgarian people, the Orthodox church and many political leaders succeeded in protecting 50,000 Bulgarian Jews from extermination in the gas chambers during the Holocaust.
 
At the very heart of the Bulgarian Peninsula, Bulgaria has historically been a melting-pot for diverse ethnicities, which brought about a remarkable spirit of tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

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