2

keynote

dear vagabond
In less tnan a quarter of a century since its foundation, the Republic
of Bulgaria (formerly known as the People's Republic of Bulgaria)
is now being managed by its fourth caretaker government, a special
kind of a state institution that the president appoints if the previous
government resigns or if the political parties in parliament are unable
or unwilling to form a regular government. Its functions are very
limited. In fact, its chief task is to ensure a new general election,
desirably free and fair, gets organised and conducted.
Constitutionally, this is an oddity compared to developed
democracies where the role of a "caretaker" government is usually
played by whatever outgoing government happens to be in office (thus
saving time, expenses and unnecessary turbulence), but that is a subject
that warrants a separate article. What is more important at the present
time is whether the current caretaker government in Bulgaria lives up
to its constitutional mandate.
According to renowned journalist Lyuboslava Ruseva, it is
spectacularly failing to do so. Instead of taking upon itself to ensure
the upcoming election scheduled for 5 October is free and fair, the
caretakers are clearly paving the way for one particular party to snatch
the power. That party is Boyko Borisov's GERB.
They have already given the boot to senior civil servants and installed
tried-and-tested GERB apparatchiks in their positions. These are of
variable experience and qualifications, but some are clearly at least
controversial. It is debatable whether the new-old chief of customs,
Vanyo Tanov, is as bad as Delyan Peevski, whose appointment to a
senior security position last year sparked off the massive street rallies
that eventually toppled the previous government. What is known quite
well to the general public, however, is that Tanov was taped taking
orders from Boyko Borisov to terminate a tax fraud investigation
against a businessman to whom Borisov "had made promises." The
chief of customs taking orders from the prime minister to terminate
a tax fraud investigation?! Peevski's appointment in 2013 created such

keynote

a scandal over things he might have started doing whereas Tanov,

who has already done things, goes unnoticed in 2014. Where is now
Bulgaria's "civil society" which was so vocal in the streets of Sofia last
year?, asks Ruseva. Why has it not risen as one to protest now? Read
the whole interview on p16.
September is a perfect month to explore some of Bulgaria's better or
lesser known treasures. You can start at Perperikon (p32), the ancient
rock city in the eastern Rhodope that some local media compare to
Machu Picchu. Then visit the springs of the Kamchiya River, in the
central area of the Balkan Mountain (p42). Detour to the seaside
and hop on the boat to the Island of St Anastasia, off the coast of
Burgas (p26). It is just a rock in the sea, really; but it has recently been
renovated and now makes a wonderful day trip from the hustle and
bustle of the big city nearby. On the opposite end of Bulgaria is the
village of Leshten (p46). Take in its bucolic beauty and spend a few
days on the slopes of the western Rhodope enjoying some of the best
food in Bulgaria.
Tired of Bulgaria? Ukraine may not be a very popular destination
for tourism these days, but if you are brave enough you can take to
Uman, in Central Ukraine. For a few days in September it turns into
one of the world's hottest spots for... Hassidic Jews. You don't need to
be particularly observant to enjoy the absolutely raucous celebration of
the Jewish New Year in Uman, but if you go you are unlikely to forget it
for the rest of your life. P58 for the details.
Interested in recent history? Kristen Ghodsee, the US professor
of ethnology, brings on a very interesting article about the complex
relationship between Communism, Capitalism and women's rights
especially in the developing world. Ghodsee looks at the case of a
senior Communist official in Bulgaria to show that not everything was
black-and-white, not even in the black-and-white world of the Cold
War. Turn to p52 for the full story.
Last but not least, we have a refreshing interview with Matthew
Kneale, the English writer who visited Bulgaria in 2014 as part of the
Elizabeth Kostova Foundation's literary seminars. Matthew's The
English Passengers is an international bestseller, and his newest work,
the non-fiction An Atheist's History of Belief is being translated into
many languages at the moment. What does the man make of Bulgaria?
Read on p72.
Enjoy your Vagabond!

where to
find us
, Bulgaria's English Monthly, is distributed in
the airports in Soa, Varna, Burgas, Plovdiv.
has a large subscription base among expatriates
in Bulgaria as well as people interested in Bulgaria in the UK,
the United States, Germany, and Scandinavia.
You can buy single copies of
at good
newsstands throughout Bulgaria
and on board the planes of AIR LAZUR.
In Soa, you can also get
at the Red House
Culture and Debate Centre, at the Greenwich Book Center,
Soa, and at other good book and music stores,
or order it at www.store.bg
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Tourist Information Centre, Soa.
In addition,
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following ne establishments
Arena di Serdica, Soa
Best Western Hotel EXPO, Soa
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Bistro Orisha, Soa
Boutique Hotel Crystal Palace, Soa
British-Bulgarian Information and Language Centre, Soa
Business Park Soa, Soa
Checkpoint Charlie Restaurant, Soa
Costa Coee, Soa, Varna, Plovdiv and Burgas
Downtown Hotel, Soa
First Investment Bank, Soa
Galateia Clinic, Soa
Gloria Mar Restaurant, Soa
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and many others throughout the country.
Can't find your
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Drop us a line at distribution@vagabond.bg,
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imprint
PUBLISHER
Vagabond MEDIA
23 Budapest Street 1000 Soa
phone: (+359 2) 983 3308
fax: (+359 2) 983 3358
editorial@vagabond.bg
www.vagabond.bg

contents
issue 9596 / 2014

Tsvetelina Kovacheva
tsvetelina@vagabond.bg
Vanya Zlateva
vanya@vagabond.bg
CONTRIBUTORS

8. Quote-unquote

Dimana Trankova
Dimitar Ivanov

Anthony Georgie
anthony@vagabond.bg

58. Vagabond World

Uman, Uman, Rosh Hashanah!

Bozhidara Georgieva
MANAGING EDITOR

10. Jokes of the month

Kristen Ghodsee
Minka Vazkresenska

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Stamen Manolov

Elena Filipova
elena@vagabond.bg

Violeta Rozov

12. Bulgaria's monthly quiz

16. Interview
Lyuboslava Ruseva

PAPER
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Jane Keating

Cover: 2 g/m2
Inner page: g/m2

GRAPHIC DESIGN

PRINTED IN BULGARIA

Gergana Shkodrova
shkodrova@vagabond.bg

Janet-45 Print & Publishing,

Plovdiv

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
GREECE
Jeni Georgieva
jeni@gogreece.bg
MEDIA SALES
Alexandra Spiridonova
a.spiridonova@vagabond.bg
Kristina Panayotova
kristina@vagabond.bg

COPYRIGHT
Vagabond Media. No part
of this publication may be reproduced in any form without
the express written consent of
the publisher

24. Where in Bulgaria?

25. High beam
St Anastasia Island
Perperikon
From whence Kamchiya springs
Escape to Leshten

72. Fiction
Matthew Kneale

79. Highflights

Produced on Apple Macintosh

computer equipment only

128. Inside track

Svetlana Doncheva
svetlana@vagabond.bg

Pursuant to Article 7a, Paragraph 3 of the Bulgarian Compulsory Deposition of Printed and Other Works act
it is herewith declared that Anthony Georgieff is the sole proprietor of Vagabond Media Ltd.

ISSN 13128590
Unless explicitly stated, the views and opinions expressed or implied in
, Bulgaria's English
Monthly, are intended for entertainment only. The publisher assumes no responsibility, direct or implied,
for any advertising content. Products and services mentioned are subject to change without prior notice.
You are strongly advised to make proper research and seek professional advice before making any financial
commitment in response to advertising material

52. Legacies of Communism

Women's rights and the Cold War

cover by Anthony Georgieff

quote-unquote

"You saw what

speculative funds did to
Argentina. Argentina went
bankrupt. Argentina, a NATO
state, a big country. Went
bankrupt in one night."
GERB leader BOYKO BORISOV

"Let's support
charities dedicated
to children with
althuism."

"The prosecution
is for hire. Some people
hire prosecutors just like
others hire hitmen."
Political scientist EVGENIY DAYNOV

"Probably
somewhere with
Internet coverage."

GERBs TSVETAN TSVETANOV

Prosecutor IVAN GESHEV on the whereabouts

of Tsvetan Vasilev, owner of Corporate
Commercial Bank

"My enemies have let

the genie out of the bottle.
Whoever wants to rule the state
will have to beg me."
NIKOLAY BAREKOV, ex journalist and leader of

Bulgaria Without Censorship

10

caesar of macedon
Bulgaria Without Censorship's Nikolay Barekov went to see a clairvoyant,
and asked: "Tell me, madam, will I become prime minister?"
The old woman looked at him from head to toe, touched his forehead,
looked at his tongue and his eyeballs, took his pulse, and said: "You will,
son, you will. You will also become Napoleon, Julius Caesar, Alexander the
Great..."

bulgarian public contracts

A businessman went to apply for a government contract under the Public
Contract Acts. The clerk looked at his application and asked, "Does your
company have 10 years of experience?"
"Yes," the businessman answered.
The clerk put down a note, and asked again:
"Your company has already won 15 government contracts which it has
completed successfully, right?"
"Yes," the businessman answered.
The clerk paused, wiped his forehead, and inquired, "Does your company
have foreign consultants?"
"Yes," the businessman replied.
The clerk sighed, shook his head, and looked at the businessman over his
glasses:
"I'm sorry, but we cannot even admit you to take part in the competition."
"But why?" the businessman asked in amazement. "What condition do we
not fulfil?"
The clerk put his finger down on the application. "Well, you fail the most
important condition."
"And what is it?" the businessman inquired.
"The name of the manager of your company is not Gadyo Vutov Gadev."

11

12

bulgaria's monthly quiz

13

Take our test to doublecheck

Anthony Georgieff

think
you know
bulgaria
and the
bulgarians?
Stone Wedding is where?

by Bozhidara Georgieva

1
2

Which Bulgarian city

has been disturbed by
a... python on the loose?
A. Varna
B. Sofia
C. Ruse
Which of these sites
in Bulgaria is not on
the UNESCO World
Heritage list?
A. The Rila Monastery
B. The old town of
Sozopol
C. The Madara
Horseman
Which herb is used
in the Shopska?
A. Oregano
B. Coriander
C. Parsley

CHECK YOUR ANSWERS ON P57

4
5
6

Which Bulgarian ruler

kept a Latin emperor a
prisoner?
A. King Kaloyan
B. Khan Krum
C. Boyko Borisov

Which main Roman

road passed through
what is today Bulgaria?
A. Via Appia
B. Via Egnatia
C. Via Diagonalis

Which building in Sofia

has two chariots pulled
by lions on its roof ?
A. The National Theatre
B. The Bulgarian
National Bank
C. The Council of
Ministers

Which is the most

cunning animal in
Bulgarian folklore?
A. The Bear
B. The Fox
C. The Hare
Where in Bulgaria is the
Stone Wedding natural
phenomenon?
A. Near Kardzhali,
in the Rhodope
B. Near Belogradchik
C. Near Stara Zagora
In Bulgaria, spotting a
white swallow means...
A. Extremely good luck
B. The winter will be very
cold
C. The election turnover
will be below 50 percent

15

L O R A N

G A L L E R Y

L O R A N

Socialist or
Totalitarian Art
9 September 9 October
2014

Vladimir Dimitrov Maystora,

Portrait of Georgi Dimitrov, oil, canvas, 97/83.5 cm
Petar Kolev, Spring at Vratsa, 1971,
oil, canvas, 100/82 cm

The current exhibition of Loran Art

Gallery is provoked by art in Socialist
Bulgaria, created between 9 September
1944 and 10 November 1989. Bulgarians
still struggle with their understandings
of the period, trapped between sweet
nostalgia and memories for violation
of basic human rights. The notion towards
Socialist art is equally ambiguous.
In such an atmosphere, it is hardly a
surprise that only two months after
Loran Art Gallery nurtured the concept
for the exhibition, the gallery gathered
more pieces of Socialist art than it could
accommodate on its premises. So, the
online exhibition in the gallery's website
is much richer than the actual one.
The Socialist or Totalitarian Art exhibition
doesn't aim to vindicate the art of the
period, or to celebrate the 70th anniversary
of the Communist coup. The gallery wants
to demonstrate that the useless propaganda
art of the past, today holds a significant
artistic and market value.

Kiril Mayski, Brigadiers, the 1950s,

watercolour, paper, 72/89.5 cm

G A L L E R Y

The diverse collection includes many

genres and styles, and is representative
for the period. The earliest exhibits are
the All for the Frontline, All for the Victory
sketch by Vladimir Dimitrov Maystora,
and Down With Race Segregation by Vasil
Evtimov. Specific attention deserves
the oil portrait of dictator Georgi
Dimitrov, painted by Maystora in his
trademark style. The exhibition includes
compositions dedicated to the
Brigadier Movement, the
collectivisation of the agrarian lands
and the 1923 September Uprising. An
accent, not only because of its size, is a
painting by Ioan Leviev denouncing the
Pinochet regime in Chilli.
The main message of the exhibition
is that the art of the period deserved
not only to be remembered, but also to
be surveyed and cherished. The Loran
Art Gallery is aware of the controversy
of the exhibition, but it stands by it
believing that history, whatever it was,
should be known and remembered.
.

Sofia, 16 Oborishte St
(entrance from Vasil Aprilov Street)
Monday-Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm
Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm
phone: 02 483 0877
Nevena Gancheva, September, the 1960s,
oil, canvas, 100/69.5 cm

Vasil Evtimov, Down With Race Segregation, 1944,

oil, canvas, 48/57 cm

galleryloran@yahoo.com
www.galleryloran.com

16

17

sense of
hopelessness
Analyst Lyuboslava Ruseva dissects
Bulgaria's politics as Boyko's
GERB prepare to return to power
interview and photography by Anthony Georgieff

interview

East meets West

in Sofia at

Checkpoint Charlie
Live Jazz on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

character assassination machine, by the general

lack of interest of ordinary Bulgarian voters not
only in elections as such but also in the concept of
democracy as being an uneasy process of checks,
balances and compromises.
There are exceptions, however. Lyuboslava
Ruseva (b. 1970) is by any measure one of them.
Having been a political observer in Dnevnik
daily and the deputy editor of Tema weekly
magazine, she is now a columnist for Glasove
and a variety of other media outlets that do not
belong to the mainstream Bulgarian media.
Lyuboslava's critical stance towards GERB
and its leader, Boyko Borisov, is well known,
and as we sit down for a chat I am not thinking
about GERB. I am rather thinking about

12 Ivan Vazov St. Sofia phone: 988 03 70

Against the background of Bulgaria's economic

crisis and political instability, it has become
a matter of course for journalists, analysts
and pollsters to "switch sides" depending on
who happens to be the best bidder or the most
ominous bully, rather than in keeping with a
set of moral and professional principles that the
media in the West try to adhere to. Occurrences
of ardent critics of, say, GERB turning coat
overnight and becoming equally ardent
supporters of Boyko Borisov are something few
would really give a thought to any longer. The
situation is exacerbated by lack of regulation,
particularly on the Internet, by the still nebulous
ownership of the media, by the hundreds of
reportedly paid "trolls" setting in motion the

19

Gourmet Cuisine

18

the hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians that

actually cast their ballots for GERB. What is
their motivation?
Many Bulgarians who have grown up in the
current chalga environment like him in earnest.
They like his macho style, they like the way
he walks and the way he talks. This is about
charisma the way a large chunk of the Bulgarian
voters see it, not about political agendas.
Boyko Borisov is a typical populist, not
unlike Italy's Berlusconi. As the Bulgarian
psychiatrist, Dr Nikolay Mihaylov, once put
it, "Borisov is a nimble teller of political fairy
tales, a cunning yet unintelligent Balkan actor.
The disenfranchised population perceives him
as a last-instance magician." Borisov knows
how to manipulate his voters. He tells them,
"you are simple and I am simple that's why
we understand each other." This seems to do
the trick at home.
Internationally, he makes promises of police
cooperation and consequently the EuroAtlantic world accepts him. He may be a son of
a bitch, but at least he is our son of a bitch.
Obviously, these are just promises as
Borisov is not very famous for delivering with
consistency. His mood can change within five
minutes, his decisions are more often than not
self-contradictory, and they are never final.
What he says in the morning is immaterial
because over lunch he will say something
different, and that will have changed several
times over by dinner time. There is no way
for a politician like that to solve this country's
problems because he is one of them.
It is sad that many hopes are being pinned on
Borisov both domestically and internationally.
What is GERB?
GERB is not a standard political party, but a
clientelist grouping whose members are united

interview 21

20

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a dozen people had committed awful acts of

self-conflagration out of despondency and
hopelessness. Bozhidar Danev, the chairman of
the Bulgarian Industrial Association, described
the situation as an economic, political and
moral national catastrophe, the third since
1989.
Against this backdrop it doesn't seem possible
that GERB will return to power at the 5 October
general election.
Boyko Borisov's popularity has plummeted
compared to 2009 when he became prime
minister. Attitudes to him are severely
polarised. The truth is that many Bulgarians
go on liking him owing to his macho ways,
but Borisov seems to know that his GERB
can hardly replay the success of 2009. This is
why he is now coming to power through the

backdoor, with the assistance of his protege,

President Rosen Plevneliev. Remember: when
Plevneliev won the presidential election, which
incidentally was one of the most heavily rigged
in Bulgaria post-1989, Boyko Borisov boasted:
"Whoever I had put forward would have been
elected."
What is the caretaker government, appointed
by President Plevneliev, doing at the moment?
It conducts purges of senior state officials,
appointing back severely compromised GERB
folk. In doing this, it obviously violates the
Constitution which stipulates that a caretaker's
government only task is to organise and ensure
a free and fair general election.
In reality, what the caretaker government
acts as a cover for GERB, paving the way for
Borisov's promised vengeance. Even if it fails

SPAGGO LIMITED

not by ideology but by the access they can get

to public resources when they are in power.
GERB is the personal political project of
Boyko Borisov to capitalise on his own public
image to get the power. Such an organisation
can only exist if it is in power, which explains
why it started to disintegrate after the 12 May
2013 election. When in opposition, GERB did
nothing at all except call for no-confidence
votes when in parliament and push for street
protests outside parliament. If it hadn't been
for the street rallies, Borisov's party would have
probably ended up on the dustbin of history,
just like the Simeon II National Movement
did.
The street protests gripped Sofia for half a year
in 2013, but now they are a thing of the past.
What's is your view of them?
GERB managed to streamline the rallies and
use them to facilitate its political comeback.

