Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia

St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and it is one of the 50 largest Christian church buildings by volume in the world. It is one of Sofia’s symbols and primary tourist attractions. St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia occupies an area of 3,170 square metres (34,100 sq ft) and can hold 5,000 people inside. It is among the 10 largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings. It is…

Surva Festival

The international festival of masquerade games “Surva” in Pernik is the most authoritative event in Bulgaria and Europe of traditional folk games and customs with masks. He popularized variants of an ancient ritual that have reached today, part of the Bulgarian folklore tradition. With its competition program, the festival is a meeting of more than 10 000 survakars, kukers, babugers, jamalars and many others. Thousands of tradition bearers from all ethnographic regions of Bulgaria and guests from Europe, Asia and Africa participate in the festival competition every year. Participants come…

Rogozen Silver Treasure

The Rogozen Silver Treasure, called the find of the century, is a Thracian treasure. It was discovered by chance in the autumn of 1985 by tractor driver Ivan Dimitrov, digging a hole for an irrigation system in his garden in the Bulgarian village of Rogozen. On January 6,1986 an archaeological team, consisting of Bogdan Nikolov, Spas Mashov and Plamen Ivanov from the County Historical Museum in Vratsa discovered a second half, consisting of 100 silver and gilded silver vessels. It consists of 165 receptacles, including 108 phiales, 55 jugs and…

Panagyurishte Treasure

The treasure consists of a phiale, an amphora, three oinochoai and four rhytons with total weight of 6.164 kg of 24-karat gold. All nine vessels are richly and skilfully decorated. It is dated from the turn of the 4th-3rd centuries BC. It is thought to have been used as a royal ceremonial set by the Thracian king Seuthes III. The items may have been buried to hide them during 4th century BC invasions of the area by the Celts or Macedonians.The phiale carries inscriptions giving its weight in Greek drachmae…

Belogradchik Rocks

The Belogradchik Rocks (Bulgarian: Белоградчишки скали, Belogradchishki skali) are a group of strangely shaped sandstone and conglomerate rock formations located on the western slopes of the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) near the town of Belogradchik in northwest Bulgaria. The rocks vary in color from primarily red to yellow; some of the rocks reach up to 200 m in height. Many rocks have fantastic shapes and are associated with interesting legends. They are often named after people or objects they are thought to resemble. The Belogradchik Rocks have been declared a…

Peperikon

Peperikon is a particular archeological site often discussed by Bulgarian media nowadays. The ancient sanctuary became popular thanks to the excavations performed by the famous Bulgarian archeologist Nikolay Ovcharov. Yet, the knowledge of its real function, history, and significance is scarce. Perperikon is an enormous rock formation in East Rodopi Mountain, and scientists believe that a sanctuary of the same name emerged 8000 years ago. The rocky monument stands 15 kilometers away from the town of Kardjali near the Perpereshka river, which is said to have been a site of…