The culture legacy
One can get acquainted with the pre-historic culture of
Bulgaria mainly through the exhibitions displayed at the
Archaeological Museum and theMuseum of National History
in Sofia. Some of its exhibits are shown in the local museums
in Plovdiv , Stara Zagora , Nova Zagora , Varna , Veliko
Tarnovo , Rousse , Razgrad , Vidin , Bourgas , etc. Some
sights of particular interest are to be found near Nova
Zagora (the famous Karanovska Mound, called the Noah's Ark
of the European civilization), in the Magura Cave , as well
as the remains from Palàeolithic cultures in several caves
in the Balkan Mountains and the Rhodope Mountains. Traces
of some seaside Neolithic and Palàeolithic cultures have
been preserved in the areas starting from cape Kaliakra
and reaching down to the southern seaside resort Ahtopol.
The remains of pottery and other household were dating back
to the Paleolithic and the early Neolithic Ages found near
Nova Zagora are extremely unique. The culture of ancient
Thracians is represented in some of the most brilliant examples
of their applied arts. The most famous are the Gold Treasure
Collection from Panagyurishte, the Silver Collection from
Rogozhen , the Flying Pegasus from Sveshtari and the burial
urns from the Thracian tombs. Some new unique findings from
Thracian times over the past few years were discovered in
the Kazanluk tomb and in the tomb near Sveshtari. .The Tracians
were second in number and cultural achievements in the world
only to the Indians. There have been found a lot of remains
from Thracian, Old Greek and Roman culture and whole sity
sites have been preserved, restored and opened for the public.
Some of them are Augusta Trajana, Trimoncium, Nicopolis
ad Istrum, Pautalia, Mesembria, Apolonia and many others.
There has been preserved enough cultural evidence proving
that the Old Greek and the Roman mythology borrowed some
gods, heroes, mysteries, cults and holidays from the Thracians.
The Bulgarian historical museums abound in exhibits of the
ancient everyday, cultural and military life, masks, mosaics,
statues of gods and heroes. Under the capital city Sofia
have been excavated about 150 000 square meters of ruins
from the ancient city Serdika The amphitheaters and the
thermal baths in Plovdiv, Sofia and Varna are of great historical
value in this respect. The invasion of the Slavs and the
ancient Bulgarians brought about some new tendencies in
the cultural development of the country. The Bulgarians
introduced a new symbolic system of writing. The Old Greek
letters were very rarely used, mainly in bilingual chronicles
and texts concerning the wars between the Byzantine Empire
and Bulgaria. Most of them are petroglyphs, preserved on
stone. Part of the symbols may also be found on the bottoms
of pottery or on papyrus. Some interesting findings of gold
and bronze collections have been dated from that time for
example the treasure from Nagy St. Miklos, rings of Bulgarian
rulers, the sword of Khan Kubrat. The adoption of the Christian
Orthodox religion marks a new epoch in the Bulgarian history.
Examples of historical monuments from the pre-Christian
times are found in the capital Pliska and not far from it
is the Madara Horseman , the biggest bas-relief in Europe.
Alongside with them, some churches and buildings from the
First Bulgarian Empire are very interesting from historical
and cultural point of view. Their remains are to be found
in Veliki Preslav as well as in many early mediaeval cities
along the Black Sea coast and in the country's interior.
The 9 th century was called "the First Golden Age of
the Bulgarian culture" and is considered to mark the
beginning of the Bulgarian literature. There were some early
Christian monasteries that are very interesting in cultural
and architectural respect. The most imposing of them is
the Rila Monastery built as early as the 10 th century.
Many fortresses were built after the liberation from Byzantine
rule - in Vidin , Cherven, Beroe, Sredets, Assenovgrad,
Belogradchik and many other Medieval cities, which have
been preserved and nowadays. There are magnificent frescos
in the churches and the monasteries from that period. The
frescos in the Boyana Church near Sofia have been compared
to the best Renaissance models, though actually preceding
them with a century and a half. ̉he hesichastic monasteries,
among wich the Ivanovo, the Aladja and the Batchkovo are
examples of the savoir faire of their builders, icon painters
and wood carvers. The archaeological complex of the ancient
capital Veliko Tarnovo is very imposing. The incredible
city layout, the walls, the churches, towers used by the
Bulgarians in their everyday life and especially the site
in the nearby village Arbanassi reveal the erudition and
the mastery of the Bulgarian rulers. After the invasion
of the Ottoman Turks Bulgaria's culture went to decline.
The construction of new monasteries started in the 17 th
and 18 th centuries. Some icon painters and wood-carving
schools were built in Tryavna, Debur and Bansko. The architecture
during the Revival had very distinctive features. Wood,
stone and limestone were the basic construction materials.
Very characteristic of the period are the earthen floors,
the little fireplaces, the wood carved ceilings, the low
doors and the window seats. Some fine examples of it may
be found in Koprivshtitsa, Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv, Shiroka
Luka, Tryavna, Gabrovo, Elena, Kotel, Bojentzi, AR "Staro
Stefanovo", Melnik. The development of education and
the opening of new schools enhanced the cultural development
of Bulgaria. In the middle of the 19 th century Vasil Aprilov
opened the famous Gabrovo High school. After the liberation
of the country from the Ottoman domination the national
culture moved at big strides. The Bulgarian cinematography
appeared. The National Theater was founded in 1904. The
period between the two world wars was a period of development
of sciences.The Bulgarian Academy of sciences was founded.
For a long period of time the only higher education in Bulgaria
could be acquired at the Sofia University. After World War
II the pantomime, the puppet theaters, pop music, opera,
the Bulgarian circus developed.The Bulgarian folklore was
proclaimed a national treasure. After Nov. 10, 1989 all
the ideological barriers in culture were eliminated. Today
the Bulgarian creators travel all over the world and convey
the Bulgarian culture to the remotest parts of the world.
"The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices", The Children's
Choir of the Bulgarian Radio, the National Opera are part
of our cultural identity.
About the cultural tourism in Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a country with a very rich cultural treasury.
Some of the most famous traditional customs and folk festivals
are: The Kukeri Carnival in the region of Pernik and Dupnitsa
(January), the festival for authentic folklore in Koprivshtitsa
(May-June) , the folk festival in Bourgas and Varna (August),
the Christmas festivities in the Balkan villages and towns
(December-January), the festival of the Sea in Balchik and
Sozopol (August), the festival of Roses in Kazanlak (June),
the festival in Cross Forest (September), the festival of
the Sun Worshippers at the Seven Rila Lakes (August), Easter
(in all churches and monasteries), with imposing ceremonies
in the Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia and the Rila
Monastery, the local folk dancing and singing festivals.
The national folk costumes and musical instruments are unique.
Some of the most interesting are from the Thracian, Rhodope
and Vidin regions. The folk costumes worn on different holidays
are extremely varied. Some of them are those of the Kukeri,
Lasarki, the fire-dancers. Most of these are on display
in the ethnographic museums countrywide. Typical for the
Bulgarian folk music are the irregular rhythms, two-part
and three-part singing. Traditional Bulgarian musical instruments
with original sounding are the bagpipe, the drums, the Bulgarian
mandolin, dvoyanka, brumbuzuk, bells. The Bulgarian folk
music, the phenomenal Bulgarian folk singers and ensembles
made the country popular all over the world.