Initially, what appeared like a genuine

manifestation of civil society soon plunged
into unenlightened buffoonery. Borisov
snatched the opportunity and presented it as
the voice of the morally discontent with the
government and then as an alternative to the
BSP-DPS model.
Borisov could have hardly done anything
different because he had left the country in
a total mess when he resigned in early 2013.
The fiscal reserve was in tatters, 1.5 billion
leva had disappeared from the National
Health Service coffers, hundreds of smalland medium-sized enterprises had gone
bust. Business could hardly breathe not only
because the government paid back its VAT
instalments with huge delays, but because it
had been exposed to an unprecedented racquet
by the GERB-dominated incompetent and
ravenous civil service. Borisov resigned when

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22

interview

interview 23

Soma Restaurant
58 Maria Louisa Blvd,
fl. 5, Sofia
phones: 0899 988 593
0897 269 636
www.somavital.bg

to form a government of its own, GERB will

go to bed happy as its loyal clients will have
already been given the key jobs.
I can hardly believe that the state does plan
to spend 26 million leva for the new election,
provided GERB has already won it through
the caretaker government.
In 2014, Bulgaria a member of the EU is
talking about its inability to hold a free and fair
election?
The caretaker Prime Minister, Georgi
Bliznashki, is an university professor who
spearheaded a petition for a referendum on
the Election Code. Of the 560,000 signatories
of that petition, ostensibly gathered by a civic
committee but in reality ensured by illegal
delving into personal data by the GERB local
structures, 100,000 turned out to be fake. Can
you believe a man like that will organise a free
and fair election?
There are ways to manipulate voters ahead
of elections as well. When he appointed the
caretaker government, the president pledged
a full investigation of the activities of the
previous government not that of GERB. The
caretaker government is legally obliged to be
neutral. But how can it be neutral when it is
bombarding the media with "facts" about the
bad legacies, in this way underwriting Borisov's
campaign?
Here I should mention Tsvetan Tsvetanov,
the former interior minister, who now manages
the GERB election campaign. He is an odious
figure, Boyko Borisov's right-hand man. His
term in office went down in history with the
most unscrupulous pressure on the judicial
system, with massive illegal tappings, with
spectacular arrests of innocent people, with the
passing of "sentences" to whole professional
branches. He is the architect of the 2011

election, the most heavily manipulated in

Bulgaria's recent history. At that election, MPs
for GERB were filmed to be taking out sackfulls
of election ballots, and many of the polling
stations were gripped by well-organised chaos.
However, Tsvetanov built GERB. He knows
its activists personally and is privy to the
sentiments of its local structures. His police
pals are already being re-appointed to the top
police jobs in the provinces. Tsvetanov, who
has received a four-year jail term, now has
immunity as a candidate MP.
If not GERB, then who?
I am not an optimist. The only good thing
that can happen is if the nationalists fail
to enter parliament. Hopefully, the most
ridiculous product of Bulgaria's politicking,
former TV journalist Nikolay Barekov's
Bulgaria Without Censorship, will have the
same fate.
On 5 October 2014 Bulgarians will again
have to choose the lesser evil. In plain
language this means they will have to choose
between oligarchy alone and oligarchy plus
organised crime. Bulgaria's politics is fraught
with compromised leaders, the traditional
concepts of right wing and left wing are totally
meaningless, democracy has been reduced to
infighting between personalities or between
clientelist clans. I see no way for this end,
provided there is a severe lack of new ideas
and attempts to change. The situation will
probably get worse before it starts getting
better. It would be helpful for the political
establishment to remember that the winter
is coming. Then the wrath of the brutally
impoverished Bulgarians, gripped by the sense
of hopelessness, is unlikely to be malleable for
pageantry and the pompous talk of a "new"
morality.

quiz

25

Anthony Georgieff

24

where
in bulgaria?
by Stamen Manolov

This is possibly the biggest Communist-era monstrosity in

Bulgaria, outshining even the Flying Saucer congress hallcum-temple at Buzludzha. It was erected in 1981 as part of a
megalomaniacal project masterminded by Todor Zhivkov's
daughter to mark the 1,300th anniversary of the foundation of
the Bulgaria state, an euphemism for pumping up nationalism.
Now at least 30,000 tons of concrete stand exposed to the
elements above a large Bulgarian city, but unlike Buzludzha
this monument has not been abandoned. The local city council
even charges entry fees to let you go into it. A particular
favourite to Japanese and Israeli tourists (but for completely
different reasons).
Where in Bulgaria are you?

Email your answers to

editorial@vagabond.bg
and you can win a copy of
Wall-to-Wall,
Poetry of Europe,
Vagabond's guide
to the poetry walls of Sofia.

High Beam is a series of articles, initiated by Vagabond Magazine, with the generous support
of the America for Bulgaria Foundation, that aims to provide details and background of places,
cultural entities, events, personalities and facts of life that are sometimes difficult to understand
for the outsider in the Balkans. The ultimate aim is the preservation of Bulgaria's cultural heritage
including but not limited to archaeological, cultural and ethnic diversity.

26

st anastasia
island
Former monastery, prison
becomes tourist attraction
by Bozhidara Georgieva; photography by Anthony Georgieff

27

high beam 29

28

Top: A pirate ship about to raid

the island was turned into stone
by St Anastasia, according to a
local legend
Bottom: Even when the island
became a part of the Kingdom
of Bulgaria with its independent
Church, the monastery on St
Anastasia remained under the
jurisdiction of the Patriarch of
Constantinople

Bulgaria's Black Sea can be calm or full of tourists, pristine or

packed with ugly hotels, but one thing it is not: a sea where numerous
islands, large and small, are available for exploration.
Only seven islands dot the 354 km of Bulgaria coastline and some of
them are so small that they are little more than rocks in the sea. In the
summer of 2014, however, one of the islands in the Bulgarian Black
Sea became a genuine tourist attraction.
St Anastasia Island, in the Burgas Bay and only 6 kilometres from
Burgas itself, has a remarkable history. In the 16th Century, a group
of monks chose this rugged mass of volcanic rock with an area
of roughly 2 acres as the site for their monastery. Over time, the
complex grew and prospered, and the monastery survived pirate raids
so numerous that they became the stuff of local legends.
Pilgrims visited, coming from all over the south Black Sea, mooring
their boats in the tiny port on the island. The crowds were at their
thickest on 15 August, when the monastery celebrated its feast day.
The feast day of St Anastasia is actually on 22 December, but the feast
on the island was moved to the summer, when the sea is calmer and
not as treacherous.
In 1923 the monastery changed its function. After the brutal
overthrow of the government of the Agrarian Party and the bloody
suppression of the September Communist uprising, the new
government found itself with prisons overflowing with political
prisoners. Those regarded as particularly dangerous were sent to
St Anastasia Island, whose severe conditions and isolation made it
ideal for a jail. The inmates were confined in the former monastic
cells.
Conditions were harsh and security was tight, yet in 1925 about half
of the 90 prisoners on the island escaped. Most of them were then
secretly transferred to the USSR, but in the 1930s they lost their lives
in the Stalinist purges.
The memory of these men (their death in the USSR was
conveniently swept under the carpet of official history) was marked
after the Communists took power in Bulgaria in 1944. St Anastasia
Island was renamed to Bolshevik Island, and declared a historical
place connected with what was then called "the revolutionary fight."
One of the first Bulgarian films, the 1958 On the Small Island by
director Rangel Valchanov, told the story of the escapees, and was
shot on the actual island.

30

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31

This publicity did not have any impact on the island itself. In the
1960s Bolshevik Island became a place of recreation for the artistic
circles of Burgas, but the buildings fell into disrepair and soon the
only thing still intact on the island was the lighthouse. The current
lighthouse, which was supplied with electricity as late as the 1960s,
dates back to 1889, with a major facelift in 1914.
After the democratic changes of 1989, Bolshevik Island became St
Anastasia Island once more. The regular boat services, however, were
discontinued and decay overtook the former monastic and prison
buildings. St Anastasia became a ghostly place, which a handful of
visitors per year could reach only if they hired a fisherman to bring
them to the island. A basic tavern provided even more basic food,
and the more adventurous slept in the dilapidated rooms of the
monastery.
The desolation and decay of St Anastasia are captured with
documentary precision in Kamen Kalev's 2011 feature movie The
Island.
In 2014, however, the Burgas City Council completed a major
reconstruction project on the island. The monastery buildings
have been restored and renovated, there is better accommodation
for visitors who decide to spend the night on the island, and the
restaurant has been improved, and the tourist infrastructure includes
a small museum and a medieval "pharmacy" where local herbs are
grown.
Reaching the island is easier, with regular boats leaving several times
a day from the renovated Burgas Pier. The crossing takes under an
hour and makes for a lovely day trip out of Burgas. The St Anastasia
Island's turbulent history seems to have been provided with a happy
ending.

1 3
4

The lighthouse of St Anastasia

Island was built in the 1880s by a
French company, but the tower is
from 1912. In the waters nearby
stands one of the geological
curiosities of the island, The
Mushroom rock

The regular tourist boats to St

Anastasia start from the renovated
pier of Burgas

Founded in the 16th Century,

the monastery and its church
suffered heavily from pirate
raids, and were renovated at the
beginning of the 19th Century. In
1923 the monastery was turned
into a prison

Rusting remains from periods

of desolation. Today St Anastasia
is a welcoming place with a nice
restaurant and a multimedia
museum

32

perperikon
Magical Rhodope site tells stories
of Dionysus, Alexander the Great
and Augustus
by Bozhidara Georgieva; photography by Anthony Georgieff

34

high beam

The priestess raised the gold bowl and the strong, dark Thracian
wine in it reflected the light of the fire burning on the altar. There
was only her and the nervous Roman officer standing in the ovalshaped roofless inner sanctum of the shrine of Dionysus, yet the place
seemed filled with an invisible presence.
The officer swallowed his fear and moved closer to the priestess.
Dionysus was about to reveal the future of his son, Octavianus.
The priestess closed her eyes and poured the wine over the fire.
The coals hissed, and strong smoke rose, and rose, and rose, as if it
were trying to reach the sky.
The priestess gasped, then smiled.
"What does that mean?," the Roman officer asked.
"Your son shall rule the world, just as did Alexander called also
the Great," the priestess said. "And it will happen. Three centuries
ago, here, in this place, Dionysus foretold the same to young
Alexander, and Alexander reached India."
This was how, according to Suetonius, the fate of Augustus, the
first Roman emperor, was foretold by the remote but famous Oracle
of Dionysus.
The existence of a prestigious Oracle of Dionysus in the Rhodope
is known from many ancient sources. The sanctuary rivalled that of
Delphi, in both fame and prediction accuracy, and was controlled
by the Satri, a Thracian tribe. Its ownership, however, was contested
by other Thracians and the Romans meddled eagerly in these feuds,
applying their Divide-and-Rule strategy.
The exact location of the sanctuary is still unknown, but since the
early 2000s an archaeological site near Kardzhali has been actively
promoted as the seat of the Oracle of Dionysus.
Rising 470 metres above the picturesque valley of the Perpereshka
River, Perperikon is an arresting site. The rocky hill is covered with
woods that still hide remains of previous lives, but its top has been
intensively excavated, revealing walls, stairs, cisterns, churches, palace
buildings, a necropolis and even the remains of a medieval fort.

35

Previous spread: Perched atop a hill

commanding the strategic valley of
the Perpereshka River, Perperikon
was both a sacred place and a
strategic fortress

1
2 3

About 2,000 years ago, these

columns belonged to a portico
which led to the temple of a deity,
possibly Dionysos

Each summer, archaeologists

discover new bits of Perperikon's
past. Last August, they announced
that they had found the horse of
the Ottoman lord who occupied
Perperikon in 1362. The animal
was buried close to the tomb of
its owner, which was discovered
three years ago

3 The so-called Palace Building

supposedly combined residence
with sanctuary

The 15-metre medieval tower

is the best preserved structure on
Perperikon. It was built over the
remains of a living quarter from
the Roman era

36

37

38

high beam

Covering more than 5 square kilometres, Perperikon is the biggest

megalithic site in the Balkans.
The first people arrived here 8,000 years ago and carved the rocks
so they could fill the crevices with fragments of pots as offerings to
the unknown deities or spirits they believed in. Then these people
disappeared from Perperikon. After a hiatus of about 1,000 years, at
the end of the 5th and the beginning of the 4th millennia BC, the
hill again became the focal point of religious activity. In the 18th-12th
centuries BC the sanctuary was already so extensive and famous that
artefacts belonging to the Minoan and Mycenaean civilisations are
now found there.
Perperikon experienced a decline in the 4th-1st centuries BC,
but when the Romans took over Thrace, activity resumed and new
buildings adorned the hill. In the 6th Century, however, Christianity
took over and the sanctuary was abandoned. Unlike other pagan
sacred places in the Balkans, Perperikon did not fall completely
silent.
Christians moved into the empty shrines, built churches over them
and turned Perperikon into the stronghold of local bishops. It all
came to an end in 1362, when the Ottomans invaded and people left
Perperikon for good, leaving the hill to nature, which soon swallowed
up the remains of the churches and the Thracian shrines.
The site was rediscovered by archaeologists in the 20th Century,
but Perperikon only became a household name in the early 2000s,
when excavations started again and the theory that it had belonged to
the Oracle of Dionysus was promoted as a proven fact.

39

Previous spread: Remains of cult

pits and graves in the bedrock.
Perperikon was built on solid rock,
so the bases of each building and
even the graves were hewn in
the stone
Deciphering the traces in the
bedrock is not easy. Some believe
that the pits covering the surface
of Perperikon were only for ritual
purposes. Actually, most were
made to support columns of
buildings, or to store food and
liquids

40

high beam

Archaeological research on the hill continues to this day and

there is hardly a summer without some discovery announced to
and happily swallowed by media. Interest is growing, with visitors
counted in the thousands, yet the information at the official site is
outdated and the tourist infrastructure is insufficient.
Constant excavations at Perperikon mean that what you see on the
hill is constantly changing. After an easy climb, you reach the lower
end of the stone road which once led to the citadel. On both sides it
is guarded by high cliffs and now largely demolished walls. Once at
the top, you pass by the oval-shaped "room" carved in the rock, the
supposed inner sanctum of the Oracle of Dionysus.
The most popular spot on the top of the hill is the so-called Palace
Building, with its supposed throne hewn in its rocky wall. Tourists
love to have their picture taken while sitting in it. Do pay attention
to the tiny canal in the floor in the same room. According to some
theories, it was used for astronomical observations.
The rocks all around are covered with oval, rectangular and circular
pits hewn in the stone. Some of them were sacrificial or were used for
the production of sacred wine, but others were used as storage spaces.
Further along the hill are the remains of an early-Christian basilica.
A replica of its marble pulpit now stands on the site of the original,
which is exhibited in the Kardzhali Historical Museum. Close
to it are the ghostly remains of a monastic necropolis with graves
excavated from the bedrock.
From here the remains of a medieval tower are visible, a picturesque
addition to the scenery.
In spite of its popularity, however, Perperikon also abounds with
lesser known but interesting details. One is the faded graffiti of a
shaman, carved into a rock between the Thracian shrine and the
basilica. It was probably the deed of a medieval Bulgarian.

41

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high beam 43

42

from
whence
kamchiya
springs
Major river breaks out
in Stara Planina, heading
towards Black Sea
by Minka Vazkresenska; photography by Anthony Georgieff

How to define the source of a river is often a tough question to

answer. Is it where water springs from the ground for the first time,
or is it the place where two or more streams merge into a larger flow?
Even the source of the Danube, Europe's largest river, is contentious:
at least three springs claim to be the beginnings of the mighty river.
The Kamchiya River is no exception. Theoretically, it is only
46 kilometres long and flows through northeastern Bulgaria, before
joining the Black Sea at a particularly beautiful and terrifyingly
mosquito-infested forest. With its major tributary, the Golyama, or
Grand, Kamchiya, the river is 244 kilometres long, making it the
8th longest river in Bulgaria. The official source of the Golyama
Kamchiya and of the Kamchiya is in the Lisa Planina, at an
altitude of about 710 metres above sea level.
But there is a spot high up in the Stara Planina, on the border of
its central and eastern parts, which has gained popularity as the true
source of the Kamchiya. It is where the second major tributary
of the river, confusingly called the Luda, or Crazy, Kamchiya springs
up as a tiny stream, runs eastwards for 200 kilometres and joins the
Golyama Kamchiya. The Luda Kamchiya is the 10th longest river in
Bulgaria.
The popularity of the Luda Kamchiya's spring as the genuine
beginning of the Kamchiya River (are you already confused?)
is probably due to its location. It is in a pleasant and historically
significant spot, the Vratnik Pass connecting Veliko Tarnovo and
Elena to the north with Sliven south of the Stara Planina.

