The Country and its People
BULGARIA lies in the Eastern part of the Balkan peninsula . Its southern boundary it shares with Turkey ,its western boundaries through hilly terrain it shares with Greece ,Macedonia and Serbia ,while in the north it lies adjacent to Romania along the river Danube , whilst the Black sea is its Eastern boundary .
Its population comprises of Slavs intermixed with the remnants of an old original Thracian population ,The population (1999) is assessed at 9 million of which some 6 million belong to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church . there are remnants of Muslim populus from the Turkish occupation days some Roman Catholics, Jews and Protestants . The country lives of industry and agriculture .
A BRIEF HISTORY
The first Bulgarian State was established 681 as a monarchy by Protobulgarians, Slavs and Thracians. The country adopted Christianity (Orthodox) in 865 and some years after - the Cyrillic alphabet, created about 860 by St. St. Cyril and Methodius. 1018 - 1186 Bulgaria was under Byzantium domination. 1186 the Second Bulgarian State was established what existed up to 1396 when the state fallen under Turkish occupation. As a result of the 1877 - 1878 war between Russia and Turkey Bulgaria got its freedom, but stayed separated in Principality Bulgaria and Eastern Roumelia up to 1885 when the unity was declared.
Today Bulgaria is an independent Republic ,which is attempting to reach the standards of Western democracy and living conditions after some 40 years of communist government .The Bulgars briefly flirted with a Western styled Monarchy . Based on the Belgian Constitution the Bulgars introduced a constitution providing for a Monarchy in 1879 It tended to follow the developments of their northern neighbours the Romanians, whose constitution was also based on the Belgian model ,when that country opted for royalty .
A member of the current Duke of Edinburghs family ,Alexander of Battenberg (Mountbatten in English ) of Hesse and nephew of Tsar Alexander 11 of Russia was selected to form a Bulgarian royal dynasty With the title of Royal Prince. His tenure was short lived as he fell out with his relative Tsar Alexander III of Russia . So the Bulgarians looked elsewhere and installed Ferdinand of Saxe Coburg Gotha as their first King Ferdinand in 1887. Ferdinand titled himself Tsar of the Bulgars It seems that he was related to the Kings of the Belgians . King Boris III ,Ferdinands successor, was pro German in World War 2 ,and allowed German troops into Bulgaria . Politics in the Balkans have always been complicated in that small countries were used to calculate what action was likely to be safest for them in case of war .. In 1940 with Russia , Bulgarias neighbours and Germany apparently "partners "under the Hitler /Stalin non Aggression Pact, King Boris miscalculated when he thought that his big neighbour would be pleased with his choice of Germany as an ally .…Russia changed "partners" and that put Bulgaria on the wrong footing with Russia . King Boris did not live to change his mind ..King Boris died in 1943 under mysterious circumstances . Though in hindsight King Boris picked the wrong ally ,he is credited in Bulgaria with his policy NOT to hound the Jews ,which puts him firmly apart from Herr Hitler . Once the Communists came to power in 1944 ,persecution of the Jews in Bulgaria became "savage".. Thereafter public servants, politicians , business people and intellectuals had a very hard time there.
Although Bulgaria did eventually change sides also ,as in Yugoslavia and Romania, partisans and communists fought for change ,and by the time that Bulgaria ended up on the "winning" side ,it was too late for young "child king " Simeon II to retain his throne. An overwhelming referendum in 1946 voted to turn Bulgaria into a Republic and the 63 year old Saxe Coburg Gotha dynasty in Bulgaria came to an end . A communist regime came into power then and lasted for a good 45 years before the Bulgarian people decided that it wanted to rid itself of a Russia oriented communist regime .
The first Rotary Club in Bulgaria received its Charter in 1933, but in the 40's Rotary activities were officially stopped. The opportunity for Rotary to become part of Bulgarian life had presented itself . The Rotary Club of Sofia received its Charter in 1991 ,followed shortly thereafter in 1992 by the Rotary Club of Plovdiv and in 1993 by the Bourgas and Varna Rotary Clubs… Bulgarian Rotary form part of District 2480 , which is essentially Greek Rotary in the Greek part of Macedonia
Today Bulgaria is an independent Republic which is attempting to reach the standards of Western democracy.The 1990 Constitutions provides for its President to head the Republic.
Bulgaria is struggling to come to terms with western democracy and a market economy .The Government democratically elected in 1994 for 5 years has seen the return of the Communists under a new Socialist name. Critique is levied by Bulgarian overseas students at Bulgaria's humanrights performance with torture still apparently taking place in prisons.9000 are imprisoned on a pre trial basis.. Former police chiefs known for serious human right abuses in communist days appear to have regained their positions of influence in the new regime. A change to market economy is said to be hampered by politicians resisting change . The economy remains therefore heavily dependant on State enterprises . In spite of the defects , ex King Simeon who returned to Bulgaria in 1997for a weeks visit after 50 years absence ,considers that much progress has been made .and that his country truly is on the way to western democracy . The Bulgarian Government has rescinded a 1947 Bill under which Royal property was confiscated . It has offered to return it back to its former Bulgarian royal family.
In 1997 a new democratic government was elected advancing that the privatization processors, passing more democratic legislation and trying to attract foreign investment to Bulgaria. This notwithstanding the living standards are still too low. In December 1999 Bulgaria was invited to start negotiations to join the EU.
Official
holidays in Bulgaria
1.
January - New
Year's Day
3. March - Bulgarian Liberation Day (National Holiday)
-
Easter Sunday (Orthodox) - dates change every year
1. May - Labour Day
6. May - Day of Bravery and Bulgarian Army
24. May - Day of Bulgarian education and culture and Slavonic alphabet
6. September - Bulgarian Unity Day
22. September - Bulgarian Independence Day
1. November - Day of Bulgarian national revival leaders (schools holiday only)
25/26.
December - Christmas
(last revised 13/01/2000 by Atanas Sirekov RC Bourgas)
| A brief note from ex-king Simeon |
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