Category Archives: Culture

7 incredible Bulgarian sports achievements

7 incredible Bulgarian sports achievements

With the FIFA World Cup in Brazil now just around the corner (unfortunately yet again without Bulgarian participation) and the summer months finally rolling in, it’s a good time to get some sports inspiration from Bulgaria’s surprisingly rich sports history. For a country of its size (and I like to emphasize that often enough), Bulgaria has achieved some remarkable sports achievements.

From the first modern Olympics to world chess domination, kashkaval tourist presents 7 incredible Bulgarian sports achievements.

1. Overlords of chess: Veselin Topalov and Antoaneta Stefanova, 2005-2006

Overlords of chess: Veselin Topalov and Antoaneta Stefanova, 2005-2006

Overlords of chess: Veselin Topalov and Antoaneta Stefanova, 2005-2006. Photo credit: Karpidis and Frank Hoppe, Wikipedia.

Chess is seen by many as the ultimate mind sport and the title of FIDE World Chess Champion is the most prestigious trophy one can hold in the world of chess. Astonishingly, Bulgarians held both the men’s and women’s world chess titles for about a year, between 2005 and 2006. Bulgarian grandmaster Veselin Topalov won the World Chess Championship a year after fellow chess wizard Antoaneta Stefanova had clinched the women’s title in 2004.

Though both Topalov and Stefanova lost their titles in 2006, they have remained at the top of the game, consistently ranking among the top chess players in the world.

2. Fastest English Channel swim: Petar Stoychev, 2007

Bulgarian swimmer Petar Stoychev is deservedly counted among the legends of long-distance (marathon) swimming. He boasts numerous titles in prestigious extreme long-distance swimming competitions, including the World Cup (of which he’s a seven-time winner) and the Grand Prix.

In 2007, Stoychev became the first person to swim the treacherous waters of the English Channel in less than seven hours. His time of 6 hours and less than 58 minutes set a new record for the fastest English Channel swim. Stoychev’s amazing feat was the record for 5 years, until Australian Trent Grimsey beat his time by about 3 minutes in 2012.

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Travel back in time to Bulgaria in the 1960s!

“It’s roses, roses all the way… this, wherever it is, is a land of happiness!”

In the 1960s, Bulgarian tourism was still in its infancy and Bulgaria’s natural beauty was relatively untapped by mass tourism. This video must be one of the first attempts to advertise tourism in Bulgaria to the Anglophone world. Check out below what could bring a foreign visitor to Bulgaria in the 1960s!

Celebrating Saints Cyril and Methodius

Sofia University is named after Saint Clement of Ohrid, one of Cyril and Methodius' disciples and the traditionally accepted inventor of the Cyrillic alphabet

Sofia University is named after Saint Clement of Ohrid, one of Cyril and Methodius’ disciples and the traditionally accepted inventor of the Cyrillic alphabet

Every 24 May, Bulgaria honours Saints Cyril and Methodius’ Day, officially known under the rather lengthy name “Day of Bulgarian Education and Culture and Slavic Literature”. Cyril and Methodius are celeberated for their efforts in christianizing the Slavs in the 9th century and for inventing the Glagolithic alphabet, the oldest Slavic alphabet.

Cyril and Methodius’ disciples (particularly Saint Clement of Ohrid and Saint Naum of Preslav) played an important part in the foundation of Bulgarian literature and created the Cyrillic alphabet, now used by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

7 mystical Bulgarian monasteries and their well-kept secrets

7 mystical Bulgarian monasteries and their well-kept secrets

Eastern Orthodox monasteries are among Bulgaria’s most valuable cultural heritage. Some like the fortress-like Rila Monastery are rightfully UNESCO World Heritage Sites, others like the Bachkovo Monastery in the verdant Rhodopes attract crowds with their unique and aesthetically-pleasing Byzantine architecture.

However, many of the most interesting Bulgarian monasteries remain relatively off the beaten track. As a result, they have retained their antique appeal and authentic appearance. Put on your cassock (or not) and head for the holy water, for kashkaval tourist presents 7 mystical Bulgarian monasteries and their well-kept secrets!

1. Nine centuries of stone: Zemen Monastery

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If you somehow end up in the tiny town of Zemen between Pernik and Kyustendil, you’ll be surprised to discover a well-kept piece of medieval Bulgarian history. The fascinating Zemen Monastery (Земенски манастир Zemenski manastir) dates to the 11th century and has preserved a curious cube-shaped church as old as the monastery itself. In the church’s cool stone interior you can see vivid biblical frescoes from the 14th centuries as well as one of the earliest donor’s portraits (of an unnamed Bulgarian aristocrat and his wife Doya).

