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Image: Valentina Petrova/AP/dpa/picture alliance

Bulgaria

Bulgaria is located in the southeast part of the Balkans. The country borders on the Black Sea, which attracts tourists all year round.

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All Content on this topic

A woman lies on the street as protesters scuffle with police in front of a burning door in Sofia on February 22, 2025

Clashes erupt as Bulgarian nationalists march against euro

Several thousand people rallied at the European Commission building in Sofia against Bulgaria joining the euro.
PoliticsFebruary 22, 2025
Romanian and Hungarian police officers raising barrier at Nadlac-Csanadpalota border crossing

Romania, Bulgaria drop EU border checks, join Schengen

The two EU nations are eliminating land border controls to the rest of the bloc after Austria dropped its veto.
PoliticsJanuary 1, 2025
Lebenswege - Momente, die alles verändern 12329

Paths of life: Stories of moments that changed everything

Looking back, every life has at least one turning point. Change often comes about unexpectedly.
SocietyDecember 25, 202442:35 min
Signs and placards lie on the ground during a night-time demonstration. In the foreground is a red stop sign with a pictogram of a man restraining and hitting a woman

Why Bulgaria still struggles with gender-based violence

Bulgaria has a long way to go in the fight against gender-based and domestic violence. What is hampering its progress?
SocietyDecember 19, 2024
A peaceful view of the Danube River bank, with a row of boats lined up along the shore and trees in the background.

Bulgaria's slow path to commemorating victims of communism

Actors of civil society hope to raise awareness about Bulgaria's communist past and commemorate its victims.
HistoryNovember 10, 2024
Former Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov pictured at a polling station during the country's general election, on October 27, 2024

Bulgaria: Borisov's conservative GERB leads in early results

Former PM Boyko Borisov's center-right GERB party appears to have come out on top, with between 25% and 27% of the vote.
PoliticsOctober 28, 2024
Two men at Sofia Pride in 2024

Gay Russo-Belarusian couple seeks asylum in Bulgaria

Though Bulgaria recently passed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, Andrei and Alex still hope to live there free from persecution.
SocietyOctober 26, 2024
Serbia: Azis at a concert in Belgrade, September 2024

'They forgave me for being gay and Roma due to my voice'

Despite being openly gay and of Roma origin, singer Azis became a superstar in his native country Bulgaria and abroad.
SocietyOctober 17, 202403:35 min
A man in a blue shirt and sweater (Ivan Krastev ) sits on a blue sofa in front of a bookshelf full of books

Krastev: 'Trump and Harris will not accept a Putin victory'

Ivan Krastev speaks to DW about democracy, migration and the possible impact of the US election on the war in Ukraine.
PoliticsOctober 4, 2024
Deputy rises his hand in the parliament plenary hall of The National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria during a session

Bulgaria: Parliamentary elections begin alongside EU vote

Bulgarians are not only voting in EU elections but also in a sixth National Assembly election in three years.
PoliticsJune 9, 2024
Boyko Borisov (left) and Deljan Peewski (right) sit beside each other at a table, May 14, 2024

Bulgaria to elect sixth parliament in three years

Familiar faces and polarizing figures could return to power as Bulgarians vote for national and EU representatives.
PoliticsJune 7, 2024
Dont drink the milk Teaser

Travel Bite: Bulgarian boza for your bosom

We had a lot of dairy on our trip to Sofia, Bulgaria last season, but it wasn’t the only new food we tried.
CultureMay 21, 202412:44 min
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova walks out of the polling station in Skopje

North Macedonia: Right-wing opposition set for big victory

VMRO-DPMNE's candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova is set to become president. Her party is also winning in parliament.
PoliticsMay 8, 2024
A Bulgaria Air plane at Frankfurt Airport

EU: Romania and Bulgaria join Schengen area by air and sea

The Schengen zone, which allows travel in Europe without border controls, has welcomed the two new countries.
TravelMarch 31, 2024
Vivi Vassileva | deutsch-bulgarische Musikerin

Percussionist Vivi Vassileva

German-Bulgarian percussionist Vivi Vassileva puts all she’s got into her performances.
CultureMarch 4, 202404:33 min
DW Euromaxx (Sendungslogo Composite)

