1.
Leova District
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Leova is a district in the central part of Moldova, bordering Romania, with the administrative center at Leova. The other major city is Leova, as of 1 January 2011, its population was 53,800. Localities with the oldest documentary attestation of the district are, Tigheci, Tochile Raducani, Leova, in the 16th and 17th centuries, most of all to develop trade, agriculture and there is a significant population increase. During this period the Tirgul Sarata, is developing intensively, in 1812, after the Russo-Turkish War, is the occupation of Basarabia, Russian Empire during this period, there is an intense russification of the native population. In 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire, Bessarabia united with Romania in this period, in 1940 after Molotov-Ribbentrop Treaty, Basarabia is occupied by the USSR. In 1991 as a result of the proclamation of Independence of Moldova, part and residence of the Lapusna County, Leova district is located in the southwest part of the Republic of Moldova. Neighborhood has the districts, District Hincesti in north, east Gagauzia and Cimislia District, Cantemir District in southern and border state with Romania in west. The relief is generally plain, but with altitudes above 250 m in the part of district in south elevations of 150–200 m. Erosion processes with a medium intensity, temperate continental climate with an annual average district temperature +10+10.5 c. July average temperature +22 C, of January -4 C, average wind speed 3–6 m \ s. Typical European fauna, with the presence of mammals such as foxes, hedgehogs, deer, wild boar, polecat, wild cat, ermine. Of birds, partridges, crows, eagles, starling, swallow, forests occupy 13. 0% of the district are complemented by tree species such as oak, ash, hornbeam, linden, maple, walnut and others. From plants, wormwood, knotweed, fescue, nettle and many others, the main river is the Prut River, which crosses the western district in favor of Romania. Its main tributary of the Sarata River that crosses the district is, the share of agricultural land is 57,071 ha of total land area. The arable land occupies 37925 ha of the agricultural land, of which 1229 ha plantation of orchards, vines 4718 ha, pasture 11,617 ha. Voters traditional in the district Leova, said mainly center-right parties, PCRM the last three elections is in a continuous fall. During the last three elections AEI had an increase of 57. 2% In district works, two museums, artistic works 55,14 bands, holding the title of the band - model, public libraries -37. In district works, a hospital, the fund of 190 beds,1 center of family doctors in the composition of which are 16 family physician offices,7 health centers,11 health points
2.
Moldova
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Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova (Romanian, Republica Moldova, listen, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. In 1856, southern Bessarabia was returned to Moldavia, but Russian rule was restored over the whole of the region in 1878, Bessarabia remained a province of the Russian Empire until 1917, when during the Russian Revolution it became an autonomous and then nominally independent Moldavian Democratic Republic. In 1918, following a vote of its assembly, Bessarabia united with the Kingdom of Romania, the decision was disputed by Soviet Russia, which in 1924, created within the Ukrainian SSR, on a territory east of Bessarabia, a so-called Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1940, as a consequence of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Romania was compelled to cede Bessarabia to the Soviet Union, the Soviets decided to split the region between a newly established Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Ukrainian SSR. The Moldavian SSR included two-thirds of the territory of Bessarabia, on 27 August 1991, as part of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Moldavian SSR declared independence and took the name Moldova. The current Constitution of Moldova was adopted in 1994, the strip of the Moldovan territory on the east bank of the Dniester river has been under the de facto control of the breakaway government of Transnistria since 1990. Its economy is the poorest in Europe in per capita terms, Moldova is a parliamentary republic with a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of government. The name Moldova derives from the Moldova River, the valley of this served as a political centre at the time of the foundation of the Principality of Moldavia in 1359. The origin of the name of the river remains unclear, the dogs name, given to the river, extended to the Principality. For a short time in the 1990s, at the founding of the Commonwealth of Independent States, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country began to use the Romanian name, Moldova. Officially, the name Republic of Moldova is designated by the United Nations, in 2010, Oldowan flint tools were discovered at Bayraki that are 800, 000–1.2 million years old. This demonstrates that humans were present in Moldova during the early Paleolithic era. The inhabitants of this civilization, which lasted roughly from 5500 to 2750 BC, practiced agriculture, raised livestock, hunted, in antiquity, Moldovas territory was inhabited by Dacian tribes. Between the 1st and 7th centuries AD, the south was intermittently under the Roman, and then Byzantine Empires. The Principality of Moldavia, established in 1359, was bounded by the Carpathian Mountains in the west, the Dniester River in the east, and the Danube River and Black Sea to the south. Its territory comprised the territory of the Republic of Moldova, the eastern eight counties of Romania. Like the present-day republic and Romanias north-eastern region, it was known to the locals as Moldova, Moldavia was invaded repeatedly by Crimean Tatars and, beginning in the 15th century, by the Turks. In 1538, the principality became a tributary to the Ottoman Empire, the title used in the document of 6 July 1600 was The King of the country of Romania, Ardeal and of all of Moldavia
3.
Romania
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Romania is a sovereign state located in Southeastern Europe. It borders the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia and it has an area of 238,391 square kilometres and a temperate-continental climate. With over 19 million inhabitants, the country is the member state of the European Union. Its capital and largest city, Bucharest, is the sixth-largest city in the EU, the River Danube, Europes second-longest river, rises in Germany and flows in a general southeast direction for 2,857 km, coursing through ten countries before emptying into Romanias Danube Delta. The Carpathian Mountains, which cross Romania from the north to the southwest are marked by one of their tallest peaks, Moldoveanu, modern Romania was formed in 1859 through a personal union of the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The new state, officially named Romania since 1866, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877, at the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the sovereign Kingdom of Romania. Romania lost several territories, of which Northern Transylvania was regained after the war, following the war, Romania became a socialist republic and member of the Warsaw Pact. After the 1989 Revolution, Romania began a transition back towards democracy and it has been a member of NATO since 2004, and part of the European Union since 2007. A strong majority of the population identify themselves as Eastern Orthodox Christians and are speakers of Romanian. The cultural history of Romania is often referred to when dealing with artists, musicians, inventors. For similar reasons, Romania has been the subject of notable tourist attractions, Romania derives from the Latin romanus, meaning citizen of Rome. The first known use of the appellation was attested in the 16th century by Italian humanists travelling in Transylvania, Moldavia, after the abolition of serfdom in 1746, the word rumân gradually fell out of use and the spelling stabilised to the form român. Tudor Vladimirescu, a leader of the early 19th century. The use of the name Romania to refer to the homeland of all Romanians—its modern-day meaning—was first documented in the early 19th century. The name has been officially in use since 11 December 1861, in English, the name of the country was formerly spelt Rumania or Roumania. Romania became the predominant spelling around 1975, Romania is also the official English-language spelling used by the Romanian government. The Neolithic-Age Cucuteni area in northeastern Romania was the region of the earliest European civilization. Evidence from this and other sites indicates that the Cucuteni-Trypillian culture extracted salt from salt-laden spring water through the process of briquetage
4.
Bulgaria
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Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, with a territory of 110,994 square kilometres, Bulgaria is Europes 16th-largest country. Organised prehistoric cultures began developing on current Bulgarian lands during the Neolithic period and its ancient history saw the presence of the Thracians, Greeks, Persians, Celts, Romans, Goths, Alans and Huns. With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1396, its territories came under Ottoman rule for five centuries. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 led to the formation of the Third Bulgarian State, the following years saw several conflicts with its neighbours, which prompted Bulgaria to align with Germany in both world wars. In 1946 it became a one-party socialist state as part of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc, in December 1989 the ruling Communist Party allowed multi-party elections, which subsequently led to Bulgarias transition into a democracy and a market-based economy. Bulgarias population of 7.2 million people is predominantly urbanised, most commercial and cultural activities are centred on the capital and largest city, Sofia. The strongest sectors of the economy are industry, power engineering. The countrys current political structure dates to the adoption of a constitution in 1991. Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic with a high degree of political, administrative. Human activity in the lands of modern Bulgaria can be traced back to the Paleolithic, animal bones incised with man-made markings from Kozarnika cave are assumed to be the earliest examples of symbolic behaviour in humans. Organised prehistoric societies in Bulgarian lands include the Neolithic Hamangia culture, Vinča culture, the latter is credited with inventing gold working and exploitation. Some of these first gold smelters produced the coins, weapons and jewellery of the Varna Necropolis treasure and this site also offers insights for understanding the social hierarchy of the earliest European societies. Thracians, one of the three primary groups of modern Bulgarians, began appearing in the region during the Iron Age. In the late 6th century BC, the Persians conquered most of present-day Bulgaria, and kept it until 479 BC. After the division of the Roman Empire in the 5th century the area fell under Byzantine control, by this time, Christianity had already spread in the region. A small Gothic community in Nicopolis ad Istrum produced the first Germanic language book in the 4th century, the first Christian monastery in Europe was established around the same time by Saint Athanasius in central Bulgaria. From the 6th century the easternmost South Slavs gradually settled in the region, in 680 Bulgar tribes under the leadership of Asparukh moved south across the Danube and settled in the area between the lower Danube and the Balkan, establishing their capital at Pliska
5.
