About Bulgaria

"The World of Mimi - Friendship Overland!"

About BULGARIA

On this page you will learn something about Bulgarian History and then you can see some photos taken in my native country.

Founded in 681 A.D., Bulgaria was converted to Christianity in 865 A.D., and established itself as a state. Architecture and art are best understood within the context of the nation's rich history.

The Slav tribes and the proto-Bulgarians who founded the Bulgarian State, found remains of the millennial cultural heritage of Thracians, Romans and Byzantians in the lands of the Balkan Peninsula. During the first centuries of its existence, however, the Slav-Bulgarian state produced its own monumental civic buildings and places of worship which differed from the inherited monuments.

At the start of the 11th century, Bulgaria ruled over vast lands stretching from the Black Sea to the Adriatic, and from the Carpathians to the Aegean Sea. The few remaining works of the times show that the Bulgarian style of painting originated during the 9th-10th centuries and reached maturity during the 12th-14th century, of which there are many fine examples.

The Ottoman invasion of the Balkan Peninsula and Bulgaria's ultimate subjection to Ottoman rule in 1396, set her development back by centuries. The Ottoman Empire was lagging behind both culturally and economically, hampering the manifestation of Bulgaria art and architecture. The deep faith in the national spirit helped to retain the language, religion and customs. To the Bulgarians, the concept of survival lost a large part of its purely physical meaning. Already during the first centuries of Ottoman rule, houses and churches which preserved the rich building and artistic traditions of the nation, were built in the Central and Eastern Balkan Range, in the Sredna Gora and Strandja mountains.

In 1762, Paissii of Hilendar wrote his famous Slav-Bulgarian History - the first nationwide call for an uprising of the enslaved Bulgarian people in whose land the passage of time and history was slowed down. A nationwide movement for economic, social, cultural and national liberation was born.

The old national traditions, arts and crafts, were revived, and a new Bulgarian literature and theatre came into being. Homes, public buildings and places of worship were built, reflecting the new aesthetic and artistic ideal of the times - known as the National Revival.

Although differing in some respects, the 18th-19th century National Revival period towns and villages all have one thing in common - the longing for beauty in everyday life. Narrow cobblestone streets lead up to heavy, metal-studded wooden gates with iron locks and door knobs.

Hiding behind them are lovely gardens carpeted with flowers and fairytale-like houses with painted facades, lacework balconies and awnings. Inside, carved ceilings hover over built-in cupboards, wooden chests and shelves. Rugs and carpets in all colors of the rainbow covered the floor and window seats. Space and openness are everywhere - in the yards, on the verandas, inside the rooms - giving one a sense of freedom and of a spirit bound to the earth which gives you life.

If you wish to know about some Historical events in Bulgaria click here.

In this page you will see panorama photo of RILA MONASTERY - the most ancient sanctuary in Bulgaria. The picture you see won First prize in category Adults Professionals in the Competition for Best photograph from Bulgaria 2004 made by Association for Bulgaria - 3rd round. If you wish to know more go here: www.bgr.cz

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Panorama of Rila Monastery

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Last update: 08 December 2009