Selected Article

Gabrovo (Bulgarian: Габрово) is a town in central northern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Gabrovo Province. It is situated at the foot of the central Balkan Mountains, in the valley of the Yantra River, and is known as an international capital of humour and satire, as well as noted for its Bulgarian National Revival architecture. Gabrovo is also regarded as the longest town in Bulgaria, stretching over 25 km along the Yantra, yet reaching only 1 km in width at places.

During Ottoman rule, the rich tradesmen spent plenty of resources for the small town's public planning. The first Bulgarian secular school, the Aprilov Gymnasium, was founded in Gabrovo in 1835 with the aid of Vasil Aprilov and Nikolay Palauzov. Gabrovo was officially proclaimed a town by the Ottoman authority in May 1860.

Shortly before and after the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878, Gabrovo developed as a centre of industry on the basis of its economic traditions. Joint-stock companies emerged, factories were constructed and connections to the large stock exchanges were created, prompting some to label the town "The Bulgarian Manchester".

Selected Picture

Credit: Gérard Janot

The Church of Christ Pantocrator is located on the peninsula of Nesebar, Bulgaria. The church, along with the entire island and all of the historical structures are protected by UNESCO.

News

• October 19: Listening to you at last: EU plans to tap cell phones
• July 5: Rupert Grint, Harry Potter's "Ron Weasley", recovers from H1N1 swine flu virus
• July 5: Bulgarian officials in Grand Prix talks
• June 8: Europeans go to the polls to elect Members of the European Parliament
• February 22: Bulgarian chess grandmaster attempts to break chess record
• January 7: Wikinews Shorts: January 7, 2009
• July 12: Six die as bus carrying Polish tourists crashes in Serbia
• July 6: Military storehouse explodes near Sofia

Did You Know?

• ...that the Zograf Monastery (pictured) on the Holy Mountain was burnt down by a Catalan pirate raid in 1275?
• ...that Mandritsa is known as the only Albanian village in Bulgaria?
• ...that the Banat Bulgarian Stefan Dunjov participated in both the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and the Italian unification, and was the first Bulgarian to be promoted to the rank of Colonel?
• ...that Ivan Bogorov, who published the first Bulgarian newspaper in 1846 in Leipzig, was also an ardent supporter of Bulgarian linguistic purism and was known for his often amusing neologisms?

  Archive • Read more...

Categories

Bulgaria • Education • Religion • Sport • Healthcare

Society • Provinces • Municipalities • Cities and towns

Geography • Subdivisions • Environment • Buildings and structures • Visitor attractions • Rivers • Extreme points

Economy • Companies • Communication • Science and technology • Tourism • Transport

Culture • Arts • Cuisine • Languages • Literature • Media • Music

Topics

History • Thracians • Slavs • Bulgars • Old Great Bulgaria • First Bulgarian Empire • Second Bulgarian Empire • History of Ottoman Bulgaria • National awakening • History of Independent Bulgaria • Balkan Wars • During World War I • During World War II • History of the People's Republic of Bulgaria • History since 1989

Geography • Provinces • Municipalities • Cities and towns • Villages • Rivers • Extreme points

Politics • Government • Presidents • Prime Ministers • National Assembly • Elections • Parties • Foreign relations

Culture • Music • Language • Literature • Religion • Education