Provinces of Bulgaria
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The provinces of Bulgaria are the first level administrative subdivisions of the country. Since 1999, Bulgaria has been divided into 28 provinces which correspond approximately to the 28 districts, the provinces are further subdivided into 265 municipalities. Sofia – the capital city of Bulgaria and the largest settlement in the country, is the centre of both Sofia Province and Sofia City Province. The capital is included in Sofia Capital Municipality, which is the municipality comprising Sofia City province. The provinces do not have official names – legally, they are not named, in Bulgaria they are usually called Oblast, occasionally they are referred to as Oblast and rarely as oblast with administrative centre. The Bulgarian term област is preferably translated into English as province, in order to avoid disambiguation and distinguish from the unit called окръг. Anyhow, there are instances of use of distinct and region to name these contemporary 28 units, – in a website of the European Commission In 1987, the then-existing 28 districts were transformed into 9 large units, which survived until 1999. The 9 large provinces are listed below, along with the districts comprising them. On 1 January 1999, the old districts were restored, but the designation province was kept
6.
Lovech Province
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Lovech Province is one of the 28 provinces of Bulgaria, lying at the northern centre of the country. It is named after its main city - Lovech, as of December 2009, the population of the area is 151,153. The Lovech province contains eight municipalities, the following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town or village, and the population as of December 2009. The Lovech province had a population of 169,951 according to a 2001 census, of which 49. 1% were male and 50. 9% were female. As of the end of 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census, Provinces of Bulgaria Municipalities of Bulgaria List of cities and towns in Bulgaria List of villages in Lovech Province
7.
Eastern European Time
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Eastern European Time is one of the names of UTC+02,00 time zone,2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. The zone uses daylight saving time, so that it uses UTC+03,00 during the summer, a number of African countries use UTC+02,00 all year long, where it is called Central Africa Time, although Egypt and Libya also use the term Eastern European Time. The following countries, parts of countries, and territories use Eastern European Time all year round, Egypt, since 21 April 2015, used EEST from 1988–2010, Kaliningrad Oblast, since 26 October 2014, also used EET in years 1945 and 1991–2011. Libya, since 27 October 2013, switched from Central European Time, used year-round EET from 1980–1981, 1990–1996 and 1998–2012. Belarus, in years 1922–30 and 1990–2011 In Poland this time was used in years 1918–22, in time of World War II, Germany implemented MET in east occupied territories. Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol used EET as part of Ukraine in years 1991-94 and 1996-2014 Turkey, used EET in years 1910-1978, now uses year round DST timezone called Further-eastern European Time or Turkey Time. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus also uses FET, sometimes, due to its use on Microsoft Windows, FLE Standard Time or GTB Standard Time are used to refer to Eastern European Time. Since political, in addition to geographical, criteria are used in the drawing of time zones. The EET time zone, were it drawn by purely geographical terms, the easternmost part of the Republic of Macedonia, including the city of Strumica. The absolutely easternmost part of Serbia, in the Pirot District, the easternmost town in Norway, Vardø, lies at 30°51 E, which is located east of even of the central meridian of UTC+2, i. e. east of Istanbul and Alexandria. The Norwegian-Russian border is the place where CET borders Moscow time. There is a point at the Norway-Finland-Russia tripoint, near the town of Rayakoski. Belarus is located between 23°11′E and 32°47′E and is fully located with the physical UTC+2 area, but it uses UTC+3 year around. This also includes the city of Anapa, at the westernmost tip of the Krasnodar Krai near the entrance to the Sea of Azov, the Norway–Russia–Finland tri-zone point at Muotkavaara is surrounded by three different times in winter, two in summer. It had three time zones year-around before 2014, two of the four tripoints of Belarus and the tripoint of the Kaliningrad Region are surrounded by three different times in winter
8.
Daylight saving time
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Daylight saving time is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that evening daylight lasts an hour longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. Typically, regions that use Daylight Savings Time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring, American inventor and politician Benjamin Franklin proposed a form of daylight time in 1784. New Zealander George Hudson proposed the idea of saving in 1895. The German Empire and Austria-Hungary organized the first nationwide implementation, starting on April 30,1916, many countries have used it at various times since then, particularly since the energy crisis of the 1970s. The practice has both advocates and critics, DST clock shifts sometimes complicate timekeeping and can disrupt travel, billing, record keeping, medical devices, heavy equipment, and sleep patterns. Computer software often adjusts clocks automatically, but policy changes by various jurisdictions of DST dates, industrialized societies generally follow a clock-based schedule for daily activities that do not change throughout the course of the year. The time of day that individuals begin and end work or school, North and south of the tropics daylight lasts longer in summer and shorter in winter, with the effect becoming greater as one moves away from the tropics. However, they will have one hour of daylight at the start of each day. Supporters have also argued that DST decreases energy consumption by reducing the need for lighting and heating, DST is also of little use for locations near the equator, because these regions see only a small variation in daylight in the course of the year. After ancient times, equal-length civil hours eventually supplanted unequal, so civil time no longer varies by season, unequal hours are still used in a few traditional settings, such as some monasteries of Mount Athos and all Jewish ceremonies. This 1784 satire proposed taxing window shutters, rationing candles, and waking the public by ringing church bells, despite common misconception, Franklin did not actually propose DST, 18th-century Europe did not even keep precise schedules. However, this changed as rail transport and communication networks came to require a standardization of time unknown in Franklins day. Modern DST was first proposed by the New Zealand entomologist George Hudson, whose shift work job gave him time to collect insects. An avid golfer, he also disliked cutting short his round at dusk and his solution was to advance the clock during the summer months, a proposal he published two years later. The proposal was taken up by the Liberal Member of Parliament Robert Pearce, a select committee was set up to examine the issue, but Pearces bill did not become law, and several other bills failed in the following years. Willett lobbied for the proposal in the UK until his death in 1915, william Sword Frost, mayor of Orillia, Ontario, introduced daylight saving time in the municipality during his tenure from 1911 to 1912. Starting on April 30,1916, the German Empire and its World War I ally Austria-Hungary were the first to use DST as a way to conserve coal during wartime, Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit. Russia and a few other countries waited until the year
9.
Eastern European Summer Time
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Eastern European Summer Time is one of the names of UTC+3 time zone,3 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a daylight saving time in some European and Middle Eastern countries. During the winter periods, Eastern European Time is used, since 1996 European Summer Time has been observed from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, previously the rules were not uniform across the European Union. Syria, since 1983 Ukraine, Moscow Summer Time in years 1981–89, regular EEST from 1992 In one year 1991 EEST was used also in Moscow, egypt has previously used EEST from 1957–2010 and 2014–2015. Turkey, has previously used EEST from 1970-1978 EEST, Moscow Summer Time from 1979–1983, and EEST from 1985-2016
10.
