Page 9 - Hobe Sound Reflections - September '22

Hobe Sound, Page 9

travel

Bulgaria: Birthplace Of 1396, becoming a Turkish
province until 1876. It was
Spartacus the Russians that forced
Turkey to release its hold on
By Don Kiselewski, MCC, Bulgaria, giving them back
D.S., Palm Beach Gardens their independence. This
Travel Leaders came about as a result of
Long before Bulgaria Turkey’s loss in the Russo-
received its name, this Turkish War (1877 to 1878).
land area bordering the This move by Russia worried
Black Sea between Turkey, the countries of Europe,
Romania, Serbia, Macedonia fearing the total dominance Bulgarian town of Sozopol
and Greece was known as of the Balkans by the two
Thrace. Its people were the nations. The Congress of Berlin (1878) broke up the
Thracians and they started area, carving out a small principality for Bulgaria, which
recording history around was ruled by Alexander of Battenburg, a nephew of the
3500 B.C. The artwork – especially that which was produced Russian czar.
in gold – is considered by archeologists to be the oldest in Bulgaria fought several Balkan wars against the Turks
the world, dating back some 6,500 years. and their allies. The second war cost Bulgaria all that it
Not only does Bulgaria have some of the oldest pieces of had achieved in area from the first war, surrendering to the
gold artwork, it also ranks third in the world for the number of Turks. Again Bulgaria came up on the wrong side in a war,
cultural sites after Greece and Italy. Bulgaria is said to have siding with Germany in World War I. They had hoped to gain
fostered the world’s first writing system. This claim is based Macedonia as a conquest, but when the effort failed, King
on the engraved stones known as the Gradeshnitsa tablets Ferdinand abdicated in favor of his son Boris III in 1918. A village in the wine region of Melnik, Bulgaria
based on the location where they are kept. Gradeshnitsa Boris III squandered the assets of the country and assumed
Monastery, also known as St. Ioan, is located in the northwest dictatorial powers in 1934 to 1935. Bulgaria sure didn’t know The country is rich in mineral resources, from gold
corner of the country. These tablets were found in 1969 and how to pick them, because they became an ally of Germany and silver to coal. It also contains deposits of nonmetallic
are examples of late Neolithic proto-writing known as “Old again in WWII. This time the Russians, once their ally, took materials such as rock salt, gypsum and marble. Agriculture
European Script.” The tablets were dated to around 500 over and imposed a communist coalition that took control of is mirrored by the population decrease. However, Bulgaria
B.C. Stephen Guide, a Bulgarian-American of the Institute the country in September 1944. remains one of the world’s largest wine producers. There is
of Transcendental Analysis, claimed that he had deciphered To make sure that they pleased their new dominating more farming than stock breeding in the rural areas. Playing
the tablets. However, I along with many others haven’t heard government, Bulgaria became unquestionably loyal to the a paramount role in Bulgaria’s economy are large refineries,
or read the transcript. whims of Moscow. Todor Zhivkov ruled the country for 35 transportation vehicle and equipment manufacturers,
The Thracian civilization, forerunner to Bulgaria, was years, ruling with strict communist guidelines. In 1989, Petar electronics and electrical equipment as well as shipbuilding.
jointly founded by the Greeks and Romans. Romans had Mladenov kicked out the communist, ending their monopoly, The Bulgarians have a long list of impressive
the command by the end of the first century A.D. At the and held free elections. Various parties within Bulgaria had personalities. From the Thracian era there is Democritus
decline of the empire, the Goths, Avars, Huns and Bulgars control of the nation during the 1990s and there became a (c. 460 to 370 B.C), the Greek philosopher and
invaded. In 679 A.D., the Bulgars crossed the Danube growing concern over the spread of organized crime. mathematician whose main contribution to society was
from the north and took control of the area. Through various leaders, things didn’t get much better, the Atomic Theory – the belief that all matter is made
Although the country was named after the Bulgars, and as a result Simeon II, who was dethroned as king up of elements he called atoms. Also in the group of
the language and culture of the people died out. It was in 1946 when he was 9 years old, was brought back to notables from Thrace were Herodicus, the fifth century
supplanted by the Slavic language, religion and writing. power as prime minister 55 years later. Bulgaria became B.C. physician considered to be the founder of sports
Boris the First adopted Orthodox Christianity for the a member of NATO in 2004, and received a conditional medicine and one of Hippocrates’ tutors; Maximinus
country in 865. Bulgaria is the birthplace of the Cyrillic membership to the EU in 2007 – depending upon whether Thrax, Roman emperor (235 to 238 A.D); and Spartacus,
alphabet, the second most widely used alphabet in the it cleaned up its “dirty laundry.” the Thracian enslaved by the Romans who led a slave
world. The language was developed in the 10 century. Bulgaria, officially called the Republic of Bulgaria, uprising and formed an army of escaped gladiators that
th
Twice in their history, the Bulgars conquered the has a population of 6,873,253 (2022 estimate, CIA World defeated the Roman legions in the Third Servile War.
majority of the Balkan Peninsula between 836 and 1260. Factbook) that is on the decline. The population in 1990 The 1960 Stanley Kubrick film Spartacus starring Kirk
However, they were defeated by the Ottoman Empire in was approximately 9 million. The country has an area of Douglas and Sir Laurence Olivier gave Peter Ustinov one
43,000 square miles, which is approximately the same of his two Oscar wins for his role as Lentulus Batiatus.
size as Tennessee. Bulgarians have also been credited with inventing the
digital watch, oral contraceptives and even the first bomb,
which was dropped from an airplane in the Balkan War. They
also have some rather unique body language. A nod of the
head means no and a shake means yes, so don’t get confused.
Don Kiselewski writes from his personal experiences,
having traveled in 122 countries and cruised the oceans,
seas and rivers of the world. Palm Beach Gardens Travel
Leaders, his family owned and operated agency, is located
at Mirasol Town Square, 11360 North Jog Road, Building
A, Suite 102-6, Palm Beach Gardens. The agency has been
serving the travel needs of the South Florida area for over
a quarter of a century. Contact him at (561) 694-9696 or
Aussie@PBGTravel.com.
Two children in a traditional Bulgarian costumes at the
Surva fair, which is held annually in Pernik, Bulgaria Traditional Bulgarian cuisine Photos by Don Kiselewski

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