44 high

beam

Situated at an altitude of 1,097 metres above sea level and being 10

kilometres long, the Vratnik Pass used to be a main route through the
mountain. The Romans built a road along it, and in the Middle Ages
a strong fort guarded it, a frequent site of battles between Bulgarians
and Byzantines. The importance of the pass was mirrored in its name.
Zhelezni Vrata and Demir Kapiya mean Iron Gates in Bulgarian and
Turkish resepctively. The modern-day name of the pass, Vratnik, was
adopted in 1942 and just means Gate.
Today the pass is almost deserted, as most drivers prefer to avoid the
narrow potholed road which zigzags through a thick forest. Even in
summer, when you stop at the highest part of the pass to look for the
Kamchiya's source, you will most probably find the place empty.
Actually, "empty" means "empty of tourists." The forest around the
spring is the temporary home of of some Gypsies families dealing
with lumberjacking and mushroom-picking.Their ragged tents made
of old blankets and sheets of nylon are all over the place, as are the
heaps of household garbage.
The scenery becomes almost surreal when mist descends, drenching
the forest in white and leaving only the dark trunks of the closest
trees visible.
The Luda Kamchiya's spring is east of the road, in a depression
hidden by tall trees. Spectacular it is not, as it is fed into a water
fountain. The water fountain inscription, however, is grandiose: "To
those fallen for freedom. Glorify their sacred feat you, unendingly
flowing Kamchiya."
There is some justification for this. Only 2 kilometres east of the
spring is Aglikina Polyana, or Aglika's Meadow, where the Bulgarian
hayduti, or 19th Century rebels, used to meet. They lived in the
mountains as far away from the Ottoman authorities as possible,
except for when they attacked and robbed Ottoman convoys at the
pass.
Aglikina Polyana is heavily represented in Bulgarian heroic folklore,
has a protected area status and hosts a regular folklore meeting.
You can visit Aglikina Polyana from here, but in any case be sure to
kneel at the water fountain which is the source of the Luda Kamchiya
and take a drink. It is not that often that you can drink the cool, clear
waters of a river at its source.

45

Top: Semi-wild horses roam freely

around the Vratnik Pass
Bottom: The beginnings of a 200kilometre Luda Kamchiya river

46

high beam

escape
to leshten
Remote village provides
unspoilt old-time atmosphere,
great food
by Violeta Rozova; photography by Anthony Georgieff

Rural tourism in Bulgaria was barely known 20 years ago, but

in the early 2000s it experienced an EU-funded boom. But in the
late 2000s the still ongoing economic crisis hit and now many
guesthouses are struggling to survive with the decreased number
of visitors. In the western fringes of the Rhodope, however, is a
traditional village which is still one of the best places for rural
tourism in Bulgaria.
Leshten, close to Gotse Delchev, actually "invented" rural tourism
in Bulgaria. Since the mid-1990s, it has been the first choice for an
escape from the big city for all those interested in clean air, delicious
healthy food and genuinely and intelligently preserved architecture.
Truth to tell, Leshten is hardly a village nowadays. Only 10 people
live there, and most of them are septuagenarian. In the 19th and the
first half of the 20th centuries, however, Leshten was a bustling place,
home to more than 500 people. Unlike the inhabitants of nearby
Kovachevitsa, who built three- and four-storey mini fortresses to
protect their riches, the people of Leshten were poor. They had less
to lose and so they built houses of only two floors. The ground level
was for the livestock, and the one above for the families.

47

high beam 49

48

2 3
4

The key to your room. Each

detail in the 200-year old Leshten
houses has been preserved

2, 3 The St Paraskeva Church

was built in 1837, and has been
listed as a local monument of
culture
Top: A statue of two icecream
cones?
Bottom: The Buzludzha complex is
famous for its ghastly atmosphere

Having breakfast while enjoying

the view to the Mesta Valley and
the Pirin is one of Leshten's many
pleasures

Kovachevitsa and Leshten both began to lose inhabitants at a great

rate after the Communist coup of 1944, when industrialisation and
forced collectivisation striped the villagers of their livelihood and
forced them to seek jobs in cities. Kovachevitsa, as a much grander
village, attracted the attention of Bulgarian film-makers in the 1970s,
and experienced a wave of new settlers, mostly Sofia intellectuals,
who bought holiday homes there.
Leshten was rediscovered much later.
In the mid-1990s, a couple from Sofia found themselves in the
village, with its ghostly and abandoned old houses. They fell in love
with Leshten, as it had an unexpected advantage over crowd-pulling
Kovachevitsa. Kovachevitsa is deep in the mountains and does not
have much of a vista.
Leshten, however, has a marvellous view over the valley of the
Mesta River, with the blue slopes of the Pirin defining the horizon.
Quite unusually for the mid-1990s, when everyone was either
leaving Bulgaria or flocking to Sofia where job prospects were better,
the couple moved to Leshten. They bought some of the houses and
turned them into holiday lets, while preserving as much as possible
the traditional architecture, and opened one of the best restaurants
in Bulgaria. This was in the long-disused local school, next to the
beautiful and tiny St Paraskeva Church, which dates from 1836 and is
covered inside with primitive, but captivating murals.

high beam 51

50

1
2 3
1 Stone was used extensively in
building the houses of Leshten,
and even the roofs are from rock.
The technique was popular in
Bulgaria until the beginning of
the 20th Century, but was later
abandoned. It has been enjoying
a revival in recent years as surge
of interest in eco tourism has
brought it back to fashion

Leshten is a good base

for exploring of the Western
Rhodope, with traditional villages
like Kovachevitsa and Dolen, and
pristine wild nature all around

Fresco from St Paraskeva

Church with a didactic scene
advertising the advantages of
pious life

The food in the tavern was locally sourced long before this became
fashionable. Almost everything on the menu comes from the area,
from the wild berry juice and the thick sheeps yoghurt, to the
traditional egg noodles and the meatballs which are prepared not of
mince, but of finely chopped meat.
The restored traditional houses are on a par with the food's quality.
Intelligently preserved yet having mod cons, they smell of ageing
wood, geraniums and of woollen rugs warmed by the sun. The walls
are whitewashed, white linen curtains with embroidery shade the
windows, and the slightly crooked beams of the floor squeak quietly
under your feet.
Recently, however, more people decided to profit on Leshten.
More houses were turned into hotels and, as the competition grew,
one night the old school caught fire and burned to the ground. The
tavern was re-established in a newer building, with a beautiful view
of the Mesta Valley. The food is still gorgeous, the best the Rhodope
and the people living in these beautiful mountains can give you.

This series of articles is supported by the

America for Bulgaria Foundation. The
statements and opinions expressed herein
are those of the authors and do not necessarily
reflect the opinion of the America for Bulgaria
Foundation and its partners.

52

legacies of communism

53

women's rights
and the cold war
1 2

Case study of senior Communist ocial

Elena Lagadinova reveals unexpected
aspects of superpower confrontation

3
4

by Kristen Ghodsee; all photographs courtesy of the author

One of the great ironies of the Cold War is that the two
superpowers often championed issues that they cared little about
in practice. The East bloc defended the social rights of the worlds
workers while treating their own citizens like indentured servants.
The United States campaigned for political freedoms abroad while
brutally oppressing or marginalising their own African-American
and Native American populations at home. Any rhetoric that
could be deployed against the enemy became a weapon in the wider
ideological battle.
Today, historians and social scientists are studying the international
legacies of these Cold War rivalries over social and political
rights. Whether it is labor conventions at the International Labor
Organisation, political self-determination for previously colonised
countries, or the end to state-sanctioned racial discrimination in the
United States or in apartheid-era South Africa, the general scholarly
consensus is that ordinary people whether in the capitalist,
Communist, or developing worlds benefitted from superpower
competition. An unintended consequence of American and Soviet
grandstanding was often real social progress.

Elena "The Amazon"

Lagadinova, in 1945

2 With Valentina Tereshkova

3 Delivering a speech in 1970
4 With the US activist, Angela
Davis, in 1972

Hosting a school for African

women leaders in Soa, in 1982

Lagadinova (left) with an

young Irina Bokova (right) at
the Third UN Conference on
Women in Nairobi, in 1985

In Razlog, with Kristen

Ghodsee, in 2013

4 5
6 7

54

legacies of communism

An excellent example of this is the

international womens movement. From the
beginning, the Communist world claimed to
uphold womens rights and lambasted the West
for its inattention to sexual inequality. Most
Western democracies did not grant women the
vote until after the Russian Revolution in 1917,
with the last Western country, Switzerland, not
granting women suffrage until 1971.
Effective propaganda campaigns from the
Communist countries eventually attracted
the attention of Western women starting in
the late 1960s. As women demanded greater
political and economic rights in the West,
Communist countries expanded their efforts
to champion state socialism as the remedy
to sex-based inequality. In response, Western
countries aimed to convince women that free

legacies of communism 55

markets and open societies would better serve

their needs as workers and citizens, igniting a
new Cold War front over womens rights.
Beginning with the first UN World
Conference on Women in 1975, Bulgaria
played a key role. Throughout the UN
International Decade for Women (19751985), the Committee of the Bulgarian
Womens Movement spearheaded efforts to
improve womens rights on the global stage.
This international activism grew out of the
committees early domestic successes.
Elena Lagadinova was the president of the
Womens Committee at this time. Lagadinova
was born in 1930, and at the age of 14 became
the youngest female guerrilla fighting against
the Nazi-allied Bulgarian monarchy in the
Second World War. After the war, Lagadinova
moved to the Soviet Union to pursue a PhD
in agrobiology. Lagadinova spent a year
doing research in Sweden and England before
returning to Sofia to work at the Bulgarian
Academy of Sciences. She passed the better
part of 13 years manipulating wheat seeds.
For her work in plant genetics, and her
successful breeding of the hybrid Triticale,
Lagadinova was awarded the Order of Cyril
and Methodius in 1959.
As her stature as a researcher grew,
Lagadinova became increasingly critical of the
politics surrounding science in the Communist
world. In May 1967, Lagadinova penned a
passionate letter to Soviet President Leonid
Brezhnev, a letter that might have landed her
in a labor camp when it was intercepted by the
Bulgarian government.
"One day, they sent a car for me while I
was at the academy. I was in my lab coat in
the middle of an experiment. I told them to
wait but they told me to come immediately.
I thought I was being arrested," Lagadinova

told me in 2011. "Instead, I learned that they

were making me the First Secretary of the
Fatherland Front and the president of the
Womens Committee."
At that time, Communist countries faced a
demographic crisis. Womens education and
their full incorporation into the formal labor
force resulted in a birth slump. As women
concentrated on work, they increasingly
controlled their fertility through abortion,
which was legal and freely available. In 1967,
Romania instituted a severe ban on abortion,
and the Bulgarian Politburo was considering a
similar step to increase the domestic birth rate.
Bulgarias leaders appointed Lagadinova
as president of the Womens Committee
because she was a scientist, and they hoped
for a scientific solution to the demographic

crisis. Between 1968 and 1973, Lagadinova

led the effort to protect Bulgarian womens
reproductive freedoms while drastically
expanding state supports for women and
families. In 1969, Lagadinova and the
editorial collective of The Woman Today
magazine conducted a survey with over
16,000 respondents. They found that most
Bulgarian women wanted more children,
but had a difficult time combining work and
motherhood.
Few Bulgarians today are aware of the intense
internal debate that took place between the
male-dominated Politburo and the leaders of
the Womens Committee. Since 2010, I have
been working in the archives of this committee
in the Central State Archives in Sofia. The
evidence demonstrates that Lagadinova

Discover
a New World
in Sveti Vlas

56

FIRE SAFETY

legacies of communism

fiercely defended womens reproductive rights

and proposed instead that the government
drastically expand child allowances, maternity
leaves, and the availability of kindergartens and
crches. The Womens Committee proposal
would be costly drawing much needed funds
from the state budget. Bulgarias political
leaders considered the ban on abortion a much
cheaper option, even if it contradicted their
own Communist principles.
Ultimately, Bulgarias leaders agreed to pay
child allowances and to give working women a
generous maternity leave, up to three years for
each child, with a guarantee that a womans job
would be held in her absence. All maternity
leave was counted as labor service toward
retirement, and applied equally to urban and
rural women, including women in agriculture.
The state also promised to build new childcare
facilities so that every workingwoman had
access to a kindergarten.

57

In return, the committee accepted a limited

ban on abortion for married Bulgarian women
under 40 with fewer than two children in
their care (even if those children were not
biologically their own). All single, divorced,
widowed, or foreign women had free access to
abortion, as did married women over 40 with
only one child or pregnant married women
with complicating health issues.
Although the committee continued to
agitate for total reproductive freedom, the
compromise was set down in a special 1973
Politburo decision regarding womens rights.
By the time of the UN First World Conference
of Women in 1975, Bulgaria had an advanced
social system in place for working women,
not only compared to the capitalist and the
developing worlds, but also compared to other
Socialist countries.
During the UN Decade for Women,
Elena Lagadinova crisscrossed the globe
forging bilateral relationships with over 100
womens organisations, sharing the Bulgarian
experience. The Womens Committees success
on the international stage translated into
greater power at home, and Lagadinova used
the committees growing international clout to
advocate for changes in the Bulgarian Family
and Labor Codes.
Although she was part of the Communist
establishment, Lagadinova made many
enemies by criticising Communist leaders
over their own laws and the international
conventions they signed. The Womens
Committee antagonised Bulgarian enterprises
that refused to grant pregnant women their
legal rights, and pestered state planners for not
producing the consumer goods that women
needed.
Internationally, Lagadinova formed networks
with women in African and Asian countries,
providing both material and logistical support
for new womens committees and movements

across the developing world. By the third

World Conference on Women in Nairobi in
1985, the worlds women elected Lagadinova
as their general rapporteur. Between 1985 and
1988, she was a member of the board of trustees
of the UN Institute for Training Women. Even
today, activists from Lusaka to Los Angeles
testify that Lagadinova navigated Cold War
tensions to promote womens rights around the
globe. For instance, all of the worlds countries
legally guarantee some form of paid maternity
leave, with the four exceptions of Papua New
Guinea, Suriname, Liberia, and the United
States.
In 1991, the Claremont Graduate School
in California awarded Elena Lagadinova
their Presidential Medal of Outstanding
Achievement. "Long before a new world
order emerged, you envisioned one," read
the presidents speech. "You acted as if it
already existed, and through your actions you
contributed to its emergence. You reached
beyond the narrow confines of party and
nationality to create an international network
of scholars and policymakers devoted to the
improvement of women's lives. Through
your work with the United Nations, you have
influenced women's lives throughout the
world, and through them the destinies of their
families."
Although the expansion of womens rights,
both within Bulgaria and internationally, was
an incidental result of Cold War rivalry, the
activism of Elena Lagadinova and the Bulgarian
Womens Committee did improve the lives
of millions of women. This is a little known
history, but it is a history which illustrates that
nothing was black-and-white even in the blackand-white reality of the Cold War.
the correct answers to the questions
on p12: 1. b; 2. b; 3. c; 4. a; 5. c;
6. a; 7. b; 8. a; 9. a

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58

59

uman, uman,
rosh hashanah!
Thousands of Hassidim gather
in Ukrainian city to celebrate
Jewish New Year
by Dimana Trankova; photography by Anthony Georgieff

60

vagabond world

Dusty and drab, devoid of any charm unless you count the 18th
Century Sofyivka Park and the Georgian cheese pastries at the bus
station, the Ukrainian city of Uman would be a strong contender for
the most uninteresting place in Eastern Europe.
But it is not the most uninteresting place in Eastern Europe at
least not for a couple of days each year when it gets filled with joyful
crowds of Ultra religious Jews flown in from as far as Canada, Britain,
Israel and Australia to celebrate the Jewish New Year, usually in
September. They all converge at Pushkin Street, take out their heavy
luggage and drag it to their rented rooms in small houses and tall
Socialist apartment blocks. Music is booming, the smell of cooked
food comes from the tents of the openair eateries. Happy people in
the streets greet each other, smiling from ear to ear when they meet
and embrace some old friend.
Uman, a city of roughly 90,000 residents in western Ukraine, is the
focus of pilgrimage for Hasidic Jews, who come here to celebrate at
the tomb of one of their greatest spiritual leaders.
Rebbe Nachman (1772-1810) of Breslov was the great-grandson of
Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism, a conservative movement
that spread among the Ashkenazi Jews in Eastern Europe. He showed
the first signs of having a special connection with the divine as early
as 17, and spent the next decades of his life moving around the area
of what is now western Ukraine and eastern Poland, attracting
followers. Rebbe Nachman's travels even brought him to Palestine,
where he met and talked with prominent Jewish sages and scholars.
In 1802, he settled in Bratslav (as Breslov is more commonly
known) and announced the creation of a new movement of
Hasidism, the Breslov Hasidism.