Bulgarian language
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Bulgarian /bʌlˈɡɛəriən/, /bʊlˈ-/ is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic language family. Various evidential verb forms exist to express unwitnessed, retold, with the accession of Bulgaria to the European Union on 1 January 2007, Bulgarian became one of the official languages of the European Union. Development of the Bulgarian language may be divided into several periods, prehistoric period – occurred between the Slavonic migration to eastern Balkans and the mission of Saints Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia in the 860s. Old Bulgarian – a literary norm of the southern dialect of the Common Slavic language from which Bulgarian evolved. It was used by Saints Cyril and Methodius and their disciples to translate the Bible, Middle Bulgarian – a literary norm that evolved from the earlier Old Bulgarian, after major innovations were accepted. It was a language of literary activity and the official administration language of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Modern Bulgarian – dates from the 16th century onwards, undergoing general grammar, present-day written Bulgarian language was standardized on the basis of the 19th-century Bulgarian vernacular. Bulgarian was the first Slavic language attested in writing, as Slavic linguistic unity lasted into late antiquity, in the oldest manuscripts this language was initially referred to as языкъ словяньскъ, the Slavic language. In the Middle Bulgarian period this name was replaced by the name языкъ блъгарьскъ. In some cases, the name языкъ блъгарьскъ was used not only with regard to the contemporary Middle Bulgarian language of the copyist but also to the period of Old Bulgarian. During the Middle Bulgarian period, the language underwent dramatic changes, losing the Slavonic case system, today one difference between Bulgarian dialects in the country and literary spoken Bulgarian is the significant presence of Old Bulgarian words and even word forms in the latter. Russian loans are distinguished from Old Bulgarian ones on the basis of the presence of specifically Russian phonetic changes, as in оборот, непонятен, ядро and others. As usual in cases, many other loans from French, English. Modern Bulgarian was based essentially on the Eastern dialects of the language, between 1835–1878 more than 25 proposals were put forward and linguistic chaos ensued. Eventually the eastern dialects prevailed, and in 1899 the Ministry of Education officially codified a standard Bulgarian language based on the Drinov-Ivanchev orthography, the language is mainly split into two broad dialect areas, based on the different reflexes of the Common Slavic yat vowel. This split, which occurred at some point during the Middle Ages, led to the development of Bulgarias, E. g. млеко – milk, хлеб – bread. This rule obtains in most Eastern dialects, although some have ya, or an open e sound. The literary language norm, which is based on the Eastern dialects
11.
Sofia
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Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. The city has a population of 1.26 million, while 1.68 million people live in its metropolitan area, the city is located at the foot of Vitosha Mountain in the western part of the country, within less than 50 kilometres drive from the Serbian border. Its location in the centre of the Balkan peninsula means that it is the midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, whereas the Aegean Sea is the closest to it, Sofia has been an area of human habitation since at least 7000 BC. Being Bulgarias primate city, Sofia is a hometown of many of the local universities, cultural institutions. Sofia is one of the top 10 best places for business in the world. Sofia is Europes most affordable capital to visit as of 2013, for the longest time the city possessed a Thracian name, derived from the tribe Serdi, who were either of Thracian, Celtic, or mixed Thracian-Celtic origin. It seems that the first written mention of Serdica was made during his reign, during the Romans civitas Serdenisium was mentioned the brightest city of the Serdi in official inscriptions. The city was major throughout the past ever since Antiquity, when Roman emperor Constantine the Great referred to it as my Rome, other names given to Sofia, such as Serdonpolis and Triaditza, were mentioned by Byzantine Greek sources or coins. The Slavic name Sredets, which is related to middle and to the citys earliest name, the city was called Atralissa by the Arab traveller Idrisi and Strelisa, Stralitsa or Stralitsion by the Crusaders. The name Sofia comes from the Saint Sofia Church, as opposed to the prevailing Slavic etymology among Bulgarian cities and towns. It is ultimately derived from the Egyptian Kemetic word sbÅ, meaning star, door, teaching and wisdom and this was a tradition of collection of wise literature, shared between Mediterranean cultures, which was called sophia in Greek. In these documents the city is called Sofia, but at the time the region and the citys inhabitants are still called Sredecheski. The city became popular to the Ottomans by the name Sofya. In 1879 there was a dispute about what the name of the new Bulgarian capital should be, the citys name is pronounced by Bulgarians with a stress on the o, in contrast with the tendency of foreigners to place the stress on i. The female given name Sofia is pronounced by Bulgarians with a stress on the i, Sofia has an area of 492 km2, while Sofia City Province has an area of 1344 km2. Sofias development as a significant settlement owes much to its position in the Balkans. It is situated in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the Sofia Valley that is surrounded by the Balkan mountains to the north. The valley has an altitude of 550 metres
12.
Gorna Oryahovitsa
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Gorna Oryahovitsa is a town in northern Bulgaria, situated in Veliko Tarnovo Province, not far from the city of Veliko Tarnovo. It is the centre of the homonymous Gorna Oryahovitsa Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 32,436 inhabitants, the nearby village of Arbanasi is an architectural reserve with a large number of historical monuments, such as medieval churches and examples of the Bulgarian National Revival architecture. The first settlement in the dates back to the second half of the 5th millennium BC. There are traces of a later Thracian settlement between the Kamaka Hill and the Arbanasi Plateau and its inhabitants were from the tribe of Krobizi. They erected the Kamaka Fortress that existed from the 5th century BC to the 1st century BC and it gradually acquired economic power mainly through cultivating grapes and producing wine. The life of that settlement continued up to the coming of the Slavs, there is no substantial evidence of settled life between the 7th and the 12th century. After the restoration of the Bulgarian State at the end of the 12th century, several fortresses were built, including Rahovets. The main purpose of the strongholds was to protect the leading to the Bulgarian capital Tarnovgrad. The name Rahovets means road fortress, the medieval fortress gave its name to the modern town, even though with some Slavic twist. They were well known for their mushroom farming at the time and this proved to be a good method of income for the town. During the Ottoman invasion, the fortress was conquered by the Ottomans after its water pipeline was cut off, Rahovets existed up to the year 1444 when King Władysław Warneńczyk during his campaign against the Ottomans destroyed it. Three individual small villages existed during the first centuries of Ottoman rule there—Mala, Sredna and it was known as Yukarı Rahova during Ottoman rule. During the Bulgarian National Revival, Gorna Oryahovitsa gradually turned into a strong settlement. Crafts prospered and trade was among the most active in Northern Bulgaria, every Friday there was a big market for cattle, agricultural production, timber, and charcoal. As early as 1822, a school was opened here. In 1850, the first girls school opened gates and in 1859 the first intermediate school was founded. A chitalishte was opened in 1869, Gorna Oryahovitsa was proclaimed a town in 1870, when it numbered 4,700 inhabitants and had 1,200 houses and 5 churches
13.
Bulgarian Socialist Party
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The Bulgarian Socialist Party, known as the Centenarian, is a social-democratic political party in Bulgaria and successor to the Bulgarian Communist Party. The BSP is a member of the Party of European Socialists and it is the leading component of the Coalition for Bulgaria centre-left coalition. The party was formed after the changes of 1989, when the Communist Party abandoned Marxism–Leninism. The party formed a government after the Constitutional Assembly elections of 1990, a non-partisan government led by Dimitar Popov took over until the next elections in October 1991. In the aftermath the party was confined to opposition, as part of the Democratic Left coalition, it helped form a new government in 1995, headed by BSP leader Zhan Videnov as Prime Minister. Its term ended at the end of 1996, after the country entered into a spiral of hyperinflation, large-scale demonstrations in the cities and a general strike prevented the formation of a new socialist government. In 2001, party chairman Georgi Parvanov was elected President of Bulgaria on the second round, Parvanov resigned as party chairman and was succeeded by Sergei Stanishev. The cabinet was headed by the minister and BSP chairman Sergei Stanishev. In 2006, Georgi Parvanov was reelected president in a landslide, in 2007, Bulgaria joined the European Union. Later, the triple-coalition lost millions of Euros of European financial aid in the wake of allegations of political corruption. The cabinet was unable to react to the encroaching world economic crisis. In the 2009 parliamentary elections, the BSP was defeated by the new conservative party GERB, obtaining 37 out of 240 parliamentary seats, in the 2013 parliamentary elections the party took 26. 6% of the votes, second behind GERB with 30. 5%. Nevertheless, the candidate for prime minister, Plamen Oresharski, and his proposed government were elected with the parliament support of the BSP. The appointment of the media mogul Delyan Peevski as head of the state security agency DANS. Demonstrations urging the government to step down continued until the government resigned in July of the following year, the following is a summary of BSPs results in legislative elections for the Bulgarian National Assembly
14.
