Do you have plans for this weekend? If you don't and you're a fan of vintage cars, you might consider visiting the town of Veliko Tarnovo. This Saturday /March 19/ it will host the 7th edition of the local Tranbant Fest. The event has become a tradition in Bulgaria's old capital town, drawing owners of this attractive Socialist car from across the country. Although production of the brand stopped a quarter of a century ago, over 3 million copies of the car have been produced. The brand has fans throughout Europe. We contacted MP Milen Mihov, one of the festival organizers. Here's what he told Radio Bulgaria:

“The festival has established itself as one of the biggest events in the country. Each year the interest is growing. For three years we have international participation as the strongest group are our friends from Romania. We have a request from Germany, from Greece and we hope it will turn into a real holiday. I think our Trabant Fest has welcomed almost all the remarkable cars existing in Bulgaria. This year for the first time we will show a restored Trabant 600, which is perhaps the only one of this type of car. Other interesting cars that have visited the Veliko Tarnovo festival are several limousines, which are the work of the engineering and technical genius of their owners and many different richly painted fine-tuned cars. A few years ago, an inventor had embedded a hydrogen cell into his Trabant and it was running on water. The Trabant is a car that first creates a sense of connection between the driver and the car and next, moving with this car, you feel that it emits a positive mood”.

Among the mandatory events for the day is a race in masterful driving, which will be held in the parking lot of the Targovski park in the old town. Prizes will be awarded for the best restored, the oldest and best preserved Trabant, as well as to the oldest and youngest participant.

This year the organizers have not forgotten their youngest visitors. There will be a playground where animators will entertain the children and tell them about the history and characteristics of the brand. Parents can also learn something new such as when the first "Trabant" was produced. This happened in the German city of Zwickau on November 8, 1957. The car was launched in honour of the first Russian satellite launched into outer space by the Soviet Union. The world for “satellite” in German translates as Trabant. When its production began, it appeared that there was not enough sheet iron for the shell. Thus the idea was born of ​​a car made of thermoset, which is a combination of cotton fibres and plastic. This makes the car virtually indestructible, since this material does not corrode and can withstand fairly heavy blows without being deformed.

The festival of two-stroke engine vehicles is part of the festive program of the old capital on the occasion of the official day of Veliko Tarnovo marked on 22 March.

English Rossitsa Petcova