Bulgaria to Have its Own Model in the Mini-Europe Park
The model, in a 1:25 scale, will be the first Eastern Orthodox building in the park, which presents miniature models of tourist attractions from all the EU member states.
The inner buildings and frescos of the monastery will be depicted in the model, which will be one-metre high and spread over 20 square metres. Because of the closed architecture of the building, visitors will be able to see it from above from a raised platform.
The Rila Monastery is Bulgaria’s largest and best known Eastern Orthodox monastery, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was founded by the hermit Ivan Rilski in tenth century, who was later canonised as a saint. It served as a cultural and spiritual centre and helped preserve the Bulgarian national consciousness during Ottoman rule. Rebuilt after a fire in the nineteenth century, according to UNESCO, it is a “characteristic example of the Bulgarian Renaissance.”
The model is expected to be ready by the spring or summer of 2008, according to English-language daily Sofia Echo.
Epicure
Balkans
Balkan Culinary Wars III: Other People’s Meatballs
Ćevapčići from Leskovac, köfte from İzmir or Bulgarian kebapche? Greek keftedes too, please!
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Curiosity Chest
Albania
Bunkers in Albania Converted into Hotels and Bars with Stunning Views
18 May 2010 | In Albania, projects to convert some of the 750,000 bunkers built during Enver Hoxha’s totalitarian regime and scattered all over the country into hotels, cottages and bars are underway. Full Story
Useful Reads
Balkans
Through Another Europe (2009) | Edited by Andrew Hammond
When Henry Blount journeyed through Bosnia in the 1630s, two things struck him: the purity of the water and the great height of the Bosnians, which, he noted, “made me suppose them the offspring of those old Germans noted by Tacitus and Caesar for their huge size.”
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Music
Albania
16-Year Old Kejsi Tola to Represent Albania in Eurovision Song Contest
20 March 2009 | Kejsi Tola, a student at the Art College of Tirana, will be heading to Moscow this year for Eurovision. She cleared her own path to Moscow by winning the National Song Festival in December.
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Photogalleries
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A Perfect Shot
In Homo Urbanus Europeanus, exhibited May 9-24 in front of the National Theatre in Sofia, Jean-Marc Caracci presents his photographs of people in the urban environment of European capitals.
RED&WHITE SOFIA. On the 1st of March Bulgarians say goodbye to the winter. They buy each other red&white threads to carry around until they see a stork and spring can begin. Photography by Lode Desmet
BULGARIA D'OR: The Bulgarian countryside, patinated with the noble golden dust of the autumn. Photographs by Lode Desmet
360 degrees Bulgaria, an exhibition by photographer Alexandar Ivanov, is on display at the Sea Garden in Varna until August 28. It will be shown at Plovdiv’s Central Square from Sept 5.
The exhibition Photographs of a Trip Through Bulgaria by Hungarian photographer András Balla can be seen in Sofia's Hungarian Cultural Institute, at Aksakov 16 Street, until August 22
Instant Spring in Sofia | Photographs by Lode Desmet
Off-the-season Beauty of Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast | Photographs by Adelina Iliev
Bulgaria's Northern Black Sea Coast
Photographs by Albena Shkodrova
excellent smugs