Lovech
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Lovech is a city in north-central Bulgaria. It is the centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The city is located about 150 kilometres northeast from the city of Sofia. Near Lovech are the towns of Pleven, Troyan and Teteven, the name is possibly derived from the Slavic root lov, hunting + the Slavic suffix -ech. Lovech is situated in the Forebalkan area of northern Bulgaria, on sides of the river Osam, and unifies both mountainous and plain relief. In the northwest the relief gradually changes to the plains of the neighbouring Pleven Province, the average altitude of Lovech is about 200 m above mean sea level. The highest point of the town is Akbair Hill at 450 m, in Stratesh Park, the highest place in the town, there are a great number of lilac bushes, easily seen from the whole town, which are a wonderful view in the spring. Due to this, Lovech is well known as the town of the lilacs, according to the census, held in February,2011, Lovech is populated by 36,600 inhabitants within city limits. In the 1880s the population of Lovech numbered about 7,000, following the census of 1926 Professor Anastas Ishirkov noted the homogeneity of the population which is 95% of Bulgarian origin. Lovech is one of the oldest towns in Bulgaria, traces of human activities from very ancient times were found in the region, mainly in the caves near the town. The reason was the location between the mountains and the flat country, and the presence of a river. The first inhabitants of the town were the Thracian tribe of the Meldi and they founded their capital, called Melta, in the area, which was situated at the place of todays neighbourhood and architecture reserve Varosha. Parts of this road are to be seen in the territory of Lovech today, in the 12th century Lovech was a great trade centre and one of the most famous towns in Bulgaria. In the 17th century Lovech was once again an important trade centre and one of the richest towns in Bulgaria and he was arrested by the Turkish military in a village near Lovech called Kakrina and later hanged in Sofia. The biggest museum of Vasil Levski in Bulgaria containing many items such as notebooks, clothes. Between 1872 and 1874, the Bulgarian master-builder Nikola Fichev, known also as Kolyu Ficheto, built the famous Covered Bridge over the river Osam, the bridge was burned out in 1925, but rebuilt in 1931. Now it connects the new and the old part of the town and its full of cafes, small restaurants, during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, an important battle was held at Lovech, known as the Battle of Lovcha. The war and several plagues and migrations in Wallachia drastically reduced the population, there was a substantial number of victims from the Bulgarian population
15.
Levski, Pleven Province
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Levski is a town in central northern Bulgaria, an administrative center of the homonymous Levski Municipality in the very southeast of Pleven Province. It is located in the valley of the Osam River and was called Karağaç during the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria and until 1897, the then-village was proclaimed a town in 1945, reportedly the first to become one after World War II in Bulgaria. As of March 2015, it had a population of 10,811 inhabitants, notable natives include actor Georgi Partsalev, writer Doncho Tsonchev and footballer Georgi Milanov. Website of Levski Levski at Domino. bg
16.
Svishtov
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Svishtov is a town in northern Bulgaria, located in Veliko Tarnovo Province on the right bank of the Danube river opposite the Romanian town of Zimnicea. It is the centre of the homonymous Svishtov Municipality. With a population of 35,923 inhabitants, as of December 2009, Svishtov is situated in northern central Bulgaria on the right bank of the Danube river in its southernmost point, across from Zimnicea, Romania. The town lies 237 kilometres north-east of the capital Sofia, and 251 kilometres west of the major Black Sea port of Varna, other important cities in the region are Pleven 80 kilometres away, and Ruse 90 kilometres away. The port of Svishtov is the southernmost harbour on the Danube and it is served around the clock by the Svishtov-Zimnich ferry — a regular operation Ro-ro ferryboat across the Danube between Svishtov and Zimnicea. Svishtov is identified with the Roman colony Novae mentioned by Ptolemy, the emperor Vespasian sent the legion I Italica here 70 AD and Novae served as the legions base for centuries. Novae served as a base of operations for Roman campaigns against Barbarian tribes including Trajans Dacian Wars, the legion was also responsible for bridge construction over the Danube. The colony of Novae was the residence of St. Lupus of Novae, for a short time the place was the main city for the Ostrogoths of Theodoric the Great. With roast turkeys, chickens, and all other delicacies of the season on the bill of fare of the restaurants in the town. On 4 March 1977, Svishtov suffered major damage in the Vrancea earthquake. Svishtov Cove in Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named for the town of Svishtov, Svishtov has a humid subtropical climate with considerable continental influences. The summer lasts five months, from May to September, winters start in early December and last until March. The origins of the name Svishtov can be found in its old Bulgarian variation Sveshtniy, deriving from the word svesht/svyasht and this was due to the existence of a lighthouse in the city. The previous name Sistova was first mentioned in the treaty after the Austro-Turkish War in 1791 and this name was chosen instead of the Turkish word Zigit. During the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria the town was known as Ziștovi. The main religion in Svishtov is Eastern Orthodox Christianity, there is also a small group of Roman Catholics that have migrated from the surrounding villages of Oresh, Dragomirovo and the town of Belene, and small group of Muslims. The mayor of Svishtov Municipality is Gencho Bozhinov Genchev, the D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics were established in 1936 with decree-Law signed by Boris III. Since then Svishtov became an academician town, state commercial high school Dimitar Hadjivasilev is the first vocational school in Bulgaria
17.
Troyan Monastery
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The Monastery of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God or, as it is more commonly called, the Troyan Monastery is the third largest monastery in Bulgaria. It is located in the part of the country in the Balkan mountains and was founded no later than the end of the 16th century. The monastery is situated on the banks of the Cherni Osam near Oreshak, a village 10 km from Troyan in Lovech Province, the main church of the monastery was reconstructed near the end of Ottoman rule during the Bulgarian National Revival period by a master-builder called Konstantin in 1835. Many of the moral and social experiments of art at the time such as Doomsday, one highly controversial move by Zograph was to paint his image around one of the windows in the back of the church. The iconostasis in the church is a wood carving dating to 1839. The Troyan Monastery is also, since the 17th century, the home of one of the holiest icons in Bulgarian Orthodoxy, many people make a pilgrimage to this monastery on St. Georges Day because of an icon of St. George in the main church. The room, in which Bulgarian revolutionary Vassil Levski was hiding and meeting with other revolutionaries during the Ottoman period is a museum, Troyan Monastery Travel Bulgaria, Troyan Monastery Troyan Monastery Троянски манастир - Bulgarian & English The legend about Three-Handed Virgin icon
18.
Bulgarian Renaissance
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The Bulgarian National Revival, sometimes called the Bulgarian Renaissance, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian people under Ottoman rule. The beginning of the Bulgarian National Revival has been a topic of intensified discussion in the past, according to contemporaries of the period, it began in the 1820s. Later Marin Drinov suggested the actual beginning was marked by the writing of Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya by Paisius of Hilendar, according to an even later assumption by Hristo Gandev, the period began in the beginning of the 17th century. The prevailing opinion in contemporary historiography is that the Bulgarian National Revivals beginning is marked by the first clear processes of decomposition in the Ottoman Empire, the April Uprising led to the liberation and the end of the Revival. It is universally accepted that the Bulgarian National Revival ended with the Liberation of Bulgaria and this is meant only to include the Principality of Bulgaria, as revival processes continued until later in Eastern Rumelia and Macedonia
19.