Euromaxx - Lifestyle Europe

Percussionist Vivi Vassileva, the world’s rarest noodles and Drachenburg Castle.
LifestyleMarch 1, 202426:06 min
Drone image of solar panels on the roof of a building. The panels belong to the Izgrei energy community in Belozem, Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Pioneering grassroots energy project bears fruit

Bulgaria lags behind when it comes to clean energy production. But a tiny energy cooperative is leading the way.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 29, 2024
Bulgarien | Denkmal der sowjetischen Armee in Sofia

Bulgaria starts dismantling Soviet monument in Sofia

The "Monument to the Soviet Army" was built in 1954 to remember the tenth anniversary of Red Troops entering the city.
PoliticsDecember 14, 2023
A worker walks past a pipe at the construction site of the Bulgaria-Serbia gas pipeline, near Kostinbrod

Serbia opens pipeline to Bulgaria to diversify gas supplies

The new pipeline connecting Serbia with EU member Bulgaria aims to reduce Serbia's dependence on Russian gas.
PoliticsDecember 10, 2023
Gabriella Bankova is seen during her hunger strike

Fighting for trans rights in Bulgaria

Gabriella Bankova went on a hunger strike in the Bulgarian capital to be able to officially change her gender.
Human RightsDecember 2, 2023
Homemade chilled tarator with ingredients on wooden rustic background.

The secret of Bulgarian yogurt

Bacteria to optimize digestion and extend life? Here's the story of an ancient superfood: Bulgarian yogurt.
CultureNovember 8, 2023
Dont drink the milk Teaser

Milk: From mutations to mustaches

On a trip through time and taste, we explore humanity's millennia-long relationship with milk.
CultureNovember 7, 202342:12 min
A smiling Vassil Terziev is seen walking through a door towards the camera

Bulgaria: Who is Vassil Terziev, Sofia's new mayor?

Sofia's new mayor, Vassil Terziev, wants to transform the Bulgarian capital. But can the political newcomer deliver?
PoliticsNovember 7, 2023
DW Sendung Euromaxx | Bulgarien Joghurt

Bulgarian yogurt: a fountain of youth?

The traditional dairy product is healthy and is said to prolong life: Is there anything to this belief?
LifestyleOctober 28, 202305:46 min
DW Euromaxx (Sendungslogo Composite)

Euromaxx - Lifestyle Europe

Halloween at Frankenstein castle, classical music on social media, and Bulgarian yogurt
LifestyleOctober 28, 202326:06 min
Dont drink the milk Teaser

What's in a name? A game of Broken Telephone

How the search for a podcast name led to Victorian parlor games, Russian scandals, and a classic 90s movie.
CultureOctober 17, 202311:10 min
Ships, buildings and cranes at Ukraine's Odesa Port

The Black Sea's role in Russia's war on Ukraine

The Black Sea was once a geopolitical afterthought in Europe. But all that has changed since Russia invaded Ukraine.
PoliticsSeptember 14, 2023
A man cleans a street on the aftermath of floods caused by heavy rains in Istanbul

Deadly storms and floods rage in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria

More than a dozen people died in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria as heavy rains hit those countries.
CatastropheSeptember 6, 2023
Heavy rains in Volos, Greece, turn streets into flooded torrents, with a car submurged under waters in the picture

Greece, Turkey downpours leave several dead

At least seven people have died after heavy rains in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria.
ClimateSeptember 6, 2023
DW Sendung Fokus Europa | Türkei Erdbeben

Focus on Europe – Spotlight on People

Six months after the earthquake in Turkey, people in affected areas are still in great need.
SocietyAugust 31, 202326:05 min
Alexey Petrov

Bulgaria: Controversial businessman shot dead in Sofia

Alexey Petrov was former secret agent and government adviser on the fight against organized crime.
CrimeAugust 17, 2023
Protesters hold up placards during a demonstration against violence against women in Sofia, Bulgaria, July 31, 2023

Bulgaria: Mass protests highlight violence against women

The brutal assault on an 18-year-old woman and the leniency shown to her assailant sparked protests across Bulgaria.
Law and JusticeAugust 4, 2023
Bulgaria Demonstrations in front of the monument for the Soviet army in Sofia

Should Soviet monuments be dismantled?

The war in Ukraine reignites a debate: How should Soviet monuments in eastern Europe be dealt with?
CultureJuly 29, 202312:35 min
DW Arts Unveiled (Sendungslogo Composite)

Loud debates! Loud music!