61

When pilgrimage to Rebbe

Nachman's grave resumed in
the early 1990s, the locals of
Uman were amazed by the Rosh
Hashanah antics of visiting Jews

62

vagabond world

Rebbe Nachman was incredibly popular, but not everyone

liked him, because of some of his more radical ideas, one of which
encouraged people to feel free to find spiritual leaders for themselves,
and to break with the tradition of the hereditary Hasidic dynasties.
Rebbe Nachman also encouraged the individual search for the divine.
His teachings spread during tumultuous times. The beginning of the
19th Century saw the spread of democratic ideas across Europe, and
for the first time in centuries Jews enjoyed at least theoretically
equal rights. Many chose fuller integration into the modern
European society, but for more conservative Jews, these changes
threatened the foundation of their communities. The teachings
of Rebbe Nachman were a sort of reaction to this trend, blending
tradition with more individual freedom.
Whether Rebbe Nachman thought of himself as a Messiah is still
a matter of dispute. Some phrases from his teachings would make
great Facebook quotes in today's era of soul-searching and "positive
thinking," such as "If you believe that you can damage, then believe
that you can fix or "You are never given an obstacle you cannot
overcome."
In Breslov, Rebbe Nachman saw his movement flourish and
grow, with great crowds of followers assembling for feasts like Rosh
Hashanah, Chanukah or Shavuot, when they eagerly listened to his
teachings. In 1810, however, he had to move.
Consumption had been devouring the still young Rebbe Nachman
for some time, and then his house was destroyed by fire. He moved
to nearby Uman, a town of great significance for the local Jewish
community. In 1768, about 20,000 Jews from Uman, along with
many Poles and Uniate Ukrainians, were killed by the Ukrainian
Haidamak rebels, who had risen against the then Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth.

63

1
2 3

Selling Rebbe Nachmanthemed techno music on Pushkin

Street

For many Breslov Hasidim, the

pilgrimage is also an opportunity
to meet old friends and make
new ones

Rebbe Nachman is the

descendant of Baal Shem Tov, the
founder of Hasidism, a branch
of Orthodox Judaism where
mysticism is at the foundation of
spirituality

64

65

66

vagabond world

Rebbe Nachman's health was quickly deteriorating. He managed

to preach to his followers for one more Rosh Hashanah, but died ten
days later. Before his end, he expressed the wish to be buried in the
Uman cemetery together with the victims of the 1768 massacre, and
he made a great promise to his followers. Even after his death, Rebbe
Nachman would absolve from sin anyone who came to pray at his
grave on Rosh Hashanah. On the following year the grave of Rebbe
Nachman had already become a place of pilgrimage.
About a century later, however, the flow of pilgrims to Uman was
brutally interrupted. First came the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917,
and then the Russian Civil War, and then the Stalinist terror and
the Nazis, who in 1941 sent 17,000 Uman Jews to concentration
camps. The Jewish cemetery was destroyed, and the grave of Rebbe
Nachman was lost.
Soon after peace was restored, the most ardent followers of Rebbe
Nachman took the risk of being caught by the Soviet authorities and
sent to Siberia, and started searching for their leader's grave. The
place was eventually rediscovered, the plot was acquired and a house
built over it to prevent further destruction.
The pilgrimage was still in abeyance, as most of Jews in the USSR
at that time were more eager to emigrate to Israel or the United
States, rather than stay put. In the mid-1980s the faint wind of
democratisation, known as Perestroyka, blew across the USSR.
With much fear, but with great enthusiasm too, Hasidic Jews from
the USSR resumed the gatherings at Uman.
The Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage was restored in full after 1991,
when the USSR disintegrated and visiting Uman became possible
for people from the United States or Israel. Within a fortnight, the
bemused locals found their town flooded by strangely dressed men
speaking even stranger tongues, who were interested in only one
street, Pushkin. Many of the local people were quick to make a dollar
or two, offering accommodation and tourist services to the places of
Jewish interest in the area.

67

1
2 3

Previous spread: Barbers are busy

making traditional hairstyles,
surrounded by booming music as
well as dancing pilgrims

1 Not everything goes smoothly

in Uman on Rosh Hashanah.
In 2013, the Haaretz reported
that pilgrims caused re, power
shortages, a sewage ood and
prompted several arrests

Prayer in a tent synagogue. On

his death bed, Rebbe Nachman
promised to absolve every
believer who came to his grave
for Rosh Hashanah, and pray to
repent

Between 10,000 and 15,000

pilgrims visit Uman for Rosh
Hashanah, arriving on packed
regular and chartered ights from
all over the world. The record
year for pilgrims is considered
2011, when supposedly 26,000
Breslov Hasidis came to Uman

vagabond world 69

68

Top: After decades of

prosecution, pilgrimage in Uman
is again safe and many children
mingle in the crowd
Bottom: A Jewish boy tries his
brand new plastic gun, bought
as a New Year's present from
a makeshift openair market in
Uman

Over the following two decades, the Rosh Hashanah gathering

in Uman became ever stronger. On average, about 10,000-15,000
Hasidim come to celebrate each year. The atmosphere is festive in the
streets and tense around the grave of Rebbe Nachman, and people
are generally friendly, even when they notice the odd tourist in the
crowd. Many of the pilgrims get tipsy, and dance to rave and rock
music booming from stalls, gardens and balconies. Children run
to and fro, carrying presents bought from the ramshackle openair
market.
There are signs, however, that these people are not the average
partygoers. The song lyrics are devoted to Rebbe Nachman, Uman
and Rosh Hashanah Shofars howl, and the streets are lined with
barbers shaving the heads of pilgrims in the traditional way. The
posters on the walls announce the scheduled flights to and from
Uman, and the crowd is predominantly male.
Sometimes, there is violence. Many locals are not happy with the
pilgrims and the fact that many Hasidim have bought properties
around Pushkin Street, introducing their very specific lifestyle. There
are complaints about the noise and the rubbish, and the level of
security. 2010 is remembered for several, sometimes bloody, fights
between locals and pilgrims. Overall, though, visiting Uman for Rosh
Hashanah can turn into the experience of a lifetime, even for people
with only a faint interest in Judaism. The event is an immersion in a
bygone era right amid the post-Soviet reality of Ukraine.
In 2014, Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on 24 September and
ends at nightfall of 26 September.

70

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71

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72

interview

73

matthew
kneale
British writer remembers
Bulgaria in 1980s
interview and photography by Anthony Georgieff

74

fiction

London-born Rome-residing Matthew Kneale

has been a household name in literary circles
since the success of his novel English Passengers,
2000. A story about a religious-scientific
expedition that seeks The Garden of Eden in
Tasmania, it is set against the background of the
brutal destruction of the New World by British
settlers and convicts. Dealing with the past,
especially these aspects of the past that nations
don't like to remember, has become somewhat
of a trademark of Kneale's writing, leading up,
perhaps logically, to his first non-fiction book,
An Atheist's History of Belief, 2013, which is
now being translated into many languages.
Matthew Kneale attended the Sozopol summer
literary workshop of the Elizabeth Kostova
Foundation in May 2014 and found out that
Bulgaria had and had not changed that
much since the 1980s.
Before my visit this spring for the Sozopol
Fiction Seminar I visited Bulgaria only once.
This was in 1986 and for only a single day,
sandwiched between all night train journeys,
and consequently my memories are a little
hazy. I recall Soviet-style architecture, an
ancient church being lovingly restored, and
people who were very friendly in the wary way
those times made inevitable.
And yet I soon felt I knew Bulgaria. This was
because, not long afterwards, when I was living
in Rome, I came to know two Bulgarians who
had escaped over the mountains to Yugoslavia,
and were kicking their heels in Italy, waiting for
American visas. I gained a kind of knowledge
of the country from the stories they told of
military service, of opportunities strangled by
the regime, of digging up Roman antiquities
in the garden, of walking in the mountains. I
was left with an impression of a warm-hearted
country struggling under a mean-minded system.

fiction 75

Is Bulgaria known in Europe and the wider

world?
Bulgaria is certainly well known in the wider
world. Affirmative, negative? I would say that,
like any country, it has a mix both. Yet I would
say that, as an inevitable result of its history,
Bulgaria has been perceived in radically
different ways at different times.
In the late 1970s Bulgaria was best known
in the West for the murder of Georgi
Markov. I remember this terrible event well,
not only because at the time I was living
in London, where the murder took place,
but also because it touched my family. My
parents were old friends of the Dilkes, whose
daughter, Annabel, was Georgi Markovs
wife. I remember my parents shock at the
news. The incident would have added to
the impression, widely held at the time, that
Bulgaria was a country suffering under one of
the most hardline of the Warsaw Pact regimes,
comparable to East Germany and the Soviet
Union itself.
By the 1990s Bulgaria had a very different
image. I remember the country as being
associated with three things: football, wine,
and computer viruses. I recall reading that
within the Soviet Empire Bulgaria had
been designated the role of centre of digital
technology. After the fall of the Socialist
system Bulgarians became expert at computer
processing and, having no outlet for their
knowledge, devised viruses. In the early 1990s
everyone in England seemed to be enjoying
delicious and affordable Bulgarian red wines.
And of course everybody during the 1994
World Cup felt huge admiration for the
Bulgarian national football team for beating
world champions Germany a feat the English
team so rarely managed.

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fiction

I would say that the overall image of

Bulgaria in the West is a sympathetic one, yet
understanding of the country is limited. The
world needs to know Bulgaria much better.
What were your impressions of Bulgaria this
spring?
I loved Sofia, with its dramatic setting beneath
Vitosha Mountain. It seemed a perfect size:
large enough to fascinate yet never oppressively
huge. I liked its eclectic mixture of architectural
styles, from Byzantine and Ottoman to Soviet
and modern. I particularly liked the central area,
with its quiet, narrow streets.
At times I was taken by Bulgarias poverty.
I was particularly struck by a momentary
sighting of the Gypsy area of Chirpan glimpsed
through a bus window. People seemed to be
living in truly Third World conditions. I was

fiction 77

Let's start
the day
neatly!

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Landscape design and development
of green areas. Interior and exterior
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Buildin 10, Sofia
phone: 489 9626, 0899 900 011
www.sheritaflora.com ; www.ozeleniavane.com

Your advice to writers writing in a small

language like Bulgarian?
My advice would be, dont try and write
for a world audience. How can one possibly
know what a world audience will want to
read? Write about Bulgaria. Fill your writing
with the details and curiosities that will make
your country fascinating, to Bulgarians and
foreigners alike. Your country is fascinating.
Every country is. You simply have to find a way
to bring out the surprises that lie there, and
readers will be drawn to your writing.
Dont forget to put in a good story! These
days some writers hold a fashionable disdain
for plot, but I feel this is mistaken. Story
propels a novel. Make things happen. Give
a sense of surprise. A strong, good story can
carry you to every land.

well aware, from conversations all around me,

of the frustration many Bulgarians felt with
their governments corruption, and the power
held by a few immensely rich compatriots.
I felt the Bulgarians I talked to had a great
love for their country, which made their
disappointment more painful to them.
I found a great deal to like in the country.
I loved its beautiful, unspoilt landscape.
I loved the food, from Shopska to Tarator
and Kavarma. And of course the wine.
I was hugely impressed by the warmth,
sophistication and profound cultural
understanding of the Bulgarian writers I
met. More than anything else I was struck by
the remarkable wisdom many of them had
acquired through years of adversity, living
under through the socialist era.

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76

THE ELIZABETH
KOSTOVA
FOUNDATION
and VAGABOND,
Bulgaria's English
Monthly, cooperate
in order to enrich
the English language
with translations of
contemporary Bulgarian
writers. Every year we
give you the chance
to read the work of a dozen young and
sometimes not-so-young Bulgarian writers
that the EKF considers original, refreshing and
valuable. Some of them have been translated
in English for the first time. The EKF has
decided to make the selection of authors'
work and to ensure they get first-class English
translation, and we at VAGABOND are only
too happy to get them published in a quality
magazine. Enjoy our fiction pages.

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78

fiction 79

balkans
travel
high
beamfiction
XXX

Vagabond Media is happy to announce its cooperation with

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just about anywhere in Bulgaria (and of course through the
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a quote immediately.
Our new service includes anything from half-a-day tour of
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Once Bulgaria was a major Jewish centre in southeastern Europe, which did not
deport about 49,000 of its Jews during the Second World War. Now the Jewish
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In 1990 Bulgaria was the only Warsaw Pact country to re-elect its former Communists in a multiparty election. In 2013 Bulgaria is the only country in Eastern Europe that has not demolished,
dismantled or at least put in context its hundreds if not thousands of Communist-era monuments,
statues and architectural complexes varying from monstrosities such as the Founders of Bulgaria
monument in Shumen and the flying saucer building at Buzludzha to the menacing Red Army
monument in Central Sofia. Many of those have been left to the elements to wither, just as the
ideology that once inspired them. In a generation, they will be gone, so now is the time to see
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80

high news fraport

high news fraport 81

2014

traveler from germany

is the millionth passenger
at varna airport for 2014
On 22 August at Varna Airport with flight of Bulgarian
Air Charter from Munich landed the millionth passenger
for 2014.
The name of the passenger is Verena Elsenberger and
she arrived in Varna with her husband Thomas and their
two children, Luca and Marco. The Elsenbergers visit
Bulgaria for the second time and they spent the next 10
days in Obzor. Verena is currently dedicating her time to
her children Luca and Marco, and Thomas is a high school
teacher. The family said that they liked the country very
much with its wonderful sea. They also said that everyone
should visit Bulgaria.
The special guests were greeted by Mrs. Aletta von
Massenbach, CEO of Fraport Twin Star Airport
Management and Mr. Dimitar Kostadinov, Director of
Varna Airport.
The Elsenbergers received many gifts and in the new VIP
lounge of the airport they cut a cake especially prepared
for the occasion. As a compliment of Fraport Twin Star

Airport Management, the guests received a voucher for

free use of the VIP lounge during their next trip.
In 2014, the millionth passenger at the airport landed
a week earlier compared to last year. Recently the airport
marked nearly 6 percent increase in passengers served till
the moment. Traditionally, most travellers are from Russia,
followed by Germany.
More than 223,000 travellers from Germany have
passed thought the airport from the beginning of the
year. Their number increased by 11.7 percent compared to
the same period last year. Bulgarian Air Charter airline,
which brought the Varna Airport's millionth passenger,
performs charter flights to and from Varna Airport to 36
destinations in Germany, Switzerland, Armenia, Slovakia,
Poland, etc.
During this season, the record number of passengers
served within 24 hours was on 1 August, with 19,790
passengers. The first three top destinations of 2014 are
Moscow, Sofia and St. Petersburg.

22
2014 .

.

10 .
,
. ,
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.
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82

travel

Destination
Stara Zagora
Lindens, straight streets and
friendly atmosphere in one of the
most interesting cities of Bulgaria

by Dimitar Ivanov;
photography by Anthony Georgieff

When you are wondering where to go for the first

warm days of the autumn, Stara Zagora is one of the best
solutions. About 230 km on the Trakiya Motorway, the
city is close enough for those living in Sofia and offers
more serenity and greenery than the capital. The city has
also nice cafs and restaurants and enough historical and
nature sites to fill a short holiday.
Stara Zagora is one of the oldest cities in Europe.
The fist people settled in the area around the 7-6th
millennia BC. Around the 4th Century BC, on the place
of modern Stara Zagora appeared a settlement of the
Thracians which was called Beroe. It was conquered by

, - . 230 "",
,
, , , ,
.
- .
VII-VI . . IV ... ,

Stara Zagora
50 Han Asparuh St, Zagorka lake
phone: 042 985 555; 042 985 555
reservations@hotelstarazagora.eu
www.hotelstarazagora.eu

All dreams lead to

Park Hotel Stara Zagora
The five-star Park Hotel Stara Zagora is situated on the bank of the romantic Zagorka Lake in Stara Zagora.
| Hotel with 31 luxurious rooms, two luxurious apartments and one VIP apartment
| State-of-the-art SPA centre with swimming pool, jacuzzi, fitness hall, steam bath, sauna,
Turkish bath and massage room
| Six conference rooms with capacity between seven and 250 people, equipped with multimedia
and other presentational technique and tools
| Orfeida Restaurant with amazing interior and a capacity for up to 150 people, plus a summer and a winter garden
| Park for biking, fishing, boating, jogging and other sports and activities

advertorial 85

YOUR RELIABLE PARTNER

FOR AGRO-MACHINERY,
SPARE PARTS AND SERVICE
Service centre and spare parts store:
Stara Zagora,
8 Voyvoda Stoyno Chernogorski St
Demonstration area:
Stara Zagora, Novozagorsko Shose St
(opposite Metro Store)
 0700 20 205
opticom@opticom-bg.com
Find our other representative stores
in Bulgaria on

www.opticom-bg.com

,
,

:
,
. " " 8
:
, . " "
( )
 0700 20 205
opticom@opticom-bg.com

www.opticom-bg.com

the Romans in the 1st Century AD, and in 107 Emperor

Trajan gave it civic rights and changed its name to Ulpia
Augusta Traiana. The city grew in the following decades
and even started minting its own coins, a sure sign for
prosperity.
The city became a part of Bulgaria in 812, when
Khan Krum took it. In the Middle ges, it gradually
returned to its pre-Roman name but slightly changed
as Vereya and Boryi. The Ottomans invaded the city in
1372, and its name changed yet again, to Eski, or Old,
Zagora. The modern name Stara Zagora has the same
meaning. The city continued its life as a busy cultural
and economic centre, and during the Revival Period in
the 18-19th centuries was one of the formation centres of
the Bulgarian national consciousness. During the RussoTurkish War of 1877-1878, the rich and lively city became
the scene of one of the fiercest battles in the conflict, and
in July 1877 was burnt and raided by the Ottomans.
Like a phoenix, Stara Zagora rose from its ashes. In
1878, the Austro-Hungarian architect Lubor Bayer
developed a complete urban plan of the city with straight
streets which intersect at perpendicular angles. Stara
Zagora is still famed in Bulgaria for its precise urban
(Continues on p88)
planning.
.
I .., 107 ...
.
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.