Slivovitz
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Šljivovica, Slivovitza, Schlivowitz, or Slivovitsa is a fruit brandy made from damson plums, often referred to as plum brandy. Slivovitz is produced in Central and South-East Europe both commercially and privately, primary producers are in Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. In the Balkans, Slivovitz is considered a kind of Rakia, in Hungaria Pálinka and in the Czech Republic and Slovakia Pálenka, for example, Czech meruňka apricot → meruňkovice apricot brandy, broskev peach → broskvovice peach brandy. The primary producers are Bosnia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, during the production process, the plums and their ground kernels are crushed and pressed, yeast, starch, and sugar may be added to the juice. The mixture is allowed to ferment. There may be one or more stages, depending on the desired final product or region of production. Some producers have obtained a Hechsher certifying that it is kosher for Passover, imitation slivovitz is made by flavouring spirits with prune juice and artificial oil of bitter almonds. In Bulgaria, the Troyan plum brandy has been distilled in the Troyan Monastery by the monks since the founding of the monastery in the 14th century, the original recipe included 40 herbs, and was passed through the centuries from abbot to abbot. In 1894 the Monasterys brandy was presented at a competition in Antwerp, Belgium. It is considered best distilled to a level between 39 and 41 degrees. Some celebrities who have tasted Troyan plum brandy are Pope John Paul II, patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria celebrated his 95th birthday in 2009 in the Sofia Metropolitanate with Troyan plum brandy. In cooperation with the Bulgarian government, the Czech distillery Rudolf Jelinek protected the brands Troyanska slivova, however, the Czechs reduced the alcohol content to pay less duty. The production of Vinprom-Troyan is mainly for export, for the past 18 years, Troyan has a special holiday, The Festival of Plum. This holiday is celebrated at the end of September in Troyan, the plum has always been an essential produce in this region. Since the beginning of the 20th century plums have been made into marmalades, pesto, dried prunes and it is primarily produced in the southern and eastern provinces of Moravia and in Vysočina, where the country retains its rural character. The production was introduced by immigrants from the Balkans since the 16th century. Although illegal, traditional home distilleries still exist, the majority of production moved to certified local community-owned distilleries to prevent errors during the distillation process. It also allows state authorities to collect their respective taxes based on the proof of the product, however there are tax-reliefs for private, the usual proof of private-produced slivovice is over 50% of alcohol in the final product, commercially available mass-produced drinks are mostly lower proof
20.
Rakia
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Rakia or Rakija is the collective term for fruit brandy popular in Eastern Europe. The alcohol content of rakia is normally 40% ABV, but home-produced rakia can be stronger, fruit brandies are commonly known as Rakia in Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro. In Romania, the terms ţuică and palincă are used over rachiu, in Hungary it is known as pálinka, while in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia the concept is known as pálenka. In Slovenia, it is known as sadjevec or šnops, fruits less commonly used are peaches, apples, pears, cherries, figs, blackberries, and quince. Similar spirits are produced in Romania, Moldova, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, in Albania, rakia is most commonly made out of grapes in mild climate regions and out of plums in colder climate areas. Plum and grape rakia are sometimes mixed with other ingredients, such as herbs, honey, sour cherries and walnuts, a popular home-made variant in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Serbia is rakia produced from mixed fruits. In the Istrian and Dalmatian regions of Croatia, rakija tends to be home-made exclusively from grapes, normally, rakia is colorless, unless herbs or other ingredients are added. Some types of rakia are kept in barrels for extra aroma. It is supposed to be drunk from small glasses which hold from 30 to 50 ml. Greek ouzo and tsipouro, Turkish rakı and arak at Arabic, some tsipouro in Greece is made without anise in the same manner as pomace rakia. Boğma rakı in Turkey is similar to rakia in the Balkans, raki is a traditional drink in Albania, until the 19th century, meyhanes would serve wine or meze. Bulgaria cites an old piece of pottery from the 14th century in which the word rakinja is inscribed, the country has taken measures to declare the drink as a national drink in the European Union to allow lower excise duty domestically but has yet yielded no concrete results. During an archaeological study, Bulgarian archaeologists discovered an 11th-century fragment of a vessel used for the production of rakiya. Rakija is the most popular spirit in Croatia, travarica is usually served at the beginning of the meal, together with dried figs. The Croatian Adriatic coast is known for a variety of herbal grappas. The island Hvar is famous for grappa with the addition of Myrtus, southern islands, such as Korčula, and the city of Dubrovnik are famous for grappa with anise, and in central Dalmatia the most popular rakia is grappa with nuts. Its usually homemade, and served with dry cookies or dried figs, in the summer, its very typical to see huge glass jars of grappa with nuts steeping in the liquid on every balcony, because the process requires the exposure of orahovica to the sun. In the northern Adriatic — mainly Istria — rakia is made of honey or mistletoe
21.
Troyan Peak
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Troyan Peak is a peak rising to 810 m in the Friesland Ridge of the Tangra Mountains in Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. It has a snow free west slope and surmounts the Ruen Icefall to the north, west. The peak is named after the Bulgarian town of Troyan. The peak is located at 62°42′11. 1″S 60°14′32″W, which is 1.42 km west by north of St. Cyril Peak,1.44 km north of St. Methodius Peak,1.31 km northeast of Lom Peak and 1.2 km south of Stambolov Crag. Antarctica, Livingston Island and Greenwich Island, South Shetland Islands, sofia, Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria,2005. Antarctica, Livingston Island and Greenwich, Robert, Snow and Smith Islands, ISBN 978-954-92032-6-4 SCAR Composite Antarctic Gazetteer. This article includes information from the Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria which is used with permission
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Tangra Mountains
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Tangra Mountains form the principal mountain range of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The range had been nameless until 2001, when it was named after the Bulgar god Tangra, the mountain is divided in three principal ridges, Friesland Ridge in the west, Levski Ridge in the centre, and Delchev Ridge in the east. Camp Academia in the foothills of Zograf Peak is the perfect gateway to central Tangra Mountains via Catalunyan Saddle to the south. Catalunyan Saddle was occupied by a bivouac of the Tangra 2004/05 Exploration team on 14–16 December 2004, Friesland Ridge is 15.5 km long from Botev Point in the southwest to Shipka Saddle to the northeast. The summit Mount Friesland rises to exactly 1700 m and it was accurately measured by GPS in December 2003 by the Omega Foundation expedition led by Damien Gildea, which made the second ascent of Mount Friesland. Other main peaks are St. Boris, Simeon, St. Cyril, Lyaskovets, Presian Ridge, St. Methodius, Academia, and Zograf. Levski Ridge is 8 km long between Shipka Saddle to the west and Devin Saddle to the east, and 8 km wide between Cherepish Ridge to the north and Christoff Cliff to the south. The summit Great Needle Peak rises to 1680 m, and was first ascended and GPS-surveyed by the Bulgarian mountaineers Doychin Boyanov, Nikolay Petkov, other main peaks are Levski, St. Ivan Rilski Col, Helmet, Serdica, Vihren, Ongal, and Plovdiv. Other first ascents, Ongal Peak and Komini Peak by L. Ivanov from Camp Academia on 21 December 2004, Delchev Ridge is 10 km long between Devin Saddle to the west and Renier Point to the east. The summit Delchev Peak rises to 940 m, other peaks are Ruse, Asen, Peter, Kuber, Elena, Spartacus, Yavorov. British mapping of the mountains in 1968, Spanish mapping in 1991, Omega Foundation mapping in 2004, Bulgarian mapping in 2005 and 2009 from topographic surveys in 1995/96, S. Soccol, D. Gildea and J. Bath. Antarctica, Livingston Island and Greenwich Island, South Shetland Islands, sofia, Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria,2005. Antarctica, Livingston Island and Greenwich, Robert, Snow and Smith Islands, Antarctica, Livingston Island and Smith Island. 2003 – Omega Livingston Island GPS Expedition, Livingston Island, Climb Magazine, Issue 14, Kettering, UK, April 2006, pp. 89–91. General Geography and History of Livingston Island, in, Bulgarian Antarctic Research, A Synthesis. Sofia, St. Kliment Ohridski University Press,2015, mountaineering in Antarctica, complete guide, Travel guide. ISBN 978-2-51103-136-0 Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria Tangra 2004/05 Expedition Expedition Omega Livingston 2003, Antarctic Mountains, Climbing in Antarctica This article includes information from the Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria which is used with permission
23.
