Vagabond, Bulgaria's English Magazine

Situated in the eastern parts of the Stara Planina mountain range, this village is a perfect picture postcard if you want to know what 19th century Bulgaria looked like. Many of its wooden houses are well preserved, some have been turned into museums, there are places to stay and places to eat, and the village is home to a couple of festivals one of which gathers an international crowd clad in traditional costumes. Several important Bulgarian historical personalities, including the great writer Yordan Yovkov, have been born here.

❔ Where in Bulgaria is this place?

Answer the question to win a prize! To participate email your answer to [email protected] Join Vagabond’s competition for a chance to win a copy of our book Wall to Wall. Poetry Europe.

Discover more hints about this place at: https://www.vagabond.bg/where-bulgaria-are-you-4242

📸 by Anthony Georgieff

The Red Church near Perushtitsa was built in the cusp of the 6th Century under Emperor Anastasius and was part of a large-scale construction effort which promoted Christianity, an initiative of the bishops in the nearby Philippopolis, which was the centre of a diocese and had a busy religious life. 🏗️

Originally, the church had the name of the Virgin, but in time memories faded and the local people started to call it simply the Red Church. It is easy to see why. What has remained of this once glorious structure are massive red-brick walls and arches reaching 14 m in height.

See more of this exciting Roman site in our online guide: https://ancientbulgaria.bg/listings/red-church

📸 by Anthony Georgieff

❔What is Dzulaya?

How often do you hum, while driving or doing chores, Uriah Heep's song July Morning? Is it on your Spotify? The answers are probably "never" and "no."

Not in this country, however. The band was one of the relatively few 1970s groups from the West that penetrated Communist Bulgaria and found an audience hungry for pop and alternative culture. While its fame in the West declined, it turned into a staple for Bulgarians.

As a result, something unforeseen happened: Uriah Heep's hit July Morning inspired a tradition unique to the country, Dzhulay or Dzhulaya. For about 40 years now, Bulgarians have gathered by the sea on the night of 30 June to drink, chat and listen to music with friends until they see the first rays of the sun emerging over the horizon. Then, they greet the sun with... July Morning, of course. 🌅

This is the story of Bulgaria’s July Morning fest: https://www.vagabond.bg/what-dzhulaya-4243

📸 by Anthony Georgieff

When the Arda, the river meandering through the Rhodope west to east, finally frees itself from the cold embraces of the Studen Kladenets and Kardzhali dams, it starts flowing, slow and calm, through a wide, pristine valley and by the town of Madzharovo. The bucolic atmosphere as well as Bulgaria's only vultures reserve make Madzharovo one of the best places for rural and green tourism the country can offer. But the area is rich also in Thracian heritage, and deserves a dedicated trip.

🌟 Most spectacular of all are the Thracian rock niches, scattered around the area.

The dark spots of trapezoid niches, carved in precipitous rocks, can be seen everywhere around Madzharovo. One of the most spectacular groups takes no effort to locate. The array of about 100 niches spotting the limestone body of a massive rock called Kovankaya, or Beehive Rock, are right on the road near the village of Dolno Cherkovishte, about 20 km northwest of Madzharovo.

📸 by Anthony Georgieff

Whereas not too many people in the world know where Bulgaria is and sometimes not even what it is, even fewer would imagine that this country has a more or less permanent presence in... Antarctica. 📌

The Bulgarian base named St Clement of Ohrid on the Isle of Livingston in the South Shetlands has been manned by Bulgarian crews since the early 1990s. In the period 1993-2024 the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute organized over 30 expeditions consisting of scientists working in:

✅geology,
✅oceanology,
✅physics,
✅ichthyology,
✅zoology,
✅palaeontology,
✅meteorology and so on.

In recent years Bulgarian scientists have expressed an acute interest in how climate change affects the Subantarctic. Learn more about Bulgaria’s presence Antarctica in our latest article: https://www.vagabond.bg/bulgaria-antarctica-4210

📸 by Elka "Nunio" Vasileva

❔Have you ever wondered why some streets in Sofia are named after Americans, Britons and Irishmen? In this issue of Vagabond we have compiled the stories of the people behind the names.

Irish journalist James Bourchier (1850-1920) is an excellent example of an English-speaking foreigner with strong ties to Bulgaria and the Bulgarians. He was Balkan correspondent of The Times newspaper and lived in Sofia from 1892 to 1915. Bourchier was a firm supporter of the Bulgarian national cause for including all Bulgarian-inhabited lands in a single country, and expressed his sympathies in his publications.

Bourchier was a Bulgarianophile, but first and foremost he was an honest journalist. Consequently, he often clashed with the local politics of the day and especially with Bulgarian King Ferdinand I. Eventually, he had to leave the country and settled in Crete.