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( . 88)

st ivan rilski
hospital
for active
treatment:
top quality
healthcare

In Bulgaria, where centralisation is paramount, one

might be surprised that the biggest and one of the best
private hospitals in Bulgaria is not in Sofia.
Established in 2009 in Stara Zagora, St Ivan Rilski
Hospital For Active Treatment is indeed a place where
wholesome and high professional medical care is
offered in all fields of medicine, from gynaecology and
paediatrics to gastroenterology, neurology and vascular
surgery. All units are equipped with state-of-the-art
technology. The hospital's surgeons perform 3rd level
laparoscopies with the latest generation Olympus
3D visualisation system, and ophthalmologists apply
VisuMax femtosecond laser for treatment of eye
conditions. The cardiology unit has invasive centre with
latest model General Electric angiography equipment.
Navigational systems are used for gastroenterology and
endonasal sinus surgery, and lasers are used for treatment
of varicose veins. The team of medical specialists includes
the top names in medical care in Bulgaria. St Ivan Rilski
Hospital For Active Treatment offers urgent medical care
and has four laboratories.
Investor Ivan Kolev tells more on the task of creating
one of the best hospitals in Bulgaria.
St Ivan Rilski Hospital For Active Treatment
Centre Stara Zagora, 84-86 Patriarch Evtimiy Blvd
hospital: 042 988 988, policlinic: 042 988 998
duty consulting room: 042 988 999
contacts@ivanrilski.eu

What inspired you to create St Ivan Rilski Hospital?

Actually, my family decided to give it a go completely
by chance, because none of us doesn't have any
connections with medicine or health care. We were
inspired by the noble idea of the physician's profession
and the care for the people.
What makes St Ivan Rilski Hospital a place without an
analogue in Bulgaria?
We believe that there is no objective reason for Bulgaria
for not having health care on the par with health care in
New York, London, Paris or elsewhere in the developed
world. Today each physician and each hospital all over
the world can buy quality equipment. Physicians and
medical professionals can, too, study, specialise and
apply their knowledge and new technologies wherever
they want. We are talking about the right combination
of technology and specialists who are able to use it. In
St Ivan Rilski Hospital, all these factors are present.
Which achievements of St Ivan Rilski Hospital make you
prouder?
We are proud with our innovations, that we are
involved in science and implementation of technologies
which are revolutionary for Bulgaria and the world.
Our specialists apply their scientific knowledge in their
practice, and achieve results on a world level.
How St Ivan Rilski Hospital will look like after five years?
Hopefully, five years from now we will still be fit and
in the same condition, working with the best and newest
technology of the moment and with the best and most
qualified professionals. After five years, I see St Ivan
Rilski Hospital as a university hospital.
What makes Bulgaria excellent for medical tourism?
First, the health care is up to the world's medical
standards, and second, the prices are lower.

www.ivanrilski.eu

St Ivan Rilski Hospital For Active Treatment, Park

Stara Zagora, 1 Dunav St, next to Beroe Stadium
hospital: 042 987 777, policlinic: 042 987 766
duty consulting room: 042 987 779
contacts@ivanrilski.eu

86

advertorial

alexandra
estate:
wines to
remember
and love

A new brand on the Bulgarian wine-making scene

is making its first brave steps towards the customers.
Alexandra Estate vineyards are in Oreshets village at the
foot of the Eastern Rhodope, and in Rakitnitsa village
near Stara Zagora. Svetlana Slavova from Alexandra
Estate tells more about the ambition, philosophy and the
terroir of the winery.
What provoked you to create the Alexandra Estate in
these particular parts of Bulgaria?
For now, Alexandra Estate winery is still a blueprint but
building starts in the beginning of 2015 in our Rakitnitsa
vineyard. We chose the location for its terroir, the specific
characteristics like micro-climate, soils and exposure, or
the so-called sense of place.
What makes Alexandra Estate's wines different?
The Alexandra Estate's wines have been on the market
for a few moths only, and they are from a single vintage.
With only one harvest behind our backs, our produce is
still limited, with a total of 10,000 bottles. We try to make
good wines with balance, elegance and finesse revealing the
potential of the grapes our terroir has created. What makes
Alexandra's wines different, will say the customers.
What is the secret of making good wine?
First, it is the grape! And also first, are the people who
participate in the act of wine-creation.
Tell us more on the technologies used by Alexandra Estate
and its wine makers?
We use traditional technology, with classical
processing, fermentation and ageing. The grape is picked
up by hand and selected on the spot, in the winery it is
additionally sorted and destemmed. Our wine ages in
225-litre French oak barrels.

Our wines are created by proven professionals. Atanas

Shiderov and Eric Moro take care for the vines in the
vineyard. Atanas Shiderov has taken care for 1000
hectares of vineyards in Bulgaria. Eric Moro is a French
consultant of vineyards in Bordeaux, Burgundy and
Provence, and in Spain and Argentina.
Petar Iliev, Aleksandar Velyanov and Thierry Haberer
take care for the wine. Petar Iliev works in Four Friends
winery where Alexandra's wines are vinified. Aleksandar
Velyanov is one of the biggest names in Bulgarian
winemaking with experience in New Zealand and
Australia, and Thiery Haberer is an enologist to several
wineries in Bordeaux and one in Argentina.
What are your ambitions for the Rakitnitsa winery?
In 2016 we will vinify the Alexandra's wines in it. The
winery capacity will be 60,000 bottles per year. Our
ambition is a simple one to make good wines which
people like and enjoy.
What is the future of the Bulgarian wine?
Bulgaria is a country with strong winemaking
tradition. In 2004, the wine guru Robert Parker made 12
brave predictions for the future in the Wine and Food
Magazine. For 2015, he foresaw that the wine world will
be incredibly diverse, with quality wines coming from
unlikely countries, like Bulgaria, Romania, Mexico,
China, Japan, Lebanon, Turkey and probably even India.
The consumption will still be on the rise, as wine will
become the favourite drink to more people. I think we
can trust Parker's judgement.
In the past 10 years Bulgarian wines have already
achieved top quality. It is a matter of time, persistence and
state support for Bulgaria to enter the world wine scene.

Alexandra Estate Ltd. | Stara Zagora, 28 Knyaz Al. Batenberg St., fl. 3, office 22 | office@alexandraestate.com
www.alexandraestate.com

Alexandra
exandra Estate project has begun in with the
purchase of acres of vineyards in Oreshets village,
Harmanli region, at the foot of the Eastern Rhodope.
In , Alexandra Estate will produce , bottles
of red, white and ros wines. In will start the
building of a winery in the village of Rakitnitsa, Stara
Zagora region, with capacity of , bottles.
Alexandra Estate follows the principles of organic
and biodynamic agriculture. All wines, with the
exception of ALEXANDRA SAUVIGNON BLANC ,
matured in French oak barrels.

ALEXANDRA ESTATE
RESERVE RED :
Rich and sparkling
crimson colour.
Impressive nose filled
with dense aromas of
red berries, tobacco,
leather and spices,
elegantly entwined
with French oak.
The taste is juicy,
strong and elegant.
Unforgettable, long
aftertaste.

ALEXANDRA
CHARDONNAY :
bright yellow colour
with green nuances,
nose with floral
notes and attractive
fruit aromas. The
structure is rounded,
the notes of nuts and
honey add freshness.

ALEXANDRA
SAUVIGNON BLANC
:
elegant wine with
grassy style and
minerality, and
complex aromas
of grapefruit and
nettles. Silky and
seducing, with
balanced acidity.

ALEXANDRA
VERMENTINO :
citrus freshness and
colourful acidity
combine with dense
taste and fruitiness,
creating bitter
almond final. A
perfect complement
for Italian and
Mediterranean food.

ALEXANDRA
ROSE
(Mourvdre &
Grenache): grey-pink
in colour, it is an
aromatic harmony
of Mourvdre and
Grenache. The taste
is naturally acid, in
harmony with the
oak nuances.

Alexandra Estate Ltd. | Stara Zagora, 28 Knyaz Al. Batenberg St., fl. 3, office 22 | office@alexandraestate.com
www.alexandraestate.com

88

travel

travel 89

(Continues from p84)

( . 84)

The green parks and the wide streets are only a part
of the face of modern Stara Zagora. In spite of the shifts
of history, the city abounds with interesting historical
sites.
One of Stara Zagora's most famous sites is the
Neolithic Houses Museum by the Regional Hospital.
The two houses from the 6th Millennium BC were
discovered in 1958 in incredibly good condition, which
provoked the creation of a museum in situ. Built from
wood stakes braided with twigs and plastered with clay,
these houses are relatively big which gave archaeologists
the reason to speculate that the original buildings were
two-storey and were up to 7 m high. Besides the remains
of the Neolithic houses, the museum also exhibits an
interesting collection of everyday and cult artefacts
found in the houses.
More archaeology awaits in the ruins of the forum
of the ancient Augusta Traiana. The remains were
discovered in 1968 in the centre of Stara Zagora, and after
a reconstruction are now a loved spot for open air theatre,
opera and ballet performances. The complex includes
amphitheatre auditorium with nine rows of stone seats, the
western gate of Augusta Traiana, parts of the fortification
walls, square with a pediment and the south faade of the
thermae. You need little imagination to recreate in your
mind how did the city look like in the 2-6th centuries.
Situated nearby, the Regional History Museum was
recently renovated and is now an incredibly pleasant
place to learn more about local history. The most
attractive part is the subterrain, where the remains of a
Roman street found in situ are exhibited.
If you have the time, don't miss the family house of
poet Geo Milev. In the Hilendar premises in the court of
St Dimitar Church you can see a reconstruction of oldtime Bulgarian school from the second half of the 18th
Century. Probably the most beautiful church in Stara
Zagora is St Nikolay the Miracle-Maker, built about 100
years ago.
The old mosque of Stara Zagora was the only building
to survive intact the devastation of July 1877. The
mosque was built in the 15th Century on the place of
an ancient Thracian and Roman shrine and a medieval
church. Today the building is restored and functions as a
museum to religions.
But Stara Zagora is more than history. The city is also a
place for pleasure.
Here is the first European-style park in Bulgaria. Its
official name is Mitropolit Metodi Kusev Park, but
everyone knows it as Ayazmoto. The park was created in
1895, and now is the home of 180 plant species covering
around 24 acres.

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The famous Stara Zagora Mineral Baths are about

14 km outside the city. They have the status of a national
resort and boast many hotels, three open-air swimming
pools, and a spa bath. The water has healing qualities.
At 6 km away from the resort are the oldest European
mines of copper ore, from the 5th Millennium BC.
Just a kilometre away from the Stara Zagora Mineral
Baths is a place known as Bogorodichna Stapka, or
Virgin Mary's Step. It was named after a rock that has a
step-shaped hole in it, supposedly an imprint of Virgin
Mary's foot.
On the road to Burgas you can visit The Defenders
of Stara Zagora in 1877 Monument. Its huge statues are
dedicated to the Bulgarian volunteers and the Russian
soldiers who fought for the city. The main concrete
structure is 50 meters high and has a shape of a waved
flag. Statues of six Bulgarian volunteers and a Russian
officer stand next to it.
Among the other attractions of Stara Zagora worth
seeing is the artificial Zagorka Lake. It is named after the
popular brew of beer which has been produced in the
city since 1958.

,
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Studio La Scala

www.lascalabg.com
phone: 0896 78 77 66 | lascala.mebel@gmail.com

The world of Italian furniture

Furniture for living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchens, kids' rooms, gardens
Furniture for offices and hotels
We do projects all over Bulgaria

90

high news fraport

high news fraport 91

1,366,000 passengers serviced

in varna airport's new terminal 2
since its opening in august 2013

One year ago, on 27 August 2013, Varna Airport started

its full speed operations and servicing all passengers in the
new Terminal 2.
Since then, 1,366,000 passengers were serviced in the
new Terminal. Passengers from Russia lead the list of the
guests, followed by Germany, Bulgaria, Great Britain,
Poland, Austria, Israel and Belarus. The strongest month
in the new facility was August 2014. During the busiest day
on 1 August 2014, 19,790 passengers were serviced within
24 hours. 148 airlines operated flights to 244 destinations
in the world. The flights serviced in the first year of the
new terminal were 12,089.
Among the top destinations in terms of aircraft
movements were Bulgaria, Russia, Germany, Austria,
Israel, Great Britain and Belarus. Two new regular airline
routes were launched in 2014 and are currently serviced
in Terminal 2. Air Serbia launched a direct air connection
BelgradeVarnaBelgrade on 1 May, and Turkish Airlines
started operating direct flights to Istanbul from 30 May.
In its first year the new passenger terminal has been an
arena for memorable events and actions which infatuated
its guests with positive emotions. Exhibitions presenting
natural and cultural attractions of Bulgarian promoted
the country as an attractive tourist destination to the
passengers. The travellers' first impressions from the
country were complemented by traditional Bulgarian
greetings on holidays and special events inspired the guests
to even join a horo dance before taking their flight. On
different occasions passengers experienced warm welcome
in the new facility among which being VIPs for a flight for
the opening of a new VIP Lounge, enjoying football during

the World Cup final 2014 and many others. Open doors
events and regular students' and children's visits gave the
guests of the city the chance to get also acquainted with the
unique airport experience at Terminal 2.
The modern facility, work of world renowned designers,
combines contemporary style with traditional elements
of Bulgarian architecture and nature, and aims to keep the
holiday mood of the passengers throughout their whole
stay at the airport. The new terminal has spacious areas
for arriving and departing passengers, modern systems for
passengers' and baggage handling, attractive commercial
zones, as well as comfortable open spaces. The investment
of Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD in
Terminal 2 and the related infrastructure is over 75 million
leva the biggest investment in the last decade. Besides
investing in new infrastructure and technical equipment,
the company invests in its employees and has recently
launched a new Customer Care programme.
During the first year of the new terminal, the
investments of Fraport Twin Star Airport Management
AD brought several awards for the company and for Varna
Airport: Investor of the Year for 2013 in the sector
Transport and Logistics, awarded by the Bulgarian
Investment Agency, and Biggest Investment in Tourism for
2013, awarded by the Bulgarian Hotels and Restaurants
Association. A joint initiative of Varna Municipality and
the University of Economics Varna recognised Varna
Airport's Terminal 2 as the Event of the Year Varna 2013,
in the category Economy and Business, in the frame of the
project TIME: VARNA.

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92

education

93

Holding

future

in your hands
Private education in Bulgaria
is good, modern and gives
amazing chances for career

by Dimitar Ivanov

In the first years after the democratisation and the

liberalisation of the educational system in Bulgaria, the
general public looked at private education suspiciously.
Through the years, however, the sector gained the
respect of the Bulgarians and is now a commonly
accepted way to get high quality education for both
children and adults. Many people already choose not the
traditional beaten track of state educational institutions
but decide to study in younger, but ambitious and
offering more opportunities for future prosperity private
schools and universities.
But the lately topical debate of which one is better
state or private education is incorrect and misleading.
The comparisons in bulk between educational
institutions divided by their ownership are mistaken, at
least till we have enough empirical data. Comparisons
between individual schools are something different
private and state, state and state, private and private.
They could indeed take us somewhere.
Nevertheless, there are undeniable facts. Along with
traditions, there is a lot of accumulated inertia in staterun schools and universities. It doesn't foster but hampers
curiosity, inquisitiveness and thinking out of the box.
And all these things are valuable in the modern dynamic
world. In private schools and universities, however,
one could find more flexibility and opportunities for
constructing the educational profile one would like to
follow and specialise. Taking into account talents and
interests is most common in private universities, but is
also present in the programmes of many private primary
and secondary schools.
Another important problem is money. Private
education is more expensive than state one, but this

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(Continues on p98)

( . 98)

94

advertorial

advertorial 95

American English
Academy: The Future
of Your Child is Secured
Jesse T. Haines, AEA Director of Education, on the goals
and achievements of one of Bulgaria's best schools

-
:

What are the unique qualities of the AEA as an

educational institution?
The very foundation of the American English Academy
(AEA) rests on the philosophy that every child deserves
access to quality education. Since its establishment in 1992
by Frank and Ruth Munsey, the Academy has educated
children of different nationalities and develops their
talents. The Academy's motto, "believing, achieving, and
succeeding," are the motivational values instilled in the
educational experience.
Students at AEA are genuinely philanthropic,
persistent, and goal setters due to motivational

programmes by organisations such as the US-based The

Pacific Institute. Community service both on a local and
international level are important to the children. One
of the most recent activities was to build water wells in
Uganda, which was entirely student driven. This is only
one example of many exemplifying student initiative.
Accreditation International (Ai), an American
accrediting agency, recognises AEA as an institution of
quality, integrity, and accountability, stating that the AEA
fulfils both national and international goals of education
and builds effective, happy, and productive students. AEA
continues to work in close cooperation with Ai.
What is the main concept behind your new building?
The new AEA Lozen campus is designed specifically
to cater to the development of the talents and abilities
of our students in that a sports complex, performing
arts centre, green roof, classrooms with interactive
smart boards, ballet room, and Kindergarten centre
are designed based on research and best practices in
international education.