Livingston Island
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Livingston Island is an Antarctic island in the South Shetland Islands, Western Antarctica lying between Greenwich Island and Snow Islands. There are many islets and rocks in the waters, particularly off the north coast. More sizable among the adjacent smaller islands are Rugged Island off Byers Peninsula, Half Moon Island in Moon Bay, Desolation Island in Hero Bay, ice cliffs, often withdrawing during recent decades to uncover new coves, beaches and points, form most of the coastline. Typical of the island’s glaciology are the conspicuous ash layers originating from volcanic activity on the neighbouring Deception Island, the local variety of the Antarctic Peninsula weather is particularly changeable, windy, humid and sunless. Says Australian mountaineer Damien Gildea, ‘Livingston got just about the worst weather in the world’, a US seasonal field camp on Byers Peninsula was wrecked by storm and emergency evacuated in February 2009. Whiteouts are common, and blizzards can occur at any time of the year, temperatures are rather constant, rarely exceeding 3 °C in summer or falling below −11 °C in winter, with wind chill temperatures up to 5 to 10 °C lower. Below are the temperatures of the warmest month, coldest month, yearly average. It was only during the century that any land was discovered in what are now the ‘political’ territories of Antarctica. That was the first land discovered south of 60° south latitude. A few months later Smith revisited the South Shetlands to land on King George Island on 16 October 1819, in the meantime, a Spanish vessel had been damaged by severe weather in the Drake Passage and sunk off the north coast of Livingston in September 1819. The 74-gun ship San Telmo commanded by Captain Rosendo Porlier was the flagship of a Spanish naval squadron, the more than 600 persons killed when the San Telmo sank were the first recorded people to die in Antarctica. While no one survived, parts of her wreckage were found subsequently by sealers on Half Moon Beach, during December 1819 William Smith returned with his ship to the South Shetlands. Remains of huts and sealer artefacts are found on Livingston. The names of geographical features on the island also refer to its early history. However, names like Livingston, Mount Friesland and Renier Point also became established during the first few seasons after the discovery of the islands, the toponyms Friesland and Smolensk are now preserved as Mount Friesland and Smolensk Strait respectively. The first modern, post-sealer habitation facility on Livingston Island was the British base camp Station P that operated in Hannah Point area during the 1957/58 summer season, the permanent scientific bases of Juan Carlos I and St. Kliment Ohridski were established in 1988 at South Bay. Other base facilities are the small Shirreff Base on Cape Shirreff since 1991, occasional field camps support research in remote areas of the island. There are two Historic Sites or Monuments of Antarctica on the island, San Telmo Cairn at Cape Shirreff commemorates the 644 officers, soldiers and seamen lost when the Spanish warship San Telmo sank nearby in September 1819
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South Shetland Islands
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The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about 120 kilometres north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of 3,687 square kilometres. By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the islands sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories, the islands have been claimed by the United Kingdom since 1908 and have been part of the British Antarctic Territory since 1962. They are also claimed by the governments of Chile and by Argentina, several countries maintain research stations on the islands. Most of them are situated on King George Island, benefitting from the airfield of the Chilean base Eduardo Frei, there are sixteen research stations to date in different parts of the islands, with Chilean stations being the greatest in number. Research is often a shared duty of nations, with the Chilean-United States Shirreff Base being one example, the Dutchman Dirck Gerritsz in 1599, or the Spaniard Gabriel de Castilla in 1603, supposedly sailed south of the Drake Passage in the South Shetland Islands area. In 1818 Juan Pedro de Aguirre obtained permission from the Buenos Aires authorities to establish a base for sealing on some of the islands near the South Pole. Thus Livingston Island became the first land discovered south of the 60th southern latitude. Smith revisited the South Shetlands, landed on King George Island on 16 October 1819, meanwhile, the Spanish Navy ship San Telmo sank in September 1819 whilst trying to go through the Drake Passage. Parts of her wreckage were found months later by sealers on the north coast of Livingston Island. From December 1819 to January 1820, the islands were surveyed and mapped by Lieutenant Edward Bransfield on board the Williams, the discovery of the islands attracted British and American sealers. The first sealing ship to operate in the area was the brig Espirito Santo, the ship arrived at Rugged Island off Livingston Island, where its British crew landed on Christmas Day 1819, and claimed the islands for King George III. A narrative of the events was published by the master, Joseph Herring. The Espirito Santo was followed from the Falkland Islands by the American brig Hersilia, commanded by Captain James Sheffield, having circumnavigated the Antarctic continent, the Russian Antarctic expedition of Fabian von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev arrived at the South Shetlands in January 1821. The Russians surveyed the islands and named them, landing on both King George Island and Elephant Island, the name New South Britain was used briefly, but was soon changed to South Shetland Islands. The name South Shetland Islands is now established in international usage, both island groups lie at a similar distance from the South Pole and North Pole respectively, but the South Shetlands are much colder. Seal hunting and whaling was conducted on the islands during the 19th, from 1908 the islands were governed as part of the Falkland Islands Dependency, but they have only been occupied since the establishment of a scientific research station in 1944. The archipelago, together with the nearby Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia, is a popular tourist destination during the austral summer. As a group of islands, the South Shetland Islands are located at 62°0′S 58°0′W and they are within the region 61° 00–63°37 South, 53° 83–62°83 West
25.
Central Balkan National Park
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The Central Balkan National Park lies in the heart of Bulgaria, nestled in the central and higher portions of the Balkan Mountains. Its altitude varies from 550 m. near the town of Karlovo to 2376 m. at Botev Peak and it was established on 31 October 1991. It occupies territory from 5 of the 28 provinces of the country, Lovech, Gabrovo, Sofia, Plovdiv and Stara Zagora. The national park includes nine nature reserves covering 28% of its territory, Boatin, Tsarichina, Kozya Stena, Steneto, Severen Dzhendem, Peeshti Skali, Sokolna, Dzhendema, the Central Balkan National Park is one of the largest and most valuable of the protected areas in Europe. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the Park as Category 2 and it is a full member of the WWF-led PAN Parks. The park falls within the Rodope montane mixed forests ecoregion of the Palearctic Temperate broadleaf. It is home of rare and endangered species and communities, self-regulating ecosystems of biological diversity, as well as historical sites of global cultural. The flora is represented by 2340 species and subspecies of plants, forests occupy 56% of the total area. There are 59 species of mammals,224 species of birds,14 species of reptiles,8 species of amphibia and 6 species of fish, as well as 2387 species of invertebrates. The Central Balkan National Park was established in 1991 to conserve the natural scenery and heritage of this area and protect the customs. The Park Directorate, a body of the Ministry of the Environment. The Directorate engages local organizations, volunteers, and mountain enthusiasts in pursuing its goals, more than half the flora of Bulgaria has been identified within the Park, and of these,10 species and 2 subspecies are endemic, and are found nowhere else in the world. Over 130 higher plants and animals encountered in the Central Balkan National Park are listed in the Bulgarian, there are 166 known species of medicinal plants,12 are protected by law. In addition, there are 229 species of moss,256 species of mushrooms, the central portion of the Balkan Range is home to 70% of all invertebrate organisms and 62% of all vertebrate animals in Bulgaria. There are 224 separate species of birds, making the Central Balkan National Park an important, the EU-funded CORINE BIOTOPS Project created a habitat classification methodology and 49 of the CORINE classified types of habitats are represented in the Central Balkan National Park. Of these,24 are included on the List of Endangered Habitats, the Central Balkan National Park is a favorite spot for tourists, naturalists, and scientists alike. Central Balkan National Park - Official web site Central Balkan National Park Photo Gallery Central Balkan National Park Image Gallery
26.