When Bourchier died, his final wish to be buried in Bulgaria was honored. His grave is beside Rila Monastery. One of Sofia's major boulevards is named after him.

📸 by Anthony Georgieff

Before becoming the HR Manager in BOpartners, Realto Group, in 2022, Yulia Ushovska gathered invaluable experience in a number of fields – from the state administration and the NGO sector to the business. Her successful projects are connected to corporate identity building; preparation of human resources management policies; structural and organisational changes along with mergers and business restructuring; change management; wages and benefits; employees training and development; improvement of corporate work environment and corporate social responsibility. Some of these were recognised by some of this country's most prestigious awards. This broad expertise has made Mrs Ushovska an important voice in the Bulgarian HR community.

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Does an old fresco in a Bulgarian village church depict God in a space rocket?🚀

If you believe the hype, evidence that aliens visited us in the past, probably inspiring Christianity, exists hidden in plain sight. In a church. In Bulgaria. A fresco in a 17th century church in the Dobarsko village is said to represent Christ in a space rocket, in the Transfiguration scene.

The fresco of Christ as an astronaut 👨‍🚀 is the main reason why tourists, mostly those staying in Bansko, visit Dobarsko, a small village at the foot of the Rila mountains.

Explore this mystery further at: https://www.vagabond.bg/jesus-christ-astronaut-4201

📸 by Anthony Georgieff

For both employers and talents, the challenges of the current labor market are many and often – completely new, born by our unique historical situation. Manpower Bulgaria is an HR consultancy that has proven through the years as a smart, adaptable and value-driven partner capable of introducing the right companies to the right people for the available positions. How is this possible? Manpower Bulgaria's General Manager Ivan Sherbanov knows the answer. He has been with the company since 2008 and through the years he steadily climbed up the organizational ladder, acquiring vital experience and knowledge in the process.

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Аt 36, Elka Vasileva, whom everyone knows as Nunio (a childhood nickname given to her by her parents that she is particularly proud of because it discerns her from her famous grandmother), is a remarkable woman.

⏳ At 15 she starred as Snow White in a Christmas sketch.
⏳At 19 she graduated from the Applied Arts High School in Sofia. She went on to study metal sculpting at the Arts Academy.
⏳Four years later she went on a boat with her parents sailing all the way from the Black Sea to the Caribbean and back – in a 30-foot boat, a journey that lasted three years and included crossing the North Atlantic twice. At that time she was in her 20s.

This is the story of Elka "Nunio" Vasileva and how she became the first Bulgarian woman to helm a boat in Antarctica: https://www.vagabond.bg/icy-waters-subantarctic-4211

📸 by Elka "Nunio" Vasileva

🚗 Top Rent A Car: Larger fleet & more locations

Earlier this year, Top Rent A Car enhanced its fleet, reaching up to 2,500 vehicles in total and offering customers and partners an even wider range of options. The newest additions include 250 brand new Renault Clio V and 250 cars of the new Opel Corsa 2024 automatics. The company also furthers its geographic footprint with its first office outside of Bulgaria and an electric bike sharing service in Varna

Learn more about the latest news surrounding Top Rent A Car at: https://www.vagabond.bg/top-rent-car-larger-fleet-and-more-locations-4214

TOP RENT A CAR: LARGER FLEET AND MORE LOCATIONS | VAGABOND The company now offers more NEW vehicles and a more extensive geographical reacha

📌 Sexaginta Prista

Today Ruse is Bulgaria's largest city on the Danube and the best place in the country to see fin-de-siècle architecture – the remains of an economic and cultural boom experienced between the mid-19th and the mid-20th centuries. In Roman times, Sexaginta Prista castellum was more humble, a fortification stretching along the river bank. The name of the castellum can be interpreted as "the port of 60 ships" and indicates that Sexaginta Prista was a major military port.

Today the remains of Sexaginta Prista have been preserved and exhibited. Upon your visit some 50 meters from the wall you will discover:

🔷 temples
🔷 the principia (headquarters) of the fortress
🔷 the small museum, partly based in a Cold War-era bunker
🔷 reconstructed wooden watchtower
🔷 a scaled model of a Roman river ship

📸 by Anthony Georgieff

❗️М&L Team is a global company for human resources and recruitment that skilfully deals with various and often specific requirements.
✔️According to Liliana Vardi, General Manager, the greatest challenge for such a company on the international market is "the management of cultural and language differences and the compliance with the different law systems and business practices in different countries. This is why we constantly develop our intercultural competencies and invest in trainings and know-how exchange between our teams across the globe."

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❗️KFC needs no introduction; the company's joints have been staple in the Bulgarian urban scene for almost 30 years.