One European nation loudly debates the presence of Soviet monuments, and another hosts a heavy metal festival.
CultureJuly 29, 202326:06 min
People gather an imposing Soviet memorial.

Should Soviet monuments be dismantled or preserved?

The debate on how to deal with Soviet memorials has once again flared up in Eastern Europe. Let's zoom in on Bulgaria.
CultureJuly 9, 2023
People removing antisemitic symbols from a wall, Sofia, Bulgaria, 2022

Bulgaria: Concerns over a spike in antisemitic incidents

After a series of antisemitic incidents in the Bulgarian capital, Jewish community leaders say a line has been crossed.
ReligionJune 28, 2023
Olga Kharlan competes at the Fencing Grand Prix

The unwanted European fencing championships

A hastily arranged European championships will accommodate Russian fencers, but nobody is happy.
SportsJune 15, 2023
The raids were carried out by Germany's federal police

German police help smash Balkan human trafficking network

The ring smuggled victims along the Balkan migrant route in cargo trucks.
CrimeJune 7, 2023
South African investigators at the scene in Constantia, Cape Town

South Africa: 4 Bulgarian nationals shot dead in Cape Town

The four deceased were found with gunshot wounds in the leafy suburb of Constantia.
CrimeMay 25, 2023
Bulgarian Author Georgi Gospodinov

Prophetic Bulgarian novel wins International Booker Prize

Georgi Gospodinov's novel "Time Shelter" is a story of patriotic nostalgia also driving Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
CultureMay 24, 2023
The Joint Coordination Centre officials are seen onboard Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain

What's behind EU gripes over Ukrainian grain?

Five EU countries have said cheaper Ukrainian grain imports are damaging local farmers, and they want Brussels to help.
PoliticsApril 25, 2023
Kiril Petkov walking with other members of his party

Close race in Bulgaria's fifth election in two years

With inflation on voters' minds, preliminary results show a tight race between center-right GERB party and reformist PP.
PoliticsApril 3, 2023
Two black-and-white photos of Georgi Markov (left) attached by paperclips to a faded color photograph of Francesco Gullino (right)

Who was the Cold War 'umbrella assassin?'

A new documentary sheds some light on Francesco Gullino, the prime suspect in the 1978 murder of Georgi Markov.
CrimeMarch 21, 2023
A demonstrator holds up a cardboard placard with the image of missiles raining down on a Ukrainian mother and child, Sofia, Bulgaria, April 7, 2022

How Russia's Ukraine invasion impacted southeastern Europe

DW takes a closer look at how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has affected Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary and Romania.
ConflictsFebruary 23, 2023
Police and emergency media service seen on the site where the abandoned truck was found.

Bulgaria: 18 migrants found dead in truck

The truck had hidden close to 40 migrants from Afghanistan. Four Bulgarian suspects have been arrested.
MigrationFebruary 18, 2023
Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev in April 2022

How Bulgaria secretly armed Ukraine

Bulgaria supplied Ukraine with weapons through NATO deliveries, according to a new report.
PoliticsJanuary 21, 2023
This picture shows a view of the facility of the Lozenets-Nedyalsko natural gas transit pipeline to Turkey near the village of Lozenets on August 3, 2018. - The gas pipeline extension will increase the capacity of transited natural gas from 14 billion to 15.7 billion cubic metres a year,and will enable the transportation of gas in the opposite direction from Turkey to Bulgaria

Bulgaria signs deal for gas supplies via Turkey

Bulgargaz has penned a 13-year deal for access to Turkey's liquefied natural gas terminals and transit network.
PoliticsJanuary 3, 2023
Queues of cars at the border between Croatia and Slovenia

Schengen zone: Croatia gleeful, Bulgaria, Romania dismayed

The EU has agreed to Croatia joining the Schengen zone, but Bulgarian and Romanian bids are blocked.
PoliticsDecember 10, 2022
Several people sit in an open air communal office space with computers and printers

Bulgaria becomes hub for digital nomads

Remote work from abroad: An increasing number of international digital nomads are flocking to the small town of Bansko.
GlobalizationNovember 23, 202229:59 min
Police officers escort a man suspected of assisting the alleged bombing perpetrator

Bulgaria arrests 5 in connection with Istanbul blast

Bulgarian prosecutors say the suspects are accused of providing assistance to people involved in the blast.
TerrorismNovember 19, 2022