Actavis
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Actavis Generics is a global pharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceuticals, generic and over-the-counter medicines, and biologic products. Actavis has a presence across approximately 100 countries. The company has headquarters in Dublin, Ireland and administrative headquarters in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey. Actavis, plc also operates the worlds third-largest generics business, the company is ranked in the top 3 in 12 global markets, the top 5 in 16 global markets, and in the top 10 in 33 global markets. Actavis also develops and out-licenses generic pharmaceutical products outside the U. S. through its Medis third-party business, Medis has more than 300 customers globally, and offers more than 200 products. Actavis, plc is also developing products in oncology and other therapeutic categories. Actavis, plc has more than 40 manufacturing and distribution facilities around the world, Actavis Global Operations also includes Anda, Inc. the fourth-largest U. S. generic pharmaceutical product distributor in the United States. On June 15,2015, Actavis, plc changed its name to Allergan, plc, but the companys U. S. and Canadian generics business will continue to operate under the Actavis name. In July 2015, Allergan, Plc announced it would sell its Generics division of the company to Teva Pharmaceuticals for $40.5 billion, a transaction proposed for completion by the first quarter of 2016. The company was founded in the spring of 1983, when, with funding from friends and family, colleagues Allen Chao, Ph. D. and David Hsia, Ph. D. began a small drug development enterprise. Just two months later, the established a initial product development and analytical laboratory with six employees in a leased space in Libertyville. The Corona site became the headquarters for the rapidly expanding U. S. company. Throughout its history, Actavis has expanded organically and as the result of strategic acquisitions. In 1993, Actavis, then Watson, announced its public offering of shares of common stock. The company was listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol WATS. The company moved to the New York Stock Exchange in 1997, in 2000, the company acquired Schein Pharmaceutical, Inc. an acquisition that more than doubled the company’s size. In that same year, the group reported revenues in excess of $1 billion, in 2007, Dr. Allen Chao retired as President and Chief Executive Officer and was succeeded by Paul M. Bisaro. The company’s international presence began with the acquisition of the Arrow Group in 2009, as a result of the Arrow acquisition, the company also acquired the biopharmaceutical development organization Eden Biodesign in Liverpool, UK
27.
Elma Electronic
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Elma Electronic is a publicly traded Swiss electronics company founded in 1960 and based in Wetzikon, Switzerland. The company has 5 product divisions, Systems Platforms, Backplanes, Enclosures & Components, Rotary Switches, the largest segment is systems packaging solutions serving the military, aerospace, homeland security, medical and industrial markets. The Elma Bustronic division develops backplanes, including VME320, which was the worlds fastest VME backplane in 1997, Elma Bustronic also develops backplanes in OpenVPX, VMEbus, VME64X, CompactPCI, MicroTCA, and custom bus structures. Elma is a member of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group, VME International Trade Association. Elma was established in 1960 in Moenchaltorf as a sole proprietorship, in 1965 it expanded operations into Germany with the foundation of Elma Electronic AG in Munich. In 1970 the company relocated from Moenchaltorf to Wetzikon, in 1974 Elma became a wholly owned Subsidiary of Sulzer. Sulzer divested Elma in 1996 and in the same year Elma held its first Initial public offering, elma’s locations include Wetzikon, Fremont, California, Lawrenceville, Georgia, Warminster, Pennsylvania, Pforzheim, Tel Aviv, Villemoirieu, Bedford, Bucharest, Singapore, Shanghai and Bengaluru. In 1985 and 1990 Elma founded American subsidiaries, Elma Electronic Inc. subsidiaries in France, Israel, Romania and England were established in 2000, a subsidiary in China in 2004. In the same 2004 Elma acquired Optima EPS and Mektron Systems, Elma supplies eurocard electronic enclosures since the 1960s. These enclosures are designed for standard 19” rack-mounted applications or for portable or desktop versions, from simple subracks for electronics, the company since expanded to chassis platforms for architectures such as the VMEbus. In 2009, the company acquired ACT/Technico, a provider of storage, board-level, Elma enclosures are centered on 19” and 23” Eurocard specification, primarily for VME/ VME64x, CompactPCI, VXS/VPX, VXI/PXI, AdvancedTCA/MicroTCA and other architectures. Elma supplies these products either pre-assembled or un-assembled, Elma is currently an Executive Member of the PICMG consortium Elma Electronic
28.
Vladimir Iliev
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Vladimir Iliev, born March 17,1987 in Troyan) is a Bulgarian biathlete. He competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics for Bulgaria and his best performance was 16th, as part of the Bulgarian relay team. His best individual performance was 79th, in the individual and 83rd in the sprint, as of February 2013, his best performance at the Biathlon World Championships, is 9th, as part of the Bulgarian mens relay in 2013. His best individual performance is 16th, in the 2012 individual, as of February 2013, his best Biathlon World Cup finish is 6th, in the sprint at Pokljuka in 2012/13. His best overall finish in the Biathlon World Cup is 60th, in 2011/12
29.
Military Geographic Service (Bulgarian Army)
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According to the 2006 Law of Geodesy and Cartography, the areas subject to such mapping comprise the country’s territory as well as the area of the Bulgarian base in Antarctica. The mapping activities of the Service are carried out by its Military Geographic Centre based in the city of Troyan in northern Bulgaria, antarctic, Nature, History, Utilization, Geographic Names and Bulgarian Participation
30.
Bulgarian Armed Forces
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The Bulgarian Army represents the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria. The Commander-in-Chief is the President of Bulgaria, the Ministry of Defence is in charge of political leadership while overall military command remains in the hands of the Defence Staff, headed by the Chief of the Defence. There are three branches, named literally the Land Forces, the Air Forces and the Naval Forces. Throughout history, the Army has played a role in defending the countrys sovereignty. During the Cold War the Peoples Republic of Bulgaria maintained one of the largest militaries in the Warsaw Pact, since the Fall of Communism, the political leadership decided to pursue a pro-NATO policy, thus reducing military personnel and weaponry. Bulgaria joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on 29 March 2004, the patron saint of the Bulgarian Army is St. George. The Armed Forces Day or St. Georges Day is a holiday in Bulgaria. The modern Bulgarian military dates back to 1878, on 22 July 1878 a total of 12 battalions of opalchentsi who participated in the Liberation war, formed the Bulgarian armed forces. According to the Tarnovo Constitution, all men between 21 and 40 years of age were eligible for military service, in 1883 the military was reorganized in four infantry brigades and one cavalry brigade. The Serbo-Bulgarian War was the first armed conflict after Bulgarias liberation and it was a result of the unification with Eastern Rumelia, which happened on 6 September 1885. The unification was not completely recognized, however, and one of the countries that refused to recognize the act was the Kingdom of Serbia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had been expanding its influence in the Balkans and was particularly opposed. Serbia also feared this would diminish its dominance in the region, in addition, Serbian ruler Milan Obrenović IV was annoyed that Serbian opposition leaders like Nikola Pašić, who had escaped persecution after the Timok Rebellion, had found asylum in Bulgaria. Lured by Austria-Hungarys promises of territorial gains from Bulgaria, Milan IV declared war on Bulgaria on 14 November 1885, Military strategy relied largely on surprise, as Bulgaria had moved most of its troops near the border with the Ottoman Empire, in the southeast. As it happened, the Ottomans did not intervene and the Serbian armys advance was stopped after the Battle of Slivnitsa, the main body of the Bulgarian army traveled from the Ottoman border in the southeast to the Serbian border in the northwest to defend the capital, Sofia. After the defensive battles at Slivnitsa and Vidin, Bulgaria began an offensive that took the city of Pirot, at this point the Austro-Hungarian Empire stepped in, threatening to join the war on Serbias side if Bulgarian troops did not retreat. Fighting lasted for only 14 days, from 14-28 November, a peace treaty was signed in Bucharest on 19 February 1886. No territorial changes were made to either country, but Bulgarian unification was recognized by the Great Powers, however, the relationship of trust and friendship between Serbia and Bulgaria, built during their long common fight against Ottoman rule, suffered irreparable damage. Instability in the Balkan region in the early 1900s quickly became a precondition for a new war, Bulgaria, which had secured Ottoman recognition of its independence in April 1909 and enjoyed the friendship of Russia, also looked to districts of Ottoman Thrace and Macedonia for expansion
31.
