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This community is created with the main aim of promoting intercultural dialogue between Bulgarians and Nigerians and Africans living in Bulgaria. This community seeks to assist and promote: the overall integration of Nigerians/Africans into Bulgarian society, good understanding between Nigerians/Africans, and call for greater tolerance towards minorities. It further participates in humanitarian and development activities and encourages the promotion of Nigerian/African culture, people and way of life. The community provides opportunities through which people from diverse backgrounds can participate, develop skills, and learn through sports, cultural and educational and other social activities.
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Rila Monastery
Take a trip to Rila Monastery and soak in the serene surroundings among the Rila mountains. Founded in the 10th century, and held in high esteem as being an important historic and cultural monument, the Eastern Orthodox Rila Monastery is an architectural icon.
Labelled as the Jerusalem of Bulgaria, it is the biggest monastery in the country and is home to compelling religious iconography, including wall paintings, carvings and historical artifacts.
The ancient monastery is still active and is home to around 60 monks who still live and work in the tranquil peace of the monastery inside its ornate buildings. The striking stripes of the exterior and gently curved arches, along with the crowning domes, set the monastery apart from the surrounding tree-covered mountainous landscape.
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Old Nessebar
Nessebar has been charming visitors for the past 9,000 years and it keeps on enchanting people to this day. Set on a craggy peninsula that is connected to the mainland by a causeway, the charming old Nessebar town is an open-air museum packed full of pretty squares, churches and cobbled streets. The town’s history and monuments span the Roman and Byzantine eras, and remains of the old town walls can still be seen.
This fascinating town is packed full of character: take a look in the traditional timber houses built on sturdy rock foundations, sit and watch the windmill on the bridge between the old and new towns, and step silently in the stunning churches and chapels.
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Pirin National Park
Home to more than 70 glacial lakes, old forests and soaring 2,915-metre peaks and ridges, the Pirin National Park is a Bulgarian national treasure. The National Park is a safe haven for many different types of rare species that use the Balkan mountain range for shelter. Large animals still roam the slopes, from brown bears and wild boar to gray wolves and jackals; this is a remote and wild area that is under threat from development by ski resorts.
Spend your time visiting the unimaginably beautiful park by hiking the numerous paths, cycling among the alpine meadows or fishing alongside waterfalls. You can even stay overnight in Pirin’s huts, and find the famous Baykuchevata Macedonian pine tree that is said to be approximately 1,350 years old!
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Plovdiv Roman Theater
In the center of Plovdiv Old Town is one of the world’s best preserved ancient theaters. Discovered in the 1960s, the spectacularly striking structure dates back to the 1st century AD and is thought to have been built under the rule of the Roman Emperor Domitian.
The site would have played an important role in the ancient communities: this was where theatrical performances and famously ferocious gladiator fights would take place, as well as local government meetings and big gatherings.
The theater itself is still in use for opera and musical performances and holds an impressive 7,000 people. Amble along the old cobbled streets of the town and up the hill to the ancient theater, sit among the rows of sloping seats and soak in the silence and take in the uninterrupted views of the surrounding landscape.
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Sunny Beach
Sunny Beach is famous for long stretches of soft, sandy beaches that slope into the Black Sea and also for its numerous tourists who visit the resort town to enjoy its lively nightlife. The golden beaches stretch for eight kilometers along the coast and offer the perfect spot to spend time soaking up the sun and taking a swim.
The beaches in the area are clean and are sheltered from the elements, meaning the sea is perfect for swimming, whilst the plentiful hotels along the coast are also reasonably priced and family-friendly. This is the place to visit if you want to spend a few days relaxing in the sunshine and exploring the surrounding area, such as the ancient town of Nessebar.
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Tsarevets Fortress
A symbol of Bulgaria’s past greatness, Tsarevets Fortress is built on the spot where the palace of the medieval tsars once stood 800 years before when Tarnovo was its capital. Explore the ancient rambling ruins and stumble across the remains of over 400 houses and innumerable churches.
The panoramic views of the surrounding landscape reveal how the location of the fortress was strategically placed, 206m above sea level, to protect the kingdom from invasion for hundreds of years. Visiting the stronghold involves a lot of walking up steep slopes, but because the only access to the fortress is on foot you can wander the grounds and climb the old walls in peace.
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Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari
The ancient Thracian tomb of Sveshtari was only discovered in 1982 when archaeologists uncovered the impressive site underneath a mound. The tomb is thought to have been built for a royal couple from the Thracian tribe of the Getae and dates back to the 3rd century BC.
The tomb is wonderfully well preserved; its ornate interior reveals impressive carvings and murals of half-female, half-plant figures which appear to be holding up the ceiling. The tomb is thought to be unique as there has been no other Thracian tomb discovered that has Sveshtari’s combination of astonishing architecture, sculpture and paintings.
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Vitosha Mountain
The classic dome shape of Vitosha Mountain sits close to the urban sprawl of the city of Sophia and is where people go to take a break from the city and enjoy nature. With its own ski resort, pleasant hiking routes and fantastic panoramic views of the city below, the mountain is easily accessible from the city and can be reached by bus, on foot, and ropeways.
Vitosha Mountain’s highest point is 2,290 meters high and attracts visitors all year round who are drawn there to explore the Vitosha Nature Park, which is actually the oldest in the Balkans, and covers most of the mountain, as well as the mineral springs in the foothills.
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Buzludzha Monument
An icon of brutalist design and a masterpiece of Soviet proportions is the now abandoned Buzludzha Monument. Built in 1974 by the Bulgarian army, the monstrous monument was designed by various artists and creatives in charge of statues during the era.
The monument stands on the spot of a battle between the Turks and the Bulgarians which took place in 1868 and is where Dimitar Blagoev, along with other socialist leaders, outlined Bulgaria’s revolution into a communist state.
The stoic structure is now covered in political graffiti and has huge depictions of Lenin and Marx as well as lettering across the facade. The huge flying-saucer-shaped shrine to socialism was left to ruin after the fall of the Soviet Union but has become an unusual attraction for those interested in the history and striking design of the era.
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Koprivshtitsa
Walk along the old winding road of Koprivshtitsa town, past the tricking streams and the colorful buildings, and be taken back to a Bulgaria of the past. Set in the heart of the Sredna Gora mountain range, historic Koprivshtitsa town was once a center for the fight against Ottoman rule and still today remains a place of Bulgarian pride.
The town is now popular with visitors and is an open air museum; its many mansions and houses are fantastic examples of the Bulgarian National Revival that occurred during the 19th century.