Curiously, on my visit to the monastery three years ago I also found a not-so-ancient cassette player. Thankfully, it was playing religious hymns rather than tacky Bulgarian pop folk music!

2. Bulgarian Gothic: Lopushna Monastery

Did you know Bulgaria made its own unique contribution to Gothic architecture… albeit some three or four centuries after it went out of fashion in Western Europe? Indeed, a few dozen 19th-century churches in northwestern Bulgaria bear the classic traces of medieval Gothic architecture – including sharp arches, geometric details like rosettes and rich carved stone decoration.

The Lopushna Monastery (Лопушански манастир Lopushanski manastir) near Georgi Damyanovo is perhaps the most majestic examples of this late Bulgarian Gothic style. Established in medieval times, this monastery was reconstructed in its present appearance in the 1850s – and the monastery church stands out with its unique sharp-pointed design and naïve exterior reliefs, including stone (self?) portraits of the moustached architect and his assistant.

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Saint Anastasia Island: the islet of monks and Bolshevik prisoners

Situated in the Black Sea near the Bulgarian city of Burgas, Saint Anastasia Island (остров Света Анастасия, ostrov Sveta Anastasia) is quite a curious little place. The islet hosts the buildings of the last preserved island monastery off the western Black Sea coast. The Saint Anastasia Monastery is documented from the 16th century, though it was abandoned by the 1920s, when the buildings were turned into a macabre island prison for political opponents of Bulgaria’s right-wing government of Aleksandar Tsankov.

After an extensive reconstruction and gentrification, Saint Anastasia Island will be opened for regular visits from 15th May this year. Three boats a day will take tourists to and from the islet, where visitors can see a lighthouse, a precious antique church and a quay. A restaurant will be serving authentic cuisine, including seafood options, and a small guest house offers the opportunity to spend a night on one of the Black Sea’s very few inhabitable islands.

Town of the tower: Castra Martis, Kula

8 unknown Ancient Roman sites in Bulgaria you haven’t visited

You may well be aware of Bulgaria’s Ancient Roman history – after all, the Bulgarian lands were ruled by the Roman Empire for centuries. Sites like Plovdiv’s majestic Roman theatre, Varna’s huge Roman baths or Sofia’s antique churches of Hagia Sophia and Saint George are among the highlights of tourism in Bulgaria. However, the rest of the astonishing Roman ruins in Bulgaria appear to be largely forgotten.

From the (lost) longest bridge of the ancient world to a gate nowadays resembling two camels, kashkaval tourist presents 8 unknown Ancient Roman sites in Bulgaria you haven’t visited!

1. Brick masterpiece: The Red Church, Perushtitsa

Brick masterpiece: The Red Church, Perushtitsa

Brick masterpiece: The Red Church, Perushtitsa. Photo credit: Raggatt2000, Wikipedia.

A ruin standing proudly out in the open field near Perushtitsa, the Red Church (Червената църква Chervenata tsarkva) impresses with its rare solid brickwork and grand proportions – the dome of the church reached more than 14 metres in height! It is curious that the floor of this ancient basilica was decorated with mosaics, while the walls were painted. Some of the frescoes from the 5th-6th century AD were discovered during the Red Church’s restoration as recently as 2013!

2. Gorgon Medusa on the floor: Villa Armira, Ivaylovgrad

Gorgon Medusa on the floor: Villa Armira, Ivaylovgrad

Gorgon Medusa on the floor: Villa Armira, Ivaylovgrad Photo credit: Bin im Garten, Wikipedia.

Villa Armira (Вила Армира) is perhaps the best-preserved villa of a Roman aristocrat to be found in Bulgaria. Named after the little river near the town of Ivaylovgrad by it lies, Villa Armira was built as a suburban palace of a Roman noble in the 1st century AD.

The villa is most famous for its striking mosaic decoration – its floor is filled to the brim with incredible geometric, floral and animal motifs! A regular trend on Villa Armira’s mosaics is the depiction of the gorgon Medusa, so be careful and watch out not to be caught in its stare or you may turn into stone!

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7 curious examples of Bulgarian heritage abroad you had no idea about

7 curious examples of Bulgarian heritage abroad you had no idea about

For many reasons, Bulgaria has long been a country of emigrants. You may have heard about prominent people of Bulgarian ancestry like the American John Atanasoff, one of the pioneers of computing, or Brazil’s first female president, Dilma Rousseff… but there are many more unknown cases of how Bulgaria and Bulgarians left their mark on other countries in a curious way.