Antarctica
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It contains the geographic South Pole and is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14,000,000 square kilometres, it is the fifth-largest continent, for comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages 1.9 km in thickness, Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. Antarctica is a desert, with precipitation of only 200 mm along the coast. The temperature in Antarctica has reached −89.2 °C, though the average for the quarter is −63 °C. Anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at the research stations scattered across the continent. Organisms native to Antarctica include many types of algae, bacteria, fungi, plants, protista, vegetation, where it occurs, is tundra. The continent, however, remained neglected for the rest of the 19th century because of its hostile environment, lack of easily accessible resources. In 1895, the first confirmed landing was conducted by a team of Norwegians, Antarctica is a de facto condominium, governed by parties to the Antarctic Treaty System that have consulting status. Twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959, and thirty-eight have signed it since then, the treaty prohibits military activities and mineral mining, prohibits nuclear explosions and nuclear waste disposal, supports scientific research, and protects the continents ecozone. Ongoing experiments are conducted by more than 4,000 scientists from many nations, the name Antarctica is the romanised version of the Greek compound word ἀνταρκτική, feminine of ἀνταρκτικός, meaning opposite to the Arctic, opposite to the north. Aristotle wrote in his book Meteorology about an Antarctic region in c.350 B. C, marinus of Tyre reportedly used the name in his unpreserved world map from the 2nd century A. D. Before acquiring its present geographical connotations, the term was used for locations that could be defined as opposite to the north. For example, the short-lived French colony established in Brazil in the 16th century was called France Antarctique, the first formal use of the name Antarctica as a continental name in the 1890s is attributed to the Scottish cartographer John George Bartholomew. Antarctica has no population and there is no evidence that it was seen by humans until the 19th century. Explorer Matthew Flinders, in particular, has credited with popularising the transfer of the name Terra Australis to Australia. Cook came within about 120 km of the Antarctic coast before retreating in the face of ice in January 1773. The first confirmed sighting of Antarctica can be narrowed down to the crews of ships captained by three individuals, according to various organisations, ships captained by three men sighted Antarctica or its ice shelf in 1820, von Bellingshausen, Edward Bransfield, and Nathaniel Palmer
32.
Sister city
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In recent times, town twinning has increasingly been used to form strategic international business links between member cities. In the United Kingdom, the twin towns is most commonly used. In mainland Europe, the most commonly used terms are twin towns, partnership towns, partner towns, the European Commission uses the term twinned towns and refers to the process as town twinning. Spain uses the term ciudades hermanadas that means sister cities, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic use Partnerstadt / Miasto Partnerskie / Partnerské město, which translate as Partner Town or City. France uses Ville Jumelée, and Italy has Gemellaggio and Comune gemellato, in the Netherlands, the term is Stedenband. In Greece, the word αδελφοποίηση has been adopted, in Iceland, the terms vinabæir and vinaborgir are used. In the former Soviet Bloc, twin towns and twin cities are used, the Americas, South Asia, and Australasia use the term sister cities or twin cities. In China, the term is 友好城市, sometimes, other government bodies enter into a twinning relationship, such as the agreement between the provinces of Hainan in China and Jeju-do in South Korea. The Douzelage is a twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union. In recent years, the term city diplomacy has gained increased usage and acceptance, particularly as a strand of paradiplomacy and public diplomacy. It is formally used in the workings of the United Cities and Local Governments, the importance of cities developing their own foreign economic policies on trade, foreign investment, tourism and attracting foreign talent has also been highlighted by the World Economic Forum. The earliest known town twinning in Europe was between Paderborn, Germany, and Le Mans, France, in 836, starting in 1905, Keighley in West Yorkshire, England, had a twinning arrangement with French communities Suresnes and Puteaux. The first recorded modern twinning agreement was between Keighley and Poix-du-Nord in Nord, France, in 1920 following the end of the First World War and this was initially referred to as an adoption of the French town, formal twinning charters were not exchanged until 1986. The practice was continued after the Second World War as a way to promote mutual understanding, for example, Coventry twinned with Stalingrad and later with Dresden as an act of peace and reconciliation, all three cities having been heavily bombed during the war. Similarly, in 1947, Bristol Corporation sent five leading citizens on a mission to Hanover. Reading in 1947 was the first British town to form links with an enemy city – Düsseldorf. Since 9 April 1956 Rome and Paris have been exclusively and reciprocally twinned with other, following the motto, Only Paris is worthy of Rome. Within Europe, town twinning is supported by the European Union, the support scheme was established in 1989
33.
France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks
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Vigneux-sur-Seine
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Vigneux-sur-Seine is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 17.6 km from the center of Paris, inhabitants of Vigneux-sur-Seine are known as Vigneusiens. Vigneux-sur-Seine is served by Vigneux-sur-Seine station on Paris RER line D, communes of the Essonne department INSEE Mayors of Essonne Association Media related to Vigneux-sur-Seine at Wikimedia Commons Official website Mérimée database - Cultural heritage Land use
35.
Republic of Macedonia
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Macedonia, officially the Republic of Macedonia, is a country in the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the states of the former Yugoslavia. A landlocked country, the Republic of Macedonia has borders with Kosovo to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south, the countrys geography is defined primarily by mountains, valleys, and rivers. The capital and largest city, Skopje, is home to roughly a quarter of the nations 2.06 million inhabitants, the majority of the residents are ethnic Macedonians, a South Slavic people. Albanians form a significant minority at around 25 percent, followed by Turks, Romani, Serbs, Macedonias history dates back to antiquity, beginning with the kingdom of Paeonia, a Thracian polity. In the late sixth century BCE the area was incorporated into the Persian Achaemenid Empire, the Romans conquered the region in the second century BCE and made it part of the much larger province of Macedonia. Macedonia remained part of the Byzantine Empire, and was raided and settled by Slavic peoples beginning in the sixth century CE. Following centuries of contention between the Bulgarian and Byzantine empires, it came under Ottoman dominion from the 14th century. Between the late 19th and early 20th century, a distinct Macedonian identity emerged, although following the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913, Macedonia remained a constituent socialist republic within Yugoslavia until its peaceful secession in 1991. Macedonia is a member of the UN and of the Council of Europe, since 2005 it has also been a candidate for joining the European Union and has applied for NATO membership. Although one of the poorest countries in Europe, Macedonia has made significant progress in developing an open, the countrys name derives from the Greek Μακεδονία, a kingdom named after the ancient Macedonians. The name is believed to have meant either highlanders or the tall ones. However, Robert S. P. Beekes supports that both terms are of Pre-Greek substrate origin and cannot be explained in terms of Indo-European morphology, the Republic of Macedonia roughly corresponds to the ancient kingdom of Paeonia, which was located immediately north of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia. In the late 6th century BC, the Achaemenid Persians under Darius the Great conquered the Paeonians, following the loss in the Second Persian invasion of Greece in 479 BC, the Persians eventually withdrew from their European territories, including from what is today the Republic of Macedonia. In 356 BC Philip II of Macedon absorbed the regions of Upper Macedonia, the Romans established the Province of Macedonia in 146 BC. Roman expansion brought the Scupi area under Roman rule in the time of Domitian, and it fell within the Province of Moesia. Whilst Greek remained the dominant language in the part of the Roman empire. Slavic peoples settled in the Balkan region including Macedonia by the late 6th century AD, during the 580s, Byzantine literature attests to the Slavs raiding Byzantine territories in the region of Macedonia, later aided by Bulgars. Historical records document that in c.680 a group of Bulgars, Slavs and Byzantines led by a Bulgar called Kuber settled in the region of the Keramisian plain, presians reign apparently coincides with the extension of Bulgarian control over the Slavic tribes in and around Macedonia
Vigneux-sur-Seine, France
Dojran, Macedonia
Ellwangen, Germany
Maryina Horka, Belarus
Forlì, Italy
