Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
Bulgaria's strategic location and rich, forested landscape have made it an apple of envy for
thousands of years, so it's no wonder that its military-political history is emphasised in the
national narrative. However, there's much more to Bulgarian history than wars and (more
recent) communist totalitarianism: the mysterious ancient Thracians were master gold-
smiths and lovers of song and wine, while the Byzantine-inspired medieval Bulgarian tsars
commissioned magnificent churches, fresco paintings and manuscripts in monastic literary
schools. More recently, the National Revival period gave Bulgaria some of its most dis-
tinctive architecture and an artistic tradition that continues today.
Inhabited since neolithic times, Bulgaria has enjoyed brief but brilliant periods of great-
ness; during the medieval First and Second Bulgarian Empires, Bulgaria was among
Europe's most powerful states. However, five centuries of subsequent Turkish occupation
closed it to Western progress. The Orthodox Church largely preserved Bulgarian culture,
prompting the 18th- and 19th-century National Revival period, reminding Bulgarians of
their illustrious forebears.
Bulgaria's post-WWII experiment with communism deeply damaged the economy, soci-
ety and national psyche, and the 1990s 'transition' period was difficult. However, it
weathered the storm and two decades into its latest incarnation, Bulgaria is a NATO and
EU member with significant foreign investment and a strong regional presence.
Beginnings
Cave excavations near Pleven and in the Stara Planina (Balkan Range) confirm human hab-
itation since the Upper Palaeolithic Period (40,000 BC). However, archaeologists believe
cave-dwelling neolithic peoples (6000 BC) were Bulgaria's earliest permanent settlers.
The best preserved examples are in Stara Zagora, where burnt grain finds indicate farm-
ing was undertaken. Bulgaria's Chalcolithic (copper-using) cultures developed during the
fourth millennium BC; a superb collection of Chalcolithic artefacts - including possibly the
earliest worked gold jewellery - is at Varna Archaeological Museum.
The Thracians
Several diverse tribes, the Thracians, settled in modern-day Bulgaria. Their earliest settle-
ments were based around cave systems and 'sacred' springs. Later, they built more perman-