Including one of Uruguay’s most beloved football clubs, a full-fledged research station in Antarctica and a huge monument to a Bulgarian communist leader in West Africa, kashkaval tourist presents 7 curious examples of Bulgarian heritage abroad you had no idea about.

1. We’re at every kilometre: Cotonou, Benin

Bizarrely and almost surreally, a monument of Bulgaria’s first communist leader, Georgi Dimitrov, stands in the middle of a busy roundabout in Cotonou, the largest city of the West African country of Benin. The monument, brightly painted and significantly over-life-size, dominates the intersection which was appropriately named Place de Bulgarie, or Bulgaria Square.

How exactly this monument came to be can only be conjectured. But in the 1970s and 1980s Benin was trying hard to be a communist country, so this honour must have been bestowed to the late Dimitrov during that period.

2. The cast iron church and the dairy man: Istanbul, Turkey

The Iron Church in Istanbul is one of the most important examples of Bulgarian heritage abroad. Standing by the Golden Horn in the historic neighborhood of Fener, the church impresses with its Gothic and Baroque exteriors… and the metallic clang of its cast iron walls!

The Orthodox church, dedicated to Saint Stephen, was prefabricated in Vienna. All iron elements (weighting 500 tons in total) were shipped to Istanbul via the Danube and the Black Sea and assembled in the Ottoman capital in 1898. Today, it’s one of the few remaining iron churches in the world and a glorious remnant of the struggle for an independent Bulgarian church.

For a taste of more Bulgarian heritage in Istanbul, make sure you visit the legendary dairy shop of 88-year-old Bulgarian Kaymakçı Pando Shestakov. His kaymak cream is reputed to be the best in Istanbul and the shop was founded by his ancestors in 1895!

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Happy Easter! Hristos voskrese!

Today happens to be Easter for Eastern Orthodox Christians like most Bulgarians as well as for Catholics and Protestants. Kashkaval tourist wishes you a Happy Easter!

If you’re set on celebrating Easter (Великден, Velikden) the Bulgarian way, don’t forget that:

  • Eggs are painted on Thursday and Saturday during the Holy Week, never on any other day. The first egg must be painted red and is saved for as long as possible to bring good fortune and prosperity to the family.
  • At midnight, you go around your local church three times in a counter-clockwise direction, carrying a candle in your hand (and trying to keep the flame burning during the whole procession!)
  • Kozunak (козунак) is the most delicious sweet bread in existence. Now’s your chance to try it!
  • The traditional greeting among Bulgarian Christians is in Church Slavonic. It goes as follows: Hristos voskrese (Христос воскресе), meaning “Christ is risen”. The proper response is: Voistina voskrese (Воистина воскресе), “Truly, He is risen”.
  • Egg fighting begins from midnight on and whoever has the strongest egg (the “beater”) will be the healthiest during the year. However, beware of cheaters with wooden eggs!

Happy first day of spring!

Yesterday, 20 March, was the day of the March equinox and the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Prompted by the warm and sunny weather we’ve had these days, trees are blooming all over Bulgaria. And according to an ancient custom, Bulgarians are tying the red-and-white yarn adornments they gave to each other on 1 March to the branches of the first blooming tree they see.

The unmistakable red-and-white items are called martenitsi (singular мартеница, martenitsa) and are an important part of Bulgarian identity… though few Bulgarians are aware that similar customs are part of the traditions of Romania, Macedonia and other places in our region too.

Listen to the captivating Bulgarian History Podcast!

Did you know that Bulgaria’s decisive help saved Constantinople — and most likely all of Europe — from Arab conquest in the 8th century? Eric Halsey knows and wants to tell you about it.

bghist-logoEric, an American from the suburbs of Washington, D.C., fell in love with Bulgaria so much that he is dead set on living in and exploring the country. Together with his Bulgarian partner Martin Christov, Eric records and publishes The Bulgarian History Podcast: a fascinating series providing an insight into Bulgaria and the Balkans’ dramatic history.

Eric and Martin aim to both increase knowledge of Bulgarian history as well as to get people to think more critically about it — after all, truth is a relative concept, especially in Balkan historiography. This makes the Bulgarian History Podcast perfect for English speakers who want to know more about our region’s volatile past.

With six episodes already released and many more to come, Eric’s podcast provides for captivating and informative listening. Give it a shot and learn about Bulgarians’ arrival to the Balkans and their epic wars with Byzantium!