Koprivshtitsa has been preserved as an open-air museum of the Bulgarian National Revival and today is only slightly tarnished by Coca Cola and Marlboro. It was here on 20 April 1876 that Todor Kableshkov sparked an uprising against the Turks which eventually led to the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78.
Bulgaria has a temperate climate, with cold damp winters and hot dry summers. Spring (particularly April to mid-June) is an excellent time to visit. The days are getting longer, the weather is good, the theatres and other cultural venues are in full swing, off-season rates still generally apply, and locals are not yet jaded by waves of summertime visitors.
Summer (mid-June to early September) is ideal for hiking and festivals, but is the peak season for travellers from elsewhere in Europe. Temperatures can be very high during this period, the beaches on the Black Sea coast can get insanely crowded, and accommodation and camping grounds in coastal resorts tend to fill up.
September is perhaps one of the best months to see Bulgaria. The autumn trees are glorious, fruit and vegetables are plentiful, shoulder-season tariffs are in effect, the tourist hordes have returned home, and you can still swim and sunbathe at the Black Sea. The ski season begins in mid-December and can last until April.
Sofia listen (Bulgarian: София, IPA: [ˈsɔ.fi.ja]), is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Bulgaria, with a population of 1,344,605 in the Capital Municipality.[1] It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the mountain massif Vitosha, and is the administrative, cultural, economic, and educational centre of the country.
One of the oldest cities in Europe, the history of Serdica-Sredets-Sofia can be traced back some 7000 years ago - prehistoric settlements were excavated in the centre of the present city - near the royal palace, as well as in outer districts such as Slatina and Obelia. The well preserved town walls (especially their substructures) from antiquity date back before the 7th century BC, when Thracians established their city next to the most important and highly respected mineral spring, still functioning today. Sofia has had several names in the different periods of its existence, and remnants of the city’s millenary history can still be seen today alongside modern landmarks.
Bulgaria (Bulgarian: България, Balgariya,[1] pronounced IPA: [bɤlˈgarijə]), officially the Republic of Bulgaria (Република България, Republika Balgariya, pronounced IPA: [rɛˈpubliˌkə bɤlˈgarijə]) re-incarnates one of the oldest states in Europe[3], located in Southeastern Europe, bordering five other countries: Romania to the north (mostly along the Danube), Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south. The Black Sea defines the extent of the country to the east.
Bulgaria comprises the classical regions of Moesia, Thrace, and Macedonia. Old European culture in the region started to produce golden artifacts by the fifth millennium BCE.[4][5]
The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name, language, and alphabet) of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/681 – 1018), which at times covered most of the Balkans and spread its alphabet, literature and culture among the Slavic and other peoples of Eastern Europe. Centuries later, with the decline of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185 – 1396/1422), the country came under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries. Diplomacy re-established Bulgaria as a constitutional monarchy in 1878, with the Treaty of San Stefano marking the birth of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom. After World War II, Bulgaria became a communist state and part of the Eastern Bloc. In 1990, after the Revolutions of 1989, the Communist party gave up its monopoly on power and Bulgaria transitioned to democracy and free-market capitalism.
Currently Bulgaria functions as a parliamentary democracy under a unitary constitutional republic. A member of the European Union since 2007 and of NATO since 2004, it has a population of approximately 7.7 million, with Sofia as its capital and largest city.
