AUBG is a private American-style liberal arts university located in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. The University has assumed a unique and critical educational role in the dynamic region of Southeastern Europe through its emphasis on preparing students for leadership, community involvement, careers, and advanced study. The liberal arts education encourages students to develop critical thinking and creative problem solving. AUBG is accredited both in the US and in Bulgaria, and academic credits are [Detailed Information]
This charming, historic town nestled at the foot of Pirin Mountain is a year-round destination that offers a slice of village life plus good skiing, hiking and restaurant experience. Bansko has been a hot spot recently, raising its popularity gradually throughout the years. Each year, the world’s best skiers officially opened the ski season in Bansko. So far, prominent guests to the grand celebrations have been Alberto Tomba, Lasse Kjusse, Mark Girardelli, etc. “Tomba” is the name of the [Detailed Information]
Georgi Ivanov (born July 2, 1940) was the first Bulgarian cosmonaut, and later a member of the Bulgarian National Assembly.
Born in Lovech, Kakalov attended university in Sofia, earning a Ph.D. in engineering. After completing his doctorate, he joined the Bulgarian Air Force, and rose to the rank of Major General. As soon as he entered the Intercosmos programme, he had his name changed to Ivanov after discovering that "Kakalov" was an obscenity in the Russian language. After intensive [Detailed Information]
"Name Days" are celebrated in addition to birthdays in Bulgaria. As a matter of fact, most Bulgarians value their ‘Name Day’ more than their birthday. A Name Day, or "Saints Day" is celebrated by people named after a particular Saint (eg. everyone named Peter celebrates Saint Peter's day). We could accurately say that “the Name Day is the feast day of the saint after whom one is named." [Detailed Information]
Bulgaria is one of the biggest producers of rose oil in the world. The reason for this is hidden in the high qualities of the Bulgarian Kazanluk rose ("Kazanlashka roza"), a special type, that was cultivated in our country after many years of production and development. The Bulgarian roses are inheritors of the so called Damascena rose, that was brought here ages ago. The rose oil is called "the liquid gold" of Bulgaria, because it is a very expensive product, used mainly for the making of [Detailed Information]
Tourism is one of the fastest growing sector in the Bulgarian economy with excellent opportunities for foreign investment with high return on investment ratios. In 2000 privatization of almost 85 % of the assets in the tourist sector was completed. The number of foreign tourists grew, according to preliminary assessments, with more than 25%. Exceptional interest is expected in relatively new but promising fields like historical and culture tourism etc. The legislation provides good [Detailed Information]
The Bulgarian national wedding is one of the most symbolic and traditional celebrations and the different customs show the centuries of history and the specific Bulgarian lifestyle and culture.
The matchmaking is very important in the wedding. Matchmakers go from the house of the groom to the house of the bride-to-be late at night. The late hour of those visits is connected to what Bulgarians consider formality - the house of the lady should keep its good name even if the answer of the lass [Detailed Information]
Bulgaria has been in the wine business for over 1200 years. The taste and quality of the Bulgarian wine is world class.
Wine has been known in the land of Bulgaria since ancient times. Archaeology, folklore, and literature provide ample evidence that wine grapes have thrived in these lands ever since the late Stone Age: grape growing and wine making were vital to the way of life of the Thracians, Romans, Greeks, Slavs and Bulgarians.
Today, grape growing and wine making play a crucial [Detailed Information]
One thing that Bulgarians insist upon owning as their exclusive invention is yogurt--known in Bulgaria as kiselo mlyako.