✔️Its current Chief People Officer, Boyko Manev, is one of the Bulgarian professionals whose career path embodies the idea of success: a combination of hard work, perseverance, vision for future growth and the desire to build a new generation of employees and managers who share the highest standards and values of modern business culture.

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📜 In 1882 the government of the then Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia ordered a complete chemical analysis of the thermal mineral waters at Hisarya, a small town at the southern foot of the Sredna Gora mountain. The town boasts 22 hot mineral springs, which at the time were enjoyed largely by the locals.

❕ The analysis produced astonishing results: The hot mineral water at Hisarya was found great for the treatment of a range of kidney, bone, skin and eye diseases. Hisarya soon became a hotspot of the growing Bulgarian spa and water-treatment tourism, a status it has retained to this day.

Yet this was not the first time when people recognised the healing power of Hisarya's mineral springs and put it to use. In the 1st Millennium BC the ancient Thracians who inhabited the region were also aware of the water's curing capacity. When the Romans – unabashed aficionados of spa pleasures – took over the region in AD 44-46, it was only a matter of time for a settlement to appear by the springs and to begin attracting people eager to have a dip in them.

Learn how the city of Diocletianopolis was born at: https://ancientbulgaria.bg/index.php/listings/diocletianopolis

📸 by Anthony Georgieff

❗️HR-Consultant is a company that approaches taking care of clients' human resources with utmost responsibility.

✔️The company selects candidates for available positions with attention and professional approach, and effectively supports its corporate clients in their efforts to have motivated and engaged teams.

✔️Petar Prodanov, manager of HR-Consultant, tells more.

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❗️Managing people and teams to outperform on a regular basis in a fast developing and challenging field such as IT is a hard task that requires the right combination of professionalism, strive for constant learning and perfection, and genuine care for the wellbeing of the employees.

❗️Natalia Petkova knows this well. As the HR Director of Eviden Bulgaria, a part of the Atos Group and a leader in technology transformation, she is responsible for the effectiveness and satisfaction of the largest team of such professionals in the field.

Atos Bulgaria

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At least a dozen man-made lakes of various sizes attract many locals who come to the place pictured below for the serenity, the mountain air and for the angling and photography opportunities. In actual fact being by a lake, especially in summertime, in many ways outshines going to the seaside if only because there are no crowds and it gets cooler at night. Besides, the hiking and trekking options will keep you busy for days if not weeks.

❔ Where in Bulgaria is this place?

Answer the question to win a prize! To participate email your answer to [email protected] Join Vagabond’s competition for a chance to win a copy of our book Wall to Wall. Poetry Europe.

Discover more hints about this place at: https://vagabond.bg/where-bulgaria-are-you-4202

📸 by Anthony Georgieff

❗️Dobromira Manasieva is a professional who always strives for excellence in her achievements and results.

✔️Her HR professional career has taken her to diverse managerial and key positions in some of Bulgaria's leading companies specialising in IT, telecommunication and BPO processes.

✔️A driven and visionary professional, she also has a successful HR consultancy practice. Dobromira has an MBA in International Management from the London University, Royal Holloway College and is the member of the Managerial Board of the Bulgarian Association for People Management.

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🌟 On the cover: Tatyana Dimitrova, manager of Randevu Travel

Traveling and discovering different cultures and landscapes is one of life's greatest joys; the cliché that it is one of the most sensible investments one will make is absolutely true. Tatyana Dimitrova knows this well. About 30 years ago she was brave enough to establish a travel agency. Today, Randevu Travel is a widely recognised brand with a broad portfolio of services, covers destinations in Bulgaria and abroad, and scores of loyal, satisfied customers.

Learn about Tatyana’s journey to creating a successful travel agency at: https://www.vagabond.bg/tatyana-dimitrova-trips-your-lifetime-4213

TATYANA DIMITROVA: THE TRIP(S) OF YOUR LIFETIME | VAGABOND The manager of Randevu Travel, has created a travel agency that knows how to organise an enjoyable vacation in Bulgaria and all over the world

❗️Center Stars is a recruitment agency that puts into focus a vital skill for any talent seeking job: their foreign language proficiency.

✔️Thanks to this innovative approach and young, motivated team, Center Stars has found scores of top candidates for respected BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) and SSC (Shared Service Center) companies. We talked to the founder of the agency, Emanuil Manasiev, to learn more.

Center Stars

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On 21 June, the day of the summer solstice, an expectant crowd gathers on the 572-metre-high mountain peak on the northern slopes of the Sredna Gora mountain, and fixes their gaze on the dimming horizon. The sun is hiding behind a large cliff, and the crowd quiets, looking at the rock.

This cliff is something which deserves a second look, even without the sunset. It stands, erect and imposing, on two other cliffs. The three blocks of stone form an aperture known by two equally imposing names:
✴️ The Gate of the Goddess and
✴️ The Megalith.