The campus exemplifies environmental responsibility

through its unique approach to lighting. Over 90
percent of the common areas, offices, and classrooms
provide natural light, reducing the need for a high
degree of electrical power and carbon emission.
A recycling programme allows students to gain a
better understanding of their role in the reduction
of greenhouse gases and the conservation of natural
resources. Finally, a green roof with a sub-surface
irrigation system reduces fire danger.
How does the AEA scholarship programme stimulate
and help students?
The Legacy Foundation provides access to education
for children that may not afford to attend school and to
promote incentive and appreciation for achievements.
The scholarships are in the areas of financial need,
academic performance, and talents.
What is the AEA's greatest achievement?
The Academy's greatest achievement is to celebrate its
alumni successes as responsible and successful young adults.

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97
7

10

YEARS AMBITION, SUCCESS

AND LOVE FOR KNOWLEDGE

Ten years ago we created the first and only First Private Maths Gymnasium in Bulgaria with a profile in the
Natural Sciences and an emphasis on the studying of the English language. In the 2010/2011 school year
we also introduced two new profiles, in foreign languages and technological (business management).
Following our goal to develop the school as a complex for all age groups and making it into an unique
place combining the outstanding traditions of Bulgarian education with the new multi-media educational
methods, we had also a license for the Pythagoras Primary School. It, too, is with an intensive study of
Mathematics and English language. This allows us to teach to children from pre-school age to 12th grade.
The extensive study of Maths creates a real prerequisite for a future in all colleges and universities in
Bulgaria and abroad.
Using the rich experience of the devoted teachers, the school is constantly developing.

10

FIRST PRIVATE
MATHS
GYMNASIUM
LICENSE N RD 14-92/04.06.2004

14-92/04.06.2004 .

Application for the 8th grade for the 2014/2015 school year
8 2014/2015

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MATHS AND SCIENCES profile in the German language.

Profile subjects: Maths, Informatics, German language,
Information technologies.
MATHS AND SCIENCES profile in the English language.
Profile subjects: Maths, Informatics, English language,
Information technologies.

10

YEARS

All long journeys begin with

a small step........
We invite you to make
it together, as the most
successful investment in
your future!

""
.
, , ,
.
""
.
, , ,
.

, .
OUR MISSION IS OUR CHILDREN TO...

........

,
!

...

Grow up healthy and happy;

Be able to study and work independently

and unconventionally;

Be polite and friendly with one another

and the adults;

Follow the rules in the class and the

school;

,
;

Win mathematical competitions;

Be fluent in English.

Sofia, 58 M D Skobelev Blvd.

phones: 02 971 3300; 0882 260 929
contacts@parvamatematicheska.com

, . ". . " 58
: 02 971 3300; 0882 260 929
contact@parvamatematicheska.com

www.parvamatematicheska.com

98

education

(Continues from p92)

( . 92)

does have some advantages. The private schools and

universities offer significantly better environment and
technologies than the state ones do. Higher revenues also
give private schools and universities the opportunity to
invest in tutors' qualifications and payment. This gives
private educational institutions a significant advantage,
as they attract qualified, ambitious and motivated
teachers and professors.
The last two regular Bulgarian governments tried
to pass a change in the legislation, stipulating that the
state pays subsidy to private schools starting from 2016.
The suggestion did not make it. The change would
probably reshuffle the Bulgarian educational system, in
which the state budget subsidises only state educational
institutions. Experts argue if the private schools should
get subsidies at all and if yes, what part of the study
schools' subsidies per student should they be entitled to.
The critics of the idea believe that the stimulus would
not make private schools more affordable but would lead
to their multiplication without any guarantee they would
offer good enough education. The defenders point to the
fact that the state discriminates pupils in private schools,
since it doesn't pay for them, as it does for the ones
attending state institutions.
An enormous part of the criticism towards Bulgarian
education is owed to the very construction of the system.
It is based on the principle that the money follows the
student. This means that universities are stimulated to
enrol as many people as possible, and few of them dare
to fail them at exams. Another part of the widespread
criticism that universities do not give real skills for the
labour market comes mainly from business organisations,
but it is not entirely fair. It is true that Bulgarian education
is too academical and more or less divorced from practice,
resulting that after finishing their education the young
people simply cannot find quality jobs for their profession.
The problem, however, is wider and more serious and is
about the structure of the economy and the labour market.
Moreover, it is not possible for universities to follow blindly
the labour market, and anyway the task of higher education
is not just to create qualified labour force, but also to form
individuals.
In such an atmosphere, the private education stands
out as the most dynamic, opened to changes, and
labour market oriented. Formed on the base of the
world educational tendencies, the programmes of the
best private schools and universities stress not only on
academical knowledge, but also on educating of the
students as responsible, active, enterprising individuals
regardless of whether they have chosen to specialise in
economy, engineering or humanities.

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( . 102)

100

CHILDRENS ACADEMY
OF SCIENCES, ARTS
AND SPORTS

advertorial

dr irina shopova:
our kindergarten
is for children
who want to
know more
From September 2014, the Kindergarten of the
Children's Academy of Arts, Sciences and Sport
opens a nursery group. The study is full day and
includes intensive learning of the English language
with a native speaker, plus 10 hours weekly of
spoken and music English with a pedagogue
philologist and a pedagogue musicologist. In this
English-language environment, the children
"submerge" into the language and through games
and passive listening develop their linguistic and
musical skills. The group will be of 10 children.
Dr Irina Shopova, Director of Children's Academy
of Arts, Sciences and Sport, tells more.
Which children is the Academy's Kindergarten for?
The programme is for children who want to know
more. They ask questions and are interested in the
world, they want to know how the toys work and where
the birds go in the autumn.
Which are the strongest points in the Academy's
Kindergarten programme?
First, it is our team of professionals. Each of them
is not only a pedagogue, but also a specialist in his or
her field of knowledge or art. Our programme also
combines many and diverse intellectual activities with
many and diverse sport and recreational activities. With
the early-age language classes the children develop their
mother tongue following out our own programme, and
simultaneously study at least two foreign languages.
Let's not forget the intensive study of mathematics
and chess. The children have different class-rooms for
the different disciplines, have contact with a variety
of teachers, and native speakers are included in the
studying of foreign languages.

SCHEDULE OF
THE ACADEMY EVENTS
FOR SEPTEMBER
AND OCTOBER

Tell us more on the professionals who take care for the

children in the kindergarten?
Each of the teachers is a pedagogue and a specialist
in his or her field. Philologists, mathematicians and
musicologists work even with the youngest children in
the kindergarten. Many of our teachers have degrees in
sciences. A high-qualified team of medical specialists, a
dentist, a psychologist and a speech-therapist takes care
for our students, too.
How does a regular day in the Academy's Kindergarten
go by?
A day in our kindergarten is dynamic and
entertaining. The children change class-rooms for their
language, mathematics, chess and arts classes, they go
to the logic games room, the gym or the swimming
pool. A significant part of the day is spent in the park,
where they are engaged in interesting observations on
the world, they do sports, they walk and play freely.
Throughout the day, the children learn and play a lot,
but because they have fun, they don't feel tired.

September
Summer programme in 10
days: 1-12 September
Opening ceremony for the New
academical year: 1 September
Beginning of the Academy's
Autumn/Winter programme: 15
September
Participation in the Second
Sofia Mathematical Tournament
for Young Talents, organised
by the Children's Academy: 28
September
Preparation for contests and
olympics on general subjects
October
Participation in the Hitar Petar
Maths Competition in Gabrovo
Preparation for contests and
olympics on general subjects
Preparation for the Chernorizets
Hrabar Mathematical Tournament
Preparation for the Sofia
Mathematical Tournament

SCHOOL FOR FRONT-RUNNING INSTRUCTION

The school gives the children with interests in a given
field of human knowledge the opportunity to deepen
their knowledge and to develop their skills and
talents in shorter time. The specialised courses are for
children and teenagers aged 5-19 years. The work is
individual, or in small groups from 2 to 6-10 kids.
One of the aims of the courses is to prepare students
for contests, olympics and exams after 4th, 7th and
12th grade.
For the youngest: Arts; Music; Bulgarian and
foreign languages; Maths; Computer graphics and
Animation; Kung fu, and many more.
For children in 3rd-4th grade: Mathematics and
Informatics; Bulgarian language and literature; Foreign
languages intensive study; Arts; Kung fu, and many
more.
For children in 5th-7th grade: Mathematics
and Informatics; Bulgarian language and literature;
Creative writing in Bulgarian and English; Interactive
studying of English and Chinese for beginners;
Cooking; Kung fu, and many more.
For children in 8th-12th grade: Mathematics and
Bulgarian language; Preparation for matriculation;
Creative writing in Bulgarian and English; Intensive
language studying; Graphic design; Business and
business administration; Kung fu, and many more.
Check on www.childrens-academy-bg.com for more
special courses and programmes.

101

education
( . 98)

AMERICAN-ENGLISH ACADEMY

(Continues from p98)

AMERICAN-ENGLISH ACADEMY:
BELIEVING, ACHIEVING AND SUCCEEDING
The future of your child is secured when the
AMERICAN-ENGLISH ACADEMY (Sofia, Lozen
village, phone: +359 886 850 255, office@aeasofia.com,
www.aeasofia.com) takes care of his or her education.
Established in 1992, this year the AEA meets its
students in a brand new, "green" building, built entirely
in accordance with the principles of sustainable
development. The building is energy efficient and is
full with natural light, has a green roof and a library
with access to open air terrace. The students have
classrooms with interactive smart boards, modern gym
and ballet hall, performing arts centre. The students
at the AEA can apply for scholarships for academic
excellence, developing of talents, or financial need.
Founded by Frank and Ruth Munsey, the AmericanEnglish Academy offers kindergarten, preschool, and
regular education for kids from 1st to 12th grade. Its
students are from a variety of nationalities, and the
devoted teaching staff encourages them not only
to master the knowledge, but also to be active and
engaged citizens of the world.
FIRST PRIVATE MATHEMATICAL
GYMNASIUM: KNOWLEDGE MEETS
EXCELLENCE
When FIRST PRIVATE MATHEMATICAL
GYMNASIUM (Sofia, 58 M D Skobelev Blvd; phone:
+ 3592 971 3300; www.parvamatematicheska.com) was
established in 2004, it started with seven children.
Today, its qualified teachers take care of 324 pupils
and the prestigious awards won by the disciples are
the best proof for the quality of education. In the last
10 years, the students of First Private Mathematical
Gymnasium have been awarded with dozens of medals
and hundreds of charters. They have regularly been
ranked the highest places at olympiads and national
competitions. The First Private Mathematical
Gymnasium programme is specially developed to
ensure that your child will be competitive in the

AMERICAN-ENGLISH ACADEMY

102

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255, office@aeasofia.com, www.aeasofia.com).
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104

education

world of tomorrow. It puts emphasis on studying of

the English language and the deep understanding of
the natural sciences. Amongst the other priorities of
the school are the non-commercial education, keeping
the attention of pupils in class, and the development of
students' interest in extracurricular activities through
participation in local, national and international projects.
From 2014 a class of natural sciences and mathematics
with intensive studying of the German language after the
7th grade is also available.
THE ESPA MODEL
Studying foreign languages is a priority for the
Bulgarian private schools, which achieve excellent
results by working with qualified foreign teachers. ESPA
SCHOOL (Sofia, 23 Gradina St, phone: +359 899 161 734;
www.espa-bg.com) is one of the Bulgarian Top 5 schools
and offers nursery (1-3 years old), kindergarten (3-5
years old), school preparatory courses (5-6 years old),
elementary school (7-11 years old), and middle school
(11-14 years old). At the moment there are more than 180
children studying at ESPA. ESPA works in cooperation
with one of the most prestigious education institutions
in the UK, the Cambridge Education Group. Each
year during the spring holidays ESPA holds a two-week
language course by the programme of English in Action
and the additional 30 hours a week with teachers from
the UK help the children to cover successfully the C1
Expert language level. The course includes interactive
and entertaining methods, games and project work,
giving students a chance to develop their communicative
language skills.
LOTOS SCHOOL:
THE POWER OF TRADITION
Sometimes private education is a field for experimental
learning methods that do not necessarily produce the
best results. But at LOTOS SCHOOL (Sofia, 4 Bilyanini
Izvori St, phones: 02 441 6880; +0885 125 100, www.
lotosbg.eu) the stress is on tradition a team of highly
qualified teachers support the Bulgarian Revival
principles of rigorous and wide-ranging education. The
atmosphere of Lotos is channeled towards development
of practical skills, creativity and artistry in pupils, and
subjects learned include Eastern languages, etiquette
and communication, martial arts. The school cooperates
actively with parents in its effort to supply children with
quality education and excellent environment for selfimprovement.
MEDIA EDUCATIONAL CENTRE:
TO STUDY WITH JOY
MEDIA EDUCATIONAL CENTRE is one of the biggest
non-formal education schools in Bulgaria and was

education 105
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created in 2001 as a centre for interactive foreign

language education. Media has four branches in Sofia
(100 Vitosha Blvd; Mladost 3, block 321; 96 Slatinska St;
53 Otets Paisiy St; www.mediaedu.bg) and offers foreign
language training for children and adults, study hall,
green schools, computer lessons, suggestopedic schools,
creative workshops. What distinguishes Media is the
inspiring and motivating environment where children
and adults can unleash their potential. Media is a
certified testing centre of PEARSON and Cambridge.
VIHROVENIA: LEARNING WITH THE HEART
Suggestopedia is a pedagogical system recognised by
UNESCO as a supreme method of education. While
passing the studying process through the heart, it
broadens the capability of the mind. The father of
suggestopedia is Prof. Dr Georgi Lozanov who created
this unique method about a half century ago. The
CENTRE FOR CLASSICAL SUGGESTOPEDIA
VIHROVENIA (Sofia, 9 Chiprovtsi St, phone: 0879 811
644; www.vihrovenia.bg) is one of the first which began
to apply suggestology in studying of foreign languages, as
well in the whole variety of subjects for children
reading, Maths, study room, the Art of Being a Parent
parenting lessons. All tutors in Vihrovenia are trained in
the classical suggestology method.