The country's long and affectionate relationship with yogurt dates back to the Thracians, ancient: inhabitants of the Bulgarian lands, when stock-breeders placed sheep's milk in lambskin bags around their waists and fermented yogurt using their own body heat. Even the word 'yogurt' is said to derive from the words for 'thick' and 'milk' in ancient Thracian. But being [Detailed Information]
When, in 1893, the famous Bulgarian writer Aleko Konstantinov recounted his journey to the World's Columbian Exposition, he could not have known that his remarkable book Do Chikago i nazad (To Chicago and Back) would become instrumental in the immigration and the choice of final destination of generations of Bulgarians. By the year 2000 the Chicago area was among the largest Bulgarian settlements in the United States. The census counted 5,683 people of Bulgarian ancestry in metropolitan [Detailed Information]
Construction is everywhere in Bulgaria. Most Bulgarian major cities and resort destinations have seen a boom in construction in recent years. Construction of residential, commercial and industrial properties is a very attractive investment proposition in Bulgaria since construction and land costs are fairly low, while the demand for modern and high quality real estate in booming. In addition, Bulgarian and foreign banks are competing hard in lending money to businesses and households for the [Detailed Information]
Compared to the salaries in the rest of the EU, salaries in Bulgaria are relatively lower. The table below presents approximate salary levels of different positions in Bulgaria. [Detailed Information]
A ticket for the city bus and for the subway in Sofia costs about 30 Euro cents.
A one month pass for all Sofia public transport lines costs 19 Euros.
Sofia enjoys four different means of public transport, as tram, busses, trolley busses and underground. It covers most of the city from 5 a.m. till midnight.
As of 2002 the trolley transport is running 10 passenger lines of total length of 105.5 km. During weekdays 111 trolley are at work; they are operated by 220 drivers.
The [Detailed Information]
Hristo Stoichkov is the most successful Bulgarian soccer player of all time. He debuted in professional football with CSKA Sofia and was later spotted by European giant FC Barcelona. Stoitchkov earned global acclaim after winning the Spanish Primera Division four consecutive times and taking his club to Champions League glory in 1992. At World Cup 1994, Hristo Stoichkov was awarded the Golden boot as the top goal scorer of the tournament as he miraculously led his country to the semi-finals. [Detailed Information]
The Atanasoff-Berry Computer was the world's first electronic digital computer. It was built by John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry at Iowa State University during 1937-42. It incorporated several major innovations in computing including the use of binary arithmetic, regenerative memory, parallel processing, and separation of memory and computing functions. [Detailed Information]
March 1st is probably our most intrinsic holiday because it is unique to Bulgaria. The custom of wearing martenitsas (red-and-white threads worn as a decoration) is only popular in Bulgaria and it is perhaps the most positive one in all our folklore. The traditions related to March 1st as well as the martenitsas themselves are associated with optimism and anticipation of warmer weather, fertility and well-being. This tradition is based upon the founding of Bulgaria in 681 AD and there are many [Detailed Information]
Making a toast when drinking liquor is de rigeur. When toasting, raise your glass and lightly clink it with all the others present, while looking the people with you in the eye (to not look them in the eye is rude) and saying, (naz drave) (good health to you). [Detailed Information]
Sofia, also known as Vrazhdebna (after the village located to the north) is the main airport in Sofia, Bulgaria. The airport is a hub for Bulgaria Air (successor of the bankrupt Balkan Airlines) and Hemus Air. It handled 2.2 million passengers in 2006, and 2.7 million passengers in 2007.
Initially built in the 1930s on the outskirts of the then relatively small capital city, Sofia Airport was facing difficulties with today's traffic. After years of studying different possibilities, some as [Detailed Information]
Sofia is the biggest and the most developed city and district in Bulgaria.
Founded seven thousand years ago, Sofia is the second oldest city in Europe. It has been given several names in the course of history and the remnants of the old cities can still be seen today. Serdika was the name of the central dwelling of the ancient Thracian tribe known as Serdi. It bore that name when it became part of the Bulgarian state at the beginning of the ninth century and was soon recognized as one of the [Detailed Information]
Bulgaria emerged and received official recognition following two victories over the cosmopolitan Byzantine empire. The first battles took place in the Danube delta area in the year 680 A.D. The conflicts continued in the following year, spreading south of the Balkan Range. This is cited in the Acts of the Sixth Oecumenical Council of the Christian Church in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). This council, over the course of almost a year, debated and asserted - in opposition to the [Detailed Information]
Vitosha, one of the symbols of Sofia, is believed to be the first Bulgarian mountain tourist destination. August 27, 1895 is the date which laid the beginning of the mountaineering in the country. 300 men and women have climbed the peak “Cherni Vruh”, something unheard of before. It is now popular in Bulgaria that on August 27, thousands of tourists climb the peak to honor this tradition. Cherni Vruh is the highest Vitosha peak, 2290 m. [Detailed Information]