About a metre wide and two metres high, it perfectly captures the sky, the mountain and the plain behind.

The mass of large stones above Buzovgrad is actually a natural phenomenon and was declared so by a special commission in 2012. A year later, the rocks were pronounced a natural monument of national significance.

The Buzovgrad Rocks are an amazing sight to explore. Learn & see more captivating images of them in our latest article: https://ancientbulgaria.bg/index.php/listings/buzovgrad-rock

📸 by Anthony Georgieff

Vayde Barganova is the deputy manager of Bulmint Recruitment – a leading staff recruitment company. She has a BA in human resources management and an MBA after the model HR Strategic Business Partner Academy with international recognition.

❗️"We offer a broad spectrum of services and one of our key advantages is our focus on the local market and the understanding of its specific traits and needs. This is why at any moment we can offer tailored solutions that fit the specific requirements and expectations of local companies.
✔️Our team includes experts with different specialisations and experience in different industries that allows us to offer the best practices and innovative solutions in each field - IT, finance, marketing and advertising, industrial production, sales, consulting and others.”

Bulmint Recruitment
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❗️Successful businesses are impossible without competent, driven and united teams, and these are impossbile without help from competent and driven HR managers. ❗️In Vagabond's June issue we present some of the best practitioners in the field and their companies.
✔️SP Audit, a dynamic HR consulting firm based in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, successfully supports dozens of companies across Bulgaria, Germany, Austria, Spain, Greece, and beyond through a wide range of specialized activities. In discussing the challenging aspects of the field with founder and general manager Tanya Nonova, she emphasizes the role of values her team abides to achieve their successful results – honesty, professional ethics, and an unwavering pursuit of sustainable solutions.
"When establishing SP Audit we wanted to offer something different from what was widely popular on the market. I think we succeed at it. We believe that every business, regardless of its scale, deserves an individual approach tailored to its specific needs and goals. We strive to get to know the teams, to understand the processes, policies, goals, and leadership style of our clients very well. Yes, it is difficult and time-consuming, but it is worth it in order to allow ourselves to advise them. Not just to consult according to the situation based on the law or regulations, the trends of the labor market, using our experience and knowledge, but to also advise qualitatively, with understanding and careful assessment. Our partners trust us with the most sensitive part of their business – the human capital, and our responsibility for this is extraordinary."
📷 by Dimitar Yakov
SP Audit

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Unlike other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, which removed, stashed away or demolished most remnants of their Communist past as early as the 1990s, Bulgaria is a curiosity. It continues to maintain at least a dozen monuments to the Red Army. Some are gargantuan and placed in various top locations in bigger cities, some are small and unobtrusive. Urbexers and lovers of quaint and bizarre trivia will be bemused to discover that none of these remnants of the Communist past in actual fact commemorate any... real-life story.

Why, then, were they erected? Explore the answers & history at: https://www.vagabond.bg/shpagins-tanks-and-alyoshas-4176

📸 by Anthony Georgieff

When in Sofia lookup for one of the capital’s hidden gems: the stone, metal or plaster eagles 🦅

📌 Eagle’s bridge

Sofia's most famous eagles are also the oldest. They appeared on the pillars of Orlov Most, or Eagles Bridge, over the Perlovska River, in 1891.

Eagles Bridge was one of the first city projects and was designed by the chief architect of Sofia, the Czech Antonín Kolár. Two other Czechs, the entrepreneurial Prošek Brothers, sponsored the bridge.

The eagles have a symbolic meaning. Soon after the liberation of 1878, Bulgarian revolutionaries returning from Ottoman prisons in Asia Minor were met by Sofianites at this place.

Explore the full story of Sofia’s eagles at: https://www.vagabond.bg/city-eagles-4132

📸 by Anthony Georgieff

📌 Bishop’s Basilica of Philippopolis

During the 4th century Philippopolis was an active centre of Christianity, particularly of Arianism, the rejection of the divine nature of Christ. As bishops condemned Arianism as a heresy at a special council in Serdica (now Sofia), in 343, Philippopolis housed a counter council. Its organisers were other bishops, the ones who adhered to Arianism.

There are several monuments of that period in today's Plovdiv. By far the most spectacular is the Bishop's Basilica. Erected in the 4th century in what was the centre of the town it is 90 metres long and 36 metres wide, the grandest Late Antiquity Basilica in the modern Bulgarian lands. What makes it so special is not the size, however. It is the two layers of floor mosaics, a total of 2,000 square metres. The lower layer represents an intricate web of geometrical ornaments and symbols in various colours, creating a near 3D effect. The upper layer depicts over 100 birds, symbolising the souls of the faithful that longed for God.

📸 by Anthony Georgieff