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high news fraport 107

106

Traveler from Belarus is

the 2 millionth passenger
at Burgas Airport for 2014
fourth time in Bulgaria, having previously visited the
Primorsko. This time the family chose Sunny Beach.
The special guests were greeted at the apron by Mr.
George Chipilski, Director of Burgas Airport, Dr Loris
Manuelyan, Deputy Mayor of the Burgas Municipality,
representatives of Belavia airline, and Mr. Atanas Popov,
the Honorary Council of Belarus to Bulgaria. The family
received many presents in the completely renovated VIP
Lounge at the airport and cut a cake for the occasion.
As a compliment from Fraport Twin Star Airport
Management, the VIP guests received a voucher for the
VIP lounge for their next trip.
The two millionth passenger of 2014 landed at the
airport three days earlier than last year. Currently Burgas
On 25 ugust at Burgas Airport on a flight from Minsk Airport records a growth of around 3 percent of the
passengers served from the beginning of the year until
of Belavia airline company landed the two millionth
passenger for 2014. Her name is Nadejda Makarevich and now. Traditionally, most travellers are from Russia,
she arrived with her husband Yuri Abrazhevich and their followed by the UK and Germany.
During this season, the greatest number of passengers
two children, Konstantin and Ekaterina.
served in the airport within 24 hours landed or took off
Nadejda is now a housewife and takes care of their
on 25 July, when they were 37,693.
children and Yuri is working as a lawyer. It is Nadejda's

2014
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108

childcare

childcare 109

The best for -

the Children
Private kindergartens,
educational centres and
specialised kitchens give care,
health and knowledge to the
youngest citizens of Sofia

,


,

by Dimitar Ivanov

What do children need? This is the million dollar

question on which parents, psychologists, pedagogues
and marketers ponder constantly. For the parents the
answer is usually seen through the prism of their own
understandings of what do they want from their kids and
what they think is best for them. An interesting study
of Google searches by American parents, for example,
shows that opposite to the postulates of equality between
sexes, the adults are more concerned if their sons are
gifted rather than are they physically fit, while when it
comes to their daughters, it is the vice versa. The work
of psychologist, pedagogues, and marketers circle mainly
around the concepts of the parents, and the way they
bring up their kin.
Of course, what children want and what they need is
not always the same thing. This is where parents come.
However, if there is something they need to be reminded
of often, it is that children are children and they need
to live their childhood. Yes, studying from early age is
crucial for the future success of the child. But it is very
important to find the right balance between study and
play, between obligations and free time. Studies should
be followed by rest, walk in the nature, physical or other
activity that releases the mental pressure. This not only
makes education more effective but also strengthens the
immune system of the children, helps them solve real life
problems, builds communicative and social skills, and
reduces stress.
The pedagogues of the good kindergartens,
educational centres and schools know this, and put
it into practice. In order for the lessons to become
"tasty", play is integrated in study. The good curriculum
combines the obligatory and the entertaining and the
student's activities do not become routine, boring, or

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even unpleasant. This is why education does not stop

with exiting the school room but continues with the
extracurricular activities. They are as important as is
the study itself, as they motivate the children's activity,
educate them and stimulate their competitiveness.
As a response to the problems of municipality-run
kindergartens and schools in Bulgaria in the past 25
years, many private kindergartens and educational
institutions were established. Perhaps the best illustration
for the unresolved issues in the state sector is the lack of
places for kids in Sofia kindergartens. Despite the fact
that from 2006 on the municipality has provided 57 new
buildings for childcare, in the middle of 2014 it became
clear that 11,000 kids will remain out of kindergartens
in the Bulgarian capital. Many parents who live in the
central area have to enrol their children in places out of
town.
The high demand led to serious development of the
private sector in childcare.
A serious part of private kindergartens surpass state
institutions technologically and in terms of equipment,
and the best of them offer much better education. In
most of the Western countries private education has
long-lived traditions. In Bulgaria, the forming of a

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lewiscarroll@dir.bg

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poslushkovci@dir.bg

: 02 887 7652, 0899 287 136,

: 02 41 86 500, 0899 287 136,

www.luiskarol.com

0893 457 343, 0898 211 168

0893 457 343, 0893 359 951

childcare

Maria Magdalena
K I N D E R G A R T E N
The essence of
Maria Magdalena Kindergarten:
a mixture of vocation,
duty, and responsibility

Sofia, Gotse Delchev region, 26E Gen. Kiril Botev St

phone: +359 885 894 154; +359 889 518 239
www.mmagdalena-bg.com

tradition in private education and childcare is in the

cribs, but through the past years appeared a number of
kindergartens, educational centres and school which are
exemplary and educate clever, active and knowledgeable
children.
THE CHILDRENS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES,
ARTS AND SPORTS:
CARE FOR THE YOUNGEST, TOO
The opening of a full-time day nursery for a group
of 10 children since September is the latest addition
to THE CHILDRENS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, ARTS
AND SPORTS (Sofia, 9-13 Hristo Tsenov St, phone: 0876
929 249, www.childrens-academy-bg.com). The classes
include intensive English language courses and the small
group guarantees that each child gets enough attention.
Ten hours weekly are dedicated to spoken and musical
English led by a pedagogue philologist and a pedagogue
musicologist. The children immerse in an English
language environment and develop their talents through
playing and passive listening.
The Academy is a proven name in childcare and
education. It is situated in a close proximity to the
Yuzhen Park, where kids take walks and do sports. The
food is healthy and delicious, from a licensed children
kitchen. Qualified staff of professional pedagogues, and

111

KINDERGARTEN

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"HAPPY HOUSE": ,


"HAPPY HOUSE" (, . " " 4, : 0888 616 733; www.happyhouse-bg.com)
,

With HAPPY HOUSE

PRIVATE KINDERGARTEN every child feels
special and loved. With us, children immerse in a
world of fun and games, while learning new and
interesting things.
Day care for children from 1 to 6 years of age
in a homely atmosphere
Studying of Bulgarian and English language,
Maths, Arts and many more
A variety of sports: swimming, gymnastics,
dance and more
Child psychologist
Organising children parties
Open whole year round.
Sofia, 4 Yordan Stubel St
phones: 0888 616 733; 0886 277 888; 0898 797 950
www.HappyHouse-Bg.com

Happy House Kindergarten

110

medical specialists, a psychologist and a speech-therapist,

takes care of the children.
HAPPY HOUSE PRIVATE KINDERGARTEN:
HAPPINESS FOR THE KIDS,
SECURITY FOR THE PARENTS
The qualified specialists at HAPPY HOUSE PRIVATE
KINDERGARTEN (Sofia, 4 Yordan Stubel St, phone:
0888 616733; www.happyhouse-bg.com) know that the
talents and creative skills of children are individual
and don't spare efforts to pay attention to every kid
to find the special abilities of each of them. In Happy
House game and creativity are combined with the care
for the education and the physical development of the
children. The kindergarten offers whole day, half day
and by the hour children care for kids between 1 and 6
years old, and has a children psychologist. The classes
include studying of Bulgarian language and literature,
Mathematics and English language, Society and Nature,
Art, Music, Construction activities, Game culture, sports
like swimming, and Dance. The kindergarten is open the
whole year round.
LEWIS CARROLL:
IMMERSING IN THE BRITISH CULTURE
From 2005 on, the LEWIS CARROLL ASSOCIATION
(Sofia, 55th School in Darvenitsa neighbourhood and 10th

,
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112

Yan Bibiyan

childcare

Kiparis
p

S P A

H O T E L

At the heart

Lewis Carroll Association

School in Mladost 1, phones: 0899 287 136; 02 4186 500;

www.luiskarol.com) disseminates British culture and
offers early foreign language training to children from
the age of 6. The curriculum includes classes for building
up the knowledge gained at school, as well as more nonstandard activities, such as virtues classes. There are also
groups for yoga, theatre, applied arts, chess, folklore and
sports dancing, and others. One of the Lewis Carroll
goals is uniting the efforts of teachers and parents.
The association is a partner of the British Council
for Bulgaria, to the Oxford University representation
BOOK HOUSE and the Ministry of Education. In 2013,
Lewis Carroll got bronze status from the British Council
for its partnership in the Addvantage Programme. When
the students in Lewis Carroll turn 10 years of age, they
attend exams for Cambridge certificates.
MARIA MAGDALENA KINDERGARTEN:
CARE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
When selecting a kindergarten, it is important to trust
the staff that they will take care of your children and
develop their skills. In order to make sure that this is the
place for your child, PRIVATE KINDERGARTEN MARIA
MAGDALENA (Sofia, 26 General Kiril Botev, ent. E,
phones: 0889 518 239, 0885 894 154, www.mmagdalenabg.com) gives you an opportunity for a two-week test

Order home delivery in Sofia on

0878 744 213 (Vivacom)
0884 244 213 (Mtel)
02 973 2224; 02 973 2181 (BTK)

BOOK HOUSE . 2013 . " "

Addvantage.
10 , " "
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, : 0889 518 239, 0885 894 154, www.mmagdalena-bg.
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e!

of the Rhodop

z Close to the administrative centre and the sites of interest in Smolyan

z Spacious and comfortable rooms and apartments with vistas to the mountain of Orpheus
z Restaurant with 150 seats serving the best of Bulgarian and Rhodope traditional food,
plus international specialties and an excellent choice of drinks
z NEW! Boost your tone in the warm swimming pool, open from 11 am to 11 pm. The pool has a Jacuzzi and a children section
z Spa centre offering relaxing massages, aromatherapy, massage baths, sauna, steam bath and many more
SMOLYAN | 3A Balgaria Blvd | phone: +359 301 64040, +359 888 790 619 | hotel@hotelkiparis.eu

www.hotelkiparis.eu

Find us at Sofia, Iskar Station,

10 Poruchik Hristo Toprakchiev St
Have a question? Email us on
info@yanbibiyan.net

period during which only the food is paid. The great

responsibility and the careful attitude to make the
children feel loved and respected is priority for the team
of qualified pedagogues and psychologists. The quality
environment is suitable for the needs of the children, and
the yard of the kindergarten is a place for daily games.
Additional activities include classes in English and
German, applied arts, folk dancing, Latin dance, ballet,
swimming and skiing.
YAN BIBIYAN: THE KINGDOM
OF HEALTHY FOOD
The proper, healthy food is of a tremendous
importance for children and adults alike. The YAN
BIBIYAN KITCHEN (Sofia, Gara Iskar, 10 Poruchik
Hristo Toprakchiev St, phone: 0700 11 013; www.
yanbibiyan.net) offers healthy, balanced and quality
menu. What does that mean? The food is prepared
carefully and with love, under the strict supervision of a
specialist and is equally good for you and your child.
The deliveries are in a safe package, with description of
the chemical composition of the products on it, and
everything is brought to your home with specialised
transport. Yan Bibiyan is the only one in Sofia that
employs a healthy feeding instructor, to achieve the two
things the kitchen never compromises with quality
and safety.

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114

property

education

Home
for your
business

Demand of offices in Sofia is

at its highest level since 2009

- 2009 .

by Dimitar Ivanov

The majority of foreign real estate buyers in Bulgaria are

aiming mainly at apartments and houses, but the big funds,
companies, and individual clients are also interested in
offices. The property crisis, which affected Bulgaria later
than the West, in 2009, cured to a large extent the excessive
profit expectations. As a result, the market is healthier and
more realistic. Experts maintain that the recent problems
in two of Bulgaria's banks are not systematic and will not
affect the stability of the financial sector. This means that
if their incomes and collaterals remain on a good level,
borrowers will continue to receive support and cash for real
estate purchases from banks.
The demand of offices in Sofia is at its highest level since
2009. According to the commercial property consultancy
Forton, the rented business space during the second
quarter of the year was 37,500 square meters or more than
double of the rented spaces for the same period of the
previous year. The rented spaces are also the impressive 27
percent more in comparison to the ones rented in the first
quarter of 2014. Forton's analysis shows that investors are
also drawn to Bulgaria by the high return on investment,
which is 9.25 percent for prime quality offices.
Two main factors affect demand in Bulgaria. The
first is the continuing stable demand for business spaces,
mainly form outsourcing companies and the IT sector.
The second is the relative insufficiency in building of new
offices. In 2013 the finished buildings in Sofia were 34,000
square meters, which is the lowest level since 2009. At the
same time, the contracts last year were for 108,300 square
meters. The average rental price in the first class business
buildings in the centre of Sofia is 12.5 euro per square meter.
The experts of the company forecast that there may be
a shortage in the market, as free spaces in buildings that
co-respond to the international companies requirements
are diminishing. The vacancies in the 10 top popular office
buildings in Sofia also goes down. In the first quarter of
2014, only 10.9 percent of the office space there was not
occupied, in comparison to an average of about 30 percent

,
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(Continues on p116)

( . 116)

New Business Tower

on Tsarigradsko
Shose in the capital

Office space market in Bulgaria has been considerably

moving upwards in the past year, and the experts'
forecasts about its future are optimistic. It is expected a
return of foreign investors to Bulgaria, attracted by the
stable rent rates and the decrease of available free office
space. The office market in Sofia is favourable and offers
attractive opportunities for investment with a calculated
risk, while the medium rate of the rents stay stable.
Demand will concentrate on Class A offices. The
newest project of this type will rise in the most developed
and preferred business zone in Sofia - the Sofia
Business Tower's building will be situated between the
Tsarigradsko Shose and Brussels Boulevards, in a close
proximity to The Mall, one of the most visited malls
in the city, and Novotel Sofia, and the Mega Park and
European Trade Centre business buildings.
The Sofia Business Tower is a project of a remarkable
building, with its height and architectural design.
The building's faades are designed in several types in
accordance with their height and exposition. The project
consists of a 26-floor building and a low 8-floor building
and 4 underground levels with a total of 675 parking
spaces. In both buildings there is an opportunity for
unification of the office modules and for a diversity of
office area configurations.
Galaxy Property Group and Aktiv Properties REIT, the
project investors, are already reporting a surging interest
in Sofia Business Tower from foreign investors and

investment funds, provoked by the project's potential.

Attracted by the strong location and the excellent
visibility, as well as by the impressive architecture
of a modern, landmark business tower, some global
companies and financial institutions have already
enquired renting space for their headquarters.
The project's concept is based on the balanced
approach towards the five key aspects of contemporary
architecture and design: functional, technical,
economical, ecological and aesthetic. Each of them
has been carefully studied in the context of the leading
tendencies in business building, and their sustainable
application in the project and the mutual harmony
between them has been eagerly thought over.

Plovdiv, 5 Dunav Blvd | phone: +359 32 924 723, fax: +359 32 924 748 | investment@galaxy-bg.com

116

property

advertorial 117

(Continues from p114)

( . 114)

for Sofia. In the second quarter the vacancies in the capital

were already 28.5 percent. Colliers, another consultancy,
say that 13 percent of the rented spaces were contracted by
companies that set foot in Bulgaria for the first time.
The segments in the property market may differ
significantly one from another, but at the end the big
picture always weights in. Tendencies in housing prices
affect offices and vice versa.
At the end of August, the New York Times published an
article for the housing market in Bulgaria. In it, experts are
quoted saying that 2014 is the first year of a ricing prices
since the peak of 2008. The National Statistic Institute
was quoted, saying that rise in property prices in the first
quarter of 2014 is 1.79 percent, and during the second is
2 percent. An interesting opinion is shared Britons are
probably making their comeback to the Bulgarian property
market. The Russians are still the largest foreign group of
buyers. Germans, French, Dutch, Belgians, Ukrainians,
Scandinavians, Americans, Canadians, Australians, and
South Africans are some of the palette of nationalities that
bought property in Bulgaria. In the last two years citizens
of the Middle East Lebanon, UAE, Syria, and Pakistan
were also interested in real estate in the country.
SOFIA BUSINESS TOWER (Sofia, close to the
intersection of Tsarigradsko Shose and Brussels boulevards)
is one of the biggest and remarkable construction
projects in Sofia, consisting of a high building with 26
floors and a low building with 8 floors, 4 underground
levels and a total of 675 parking spaces. The business
tower will rise in close proximity to some of the most
popular places for business and entertainment in Sofia,
like the The Mall, Mega Park and European Trade Centre
business buildings, and Novotel Sofia. Apart from its
functionality, the project stands out with its remarkable
architecture, too. Its concept is based on balanced
approach towards the five key aspects of contemporary
architecture and design: functional, technical, economic,
ecological and aesthetical. Galaxy Property Group and
Aktiv Property REIT are already experiencing an interest
in Sofia Business Tower from foreign investors founded
in the projects potential.
BUSINESS CENTRE (Sofia, 131 Tsarigradsko Shose
Blvd, phone: 0889 209 556; www.atmcentre.eu) offers
modern office space on 8,000 sq.m where you have
everything you need for your business: air conditioning,
Internet, phone and security system. Business
Centre is only 6 km away from the centre of Sofia and
is close to Tsarigradsko Shose metro station. The centre
has also a medical centre, bank, ATM machine, 24-hour
restaurant, a hotel with spa centre and a swimming pool,
conference halls, hairdresser. The open air parking has

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2014 . 10,9 % 30 % .

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Novotel Sofia. ,

.

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.

(Continues on p119)

( . 119)

Easy travel with

easyHotel Sofia
Hotel Manager Tsveta Parvanova on how to
make the best of your business trip in modern
comfort and at an affordable price

What makes easyHotel Sofia good for business travel?

Unlike holiday travel, business travels are often
rational and short, people are concentrated on dealing
with a concrete task or job and want to cut pointless
expenditures. When travelling for work, the guests
usually look for a good price and suitable location, plus
cleanliness, functionality and privacy of the hotel. Luxury
is not that important. Here comes easyHotel Sofia. It
satisfies these needs and fills an empty until recently
niche between the high category expensive hotels and the
cheap but uncomfortable hostels. The hotel is a part of an
international low cost chain and has central location in
close proximity to a metro station which gives quick access
to the Business Park, Inter Expo Centre and soon, to the
Sofia Airport. All rooms have separate bathrooms, Wi-Fi
and air conditioning, and the design is innovative, fresh
and practical. The reception is open 24 hours, and there
are underground and open air parkings. Tens of thousands
guests from small and middle-size businesses have already
chosen easyHotel Sofia for their business trips, as they are
frugal and are not seduced by "false prestige."
What makes easyHotel Sofia an alternative to classical
hotels? What is the innovative?
Classic hotels have amenities like restaurants, bars,
conference rooms, relaxation centres, etc. But all these
drive the room rates up. The easyHotel brand shares
the idea that guests on a business trip often don't have
the time to enjoy these extra amenities, and after a busy

day need only to shower and to have a good night sleep.

This is why the hotel offers only this, shaving the room
rates off additional expenses and offering a price without
competition. Our rates are incredibly low for a hotel in
the capital, and our pricing policy is discount-based. The
earlier the guest books a room, the cheaper it is. The rooms
are still comfortable and clean, and the service is of top
quality.
What "budget hotel" means? How is the competitive price
formed at the expense of quality or of "false prestige"?
The term "budget" became popular in Bulgaria because
of budget flight companies, and easyJet in particular.
Actually, the easyHotel brand is the creation of the easyJet
owner who wants to democratise hotel services and make
them more affordable. This is why it is more correct to call
this type of hotel "low cost", as low expenses at the entrance
result in low rates at the exit. Compromise with quality is
neither necessary nor acceptable, only the mechanism of
achieving lower price is different. On an architectural level,
the common areas in the hotel are minimised and space
is optimised. The rooms are smaller but more functional.
The staff is reduced, and reservation and communication
is automatic. There is no restaurant at the hotel, because it
could hardly compete with the abundance of restaurants
and establishments in the Sofia centre. easyHotel Sofia
follows the brand standards in service, design and
cleanliness. We strictly control the quality of the service,
the good price is only for the expense of wasteful luxury.

easyHotel | Sofia, Todor Aleksandrov Blvd and 108 Aldomirovska St | phone: +359 2 9201654 | www.easyhotel.com

118

119

fiction
(Continues from p116)

where
business

The Elizabeth Kostova Foundation

and
Bulgaria's English
Monthly, cooperate in order to enrich
the English language
with translations
of contemporary
Bulgarian writers.
Every year we give
you the chance to
read the work of a
dozen young and
sometimes not-soyoung Bulgarian
writers that the EKF considers original,
refreshing and valuable. Some of them
have been translated in English for the
rst time. The EKF has decided to make
the selection of authors' work and
to ensure they get rst-class English
translation, and we at
are
only too happy to get them published
in a quality magazine. Enjoy our ction
pages.

Air Lazur General Aviation is a business-jet company which has proved to be leader
in the heavy-jet aviation for Central and Eastern Europe. Over the years Air Lazur
has introduced high standards of VIP services and has developed a network of
prominent and well-o customers worldwide.
The basic services provided by Air Lazur is the performance of charter ights upon
request where the route and timetable are xed by customer. Businessmen, heads
of state, royal families, celebrities and the like are among the VIPs that best utilize
their time and enjoy ying with Air Lazurs state of art Bombardier Challengers 604.
Aircraft management is another target type of business in Air Lazurs portfolio.
Charter your aircraft when you dont use it and turn the endeavour into a protable
investment.
Air Lazur main priorities are ight safety, high-quality service as well exibility
and adaptability to the contemporary dynamic business environment where
promptness and comfort are key factors.
Striving to gain and preserve its customers credit Air Lazur is entirely devoted to
satisfying its customers needs and desires.

140 places, and the covered one can accommodate 50

more cars. You can also take advantage of the car wash.
If, in search of good property deals, you have decided to
visit Bulgaria, apart from the mandatory distant real
estate research, it is also recommendable to find a suitable
hotel for yourselves. easyHOTEL SOFIA (Sofia, Todor
Aleksandrov Blvd and 108 Aldomirovska St, phone: +359 2
9201654; www.easyhotel.com) is excellent for business
travels and is a great alternative to the classical type of
hotels. The earlier you make a reservation, the lower the
rate for your room is. Despite being in the hostels' price
range (from 19 euro for double room), the quality of
service and the interior are as good as the hotels'.
easyHotel Sofia offers 56 convenient rooms with private
baths, Wi-Fi and air conditioning. The hotel is at the
Sofia centre, close to a metro station. The reception
works 24 hours, there is a parking and security system,
and everything is impeccably clean.
( . 116)

meets
aviation

23 Alexander Malinov blvd., oor 4

BG-1729 Soa
phone: + 359 2 8927767/77
mobile: + 359 889 669 355
e-mail: sales@airlazur.com
www.airlazur.com
24/7 Flight Operations number:
+ 359-889-669800

(, . "
" 131, : 0889 209 556; www.atmcentre.eu)
8000 .,

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. easyHotel Sofia
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ATM CENTRE HOTEL

For business, leisure and parties
y Top location close to Sofia Airport and the centre
y Comfortable rooms and suites with all amenities
y Restaurant with excellent food and live music
y Conference hall

ATM BUSINESS CENTRE

y Excellent location 6 kms from the city centre
y 8 floors and 8,000 sq.m of offices for rent
y 190 parking spaces
y Air conditioning, communications, security services
y Medical services, 24/7 restaurant, hotel with a spa
centre and swimming pool, bank, 3 conference halls

Sofia, 131 Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd | phone: 0700 31 008

fax: +359 2 9658 481 | mobile: +359 885 772 083
atm-hotel.com | info@atm-hotel.com | atmcentre.eu

120

lifestyle

lifestyle 121

100

Organic food, eco holidays,

yoga and Eastern therapies:
Bulgaria is becoming a place
where it is easy to live healthily
and in a harmony with yourself

,
,
:
,

by Dimitar Ivanov

Adgor Horse Riding Stable

100 Shades
of Green

Enhanced sensitivity for nature, new technologies and

product innovations, a variety of advertising messages to
protect the environment, change in the public debate
green thinking is the link between all these trends of the
past decade.
Pollution, greenhouse effect and climate change led
to a radical shift in the perception of environment care
for ordinary people. More of us now understand that
the green way of life is not just walking in nature, and

,
,
, ,
10 .
,
.

turning it into cult, but in efforts to reduce our carbon

imprint, and to consume cleaner food, drinks, and
cosmetics. The market adapted to the trend. Lately,
organic products are sold not only in specialised shops,
but also in the supermarkets.
But what is "eco", "bio", organic, and homemade
production? It is intuitively clear that they are linked to
the green way of life, yet still they differ.
Organic food, known in Bulgaria as bio, is made
of entirely clean products, grown without the use of
artificial fertilisers, GMO, pesticides, chemicals. The first
EU regulation on organic food is from 1991. It introduces
mandatory rules for the way agricultural and other food
goods are produced. In 1999 more rules were added
for animals, whose products and meat are considered
organic. And since 2010 organic food in EU is already
marked with a new green label, which is the same for all
member countries.
The price of organic products is higher, as their
production costs more. Despite being more delicious,
their shelf-life is often shorter, and their appearance is
less appetising than the one of non-organic products.
The ecological food is a bit different. In the

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(Continues on p124)

( . 124)

lifestyle 123

122

a look at our reining trained horses to see for

yourselves the easiness of their maneuverability.
Reining is the fastest developing horse sport
and has become the first recognized Western
riding discipline by the Fdration Equestre
Internationale or FEI.
During the seven years since its establishment,
Adgor Riding Stable has proven itself as one of
the best places in Bulgaria where you can learn
to ride, to train or to enjoy an exciting horse trip
in the nature.
Six highly-qualified professional horse trainers
and instructors fluent in English work in the
base. At the team's core is a man with 25 years
of experience in riding and horse training, who
has spent 10 years of his practice and education
in the US. We constantly aim to better the
qualifications of our instructors who are
receiving additional training by world famous
trainers in the US and Europe.
Our greatest pride is our customers'
satisfaction. Among them are the representatives
of many diplomatic missions to Bulgaria and
people who have ridden all over the world.

TVO-Photo.com

of riders and horses, based specifically on the

specially created Complex Training Program.
Our programs most important goal is the
formation in the trainees of lasting skills and
understanding of how to deal with horses.
Safety and joy of riding and communication
with horses is a priority. The fine guidance of
the horse with purely practical focus is typical
for the Western riding, distinctive with easy
maneuverability of the horse and your full
control over each part of the horse with minimal
tension. This gives you greater freedom and
security while riding, regardless of whether you
are in the arena or out on the trail.
Adgor Riding Stable specializes in Western
and practical riding. We work with both
absolute beginners and people with developed
riding skills who want to become better. Even
those reluctant to study can experience with us
an amazing walk among the nature, while staying
safe.
Adgor Riding Stable, together with friends and
supporters, created the first in Bulgaria Reining
and Western Riding Sports Club. You can have

Adgor Horse Riding Stable

on the animals' natural relations in a herd. The
work with the horse from the ground has an
important role, creating a lasting partnership
between the human and the horse. It helps for
the better understanding of horses' psychology
and behavior. Horses have incredible instincts
and are very intuitive and sensitive. That is why
their behavior mirrors the emotions of people
around. Horses teach us to be patient and
persistent, something without we couldn't work
and communicate with them.
The main part of our activities is the training

ADGOR HORSE BASE | between holiday village Yarema and Kovachevtsi village

TVO-Photo.com

For decades, in Europe and around the world

riding and communication with horse has
become a way for relieving the daily stress and
an enthralling hobby for many people. But along
this, riding is among the most dangerous ports,
an activity which asks for serious approach
towards both the riders' abilities and the work
with the animals.
Adgor Riding Stable is the first place in
Bulgaria which applies the methods and
practices of Natural Horsemanship, the ground
work with horses and their education based

phones: 0887 467 527, 0888 877 056 | adgor@abv.bg | Skype: adgor.bg | www.adgor.bg

lifestyle

lifestyle 125
( . 121)

production of eco fruits and eco vegetables, for example,

the use of artificial fertilisers is not forbidden. EU law
states that in order for a product to be branded as "bio"
or "eco", it has to contain at least 95 percent organic
ingredients.
Another type of green food is the homemade. It
includes mostly meat, dairy products, vegetables
and fruit grown in a small village farm. It is rarely
accompanied by a certificate but could be healthier,
cleaner and tastier than the food you buy in the
supermarket. The problem is that part of the trade is in
the grey market and is not subject to quality and health
control from the government. This is why it is extremely
important to trust the producer neighbour, friend, or
someone who sells his homemade produce on some road
in the country.
Turning back to the ecological, the simple way of
preparing food, natural tastes, and natural way of life
comes after long years of neglect of environment, and
pollution. The green style of living is not merely fashion
that will pass, as time goes by, it is a sustainable trend that
will become stronger and will eventually change life as
we know it.
YUM-YUM BIO:
GOOD FOOD FOR THE CHILDREN, TOO
Children need good quality healthy food, too, but
often it is hard to meet the highest standards at home.
YUM-YUM BIO (Sofia, 11 Trepetlika St, phone: 476 1666;
0879 349 873, yumyumbio@abv.bg, www.biodetskakuhnia.
com) comes to the rescue. For 4 years now, the team of
specialists has been daily preparing meat and vegetarian
dishes with certified bio products, while a nutritionist
is taking care for their correct combination. The meals
are steamed or are baked and boiled according to the
National Centre for Public Health and Analyses at the
Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation's
requirements. The kitchen specialises in preparing food
for children of 1-7 years of age.
When one wants to live healthily, however, food is not
enough. Spirituality is also important, as it establishes a
connection between the self and the nature, and helps
one to find his or her place in the bigger world. Eastern
practices like yoga are a shortcut to achieving such state.
MANDALA: CARE FOR SPIRIT AND BODY
Eating right and sport are not enough for being in
harmony with yourself and the outer world, and the
cultures of the East have discovered this simple truth
long time ago. MANDALA CENTRE FOR COMPLETE
TRANSFORMATION (Sofia, 58 Maria Luiza Blvd, fl. 5,
phone: 0894 488 802, www.yogamandala.net) is devoted
to the mission of bringing the wisdom of the East on

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Bulgarian soil and is a great place to combine the care

for the body with the care for the spirit. The centre
offers classical yoga, ashtanga yoga, aero yoga, kundalini
yoga, vinyasa flow yoga and many more. In Mandala
you can immerse yourself in meditation, and try holistic
treatment procedures and several types of massage,
including Thai, Shiatsu and relaxation massage. Mandala
is a lot more: here you can study Oriental dancing, you
can explore your inner self with a group regression or
discover the benefits of homeopathy. While in the centre,
don't miss the delicious and healthy vegetarian food,
desserts and drinks in SOMA RESTAURANT (phones:
0899 988 593, 0897 269 636, www.somavital.bg).
Living healthily in the big city is next to impossible,
with the noise, the pollution, the stress. Bulgaria,
however, is full with clean pristine places for short
escapes from the urban hustle, and some hotels and guest
houses specialise in green tourism.
WILD THYME ORGANIC FARM
AND ECO RETREAT: THE GREEN PARADISE
If you crave a break away from the stressful living
in the big city, or just want to spend several days
among greenery and nature, WILD THYME ORGANIC
FARM AND ECO RETREAT (Palamartsa Village, 9
Kliment Ohridski St, phone: + 359 877 383 790; www.

Yum-Yum

Children's Kitchen

Baby and children cuisine lovingly prepared with

certified organic products by our specialised staff and
available for weekly and monthly subscription.
Your little one deserves the best.
,
,

.
-.
Sofia, 11 Trepetlika St | phone: 476 1666; 0879 349 873
yumyumbio@abv.bg

www.biodetskakuhnia.com

Mandala Centre Soma Restaurant

(Continues from p121)

Mandala Centre

124

"":
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lifestyle

wildthymefarm.org) near Popovo is the right place. The

coquettish farm is owned by an Irish-English couple,
Claire Coulter and Chris Fenton, who offer stays in a
house renovated using natural and ecological materials.
Guests can enjoy organic produce from the garden,
organic meats, fresh eggs, home made cheese and jams
and the bread is freshly baked. There is a garden with a
BBQ, and guests can indulge in reiki or massage. Both
Chris and Claire are professional archaeologists and
offer guided tours to the nearest archaeological sites. It
is hardly a coincidence, that the Guardian praised Wild
Thyme as Bulgaria's "most ecologically committed and
spiritually inspired" farmstay.
ADGOR RIDING STABLE:
BECOMING A HORSE WHISPERER
The wind in your face and your hair, the movement
of the strong muscular body beneath you, the stamping
of the hooves, the aroma: when riding, you become one
with the horse and return to the times when the man
and the animal were a part of a bigger entity. Regardless
of whether you have seen riding only on TV, love riding
or have your own horse which needs a comfortable
home, ADGOR HORSE BASE (between holiday village
Yarema and Kovachevtsi village; phones: 0887 467 527,
0888 877 056, adgor@abv.bg, Skype: adgor.bg, www.
adgor.bg) is for you. Only 25 kms from Sofia, at the feet
of the Vitosha, Adgor Horse Base offers riding lessons
for beginners and advanced, Western and applied
riding, and reveals the secrets of communication
with these marvellous animals based on Natural
Horsemanship. Adgor's devoted professionals will train
even the most unmanageable horses, and if you dream
of having your own horse but cannot afford it, you can
adopt a foal.
The mass cosmetics advertisements often make you to
expect an incredible change in your skin, hair and tone,
but the results are usually disappointing. When using
natural cosmetics you dont need to bother with this. It
is made of the purest ingredients and although it wont
make you look 20 years younger, it will definitely make
your skin and hair healthy and luminous.
PURE COSMETICS HAS ITS RECIPE:
SHIPKA STORE
According to the The New York Times, SHIPKA (23
Asen Zlatarv St, phone: 0889 591 122, help@shipka.bg,
FB/shipkastore, www.shipka.bg) is one of Sofia's best kept
secrets. Shipka is the first shop for certified natural
cosmetics which offers massages and personal hand-made
products, and is a place for everyone who loves herself. In
Shipka you will find rich and completely clean choice of
cosmetics for yourself, your family and your home from

lifestyle 127
,
.

WILD THYME:


,
WILD THYME ( , .
" " 9, : + 359 877 383 790; www.
wildthymefarm.org)
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Europe, the US and Australia, as well as products for

inner harmony, self-confidence and health. Almost all
recipes in the shop are entirely of plant origin, vegan and
kosher. Carefully chosen and tested, Shipka's range of
products are with certificates for 100 percent natural and
at least 90 percent organic ingredients. From this fall,
Shipka presents the Kapka series of blends made on the
spot.

Shipka Store

126

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Wild Thyme Organic Farm & Eco Retreat

Described in the UK Guardian as Bulgaria's "most ecologically

committed and spiritually inspired" retreat
Immerse in the calm and serenity of an unspoilt Bulgarian village:
z Organic food from the farm
z Activities including cheese and sausage making
z Archaeology and history tours
z Reiki & massage therapies
Palamartsa Village, Popovo Region z 9 Kliment Ohridski St
phones: +359/ 0877 383 790; 0876 562 746 z hello@wildthymefarm.org z www.wildthymefarm.org

128

inside track

mahaloto
restaurant

Sofia, 51 Vasil Levski Blvd

phone: 0887 617 972
mahalotto@gmail.com
For more than 10 years, this has been
where you get delicious meal along with
the quiet atmosphere to help you wind
down after a busy day in the centre of
Sofia. The restaurant menu includes
favourites such as pepper steak, Caf de
Paris veal and trout with walnuts to suit
your palate. Complete the experience
with a selection from the wine list Old
and New World both, with a scattering
of Bulgaria's best. Mahaloto is a suitable
place for business lunch or dinner, and
you can offer your guests the taste of
Bulgarian cuisine as well. The free wifi
and dreamy atmosphere will hook you up
for hours of lounging here.

sofia hotel balkan,

a luxury collection hotel

Sofia, 5 Sveta Nedelya Sq

phone: 02 981 6541
www.theluxurycollection.com/sofia

When it comes to location, service and history Sofia Hotel Balkan is not only in the
very heart of the city, but the building itself is part of the architectural heritage of the
capital. The hotel combines timeless grace and modern convenience and is preferred
for the lavishing guest rooms and exquisite event halls. This summer Sofia Hotel
Balkan will take exclusive care for its corporate guests. Until 15 September they can
enjoy free transfer, free upgrade (upon availability) and free access to the Executive
Lounge. And this is only the beginning of the journey that is Sofia Hotel Balkan.

plaza
hotel

Varna, 10 Slivnitsa Blvd

phone: 052 684 060; fax: 052 684 061
www.hotelplazabg.com
To make the most of Varna, go for the centre and the Plaza Hotel. Right in front
of the Sea Garden, the exclusive accommodation is packed with features such as
luxurious leather furniture, bathtub, air-conditioning, and free Wi-Fi. The helpful
staff will take on whatever you need done so that you can relax and soak up the
ambience of Varna. The location in the heart of the city is perfect, just steps away from
the beach and with a great range establishments nearby.