Each year at least one village vanishes from Bulgaria's map. According to data of the National Statistical Institute, in 2015 alone, a total of 164 Bulgarian villages disappeared from the country map. The large-scale migration to Bulgaria's biggest cities and abroad contributed to the depopulation of thousands of small Bulgarian settlements. The joyful bell toll during the national holidays and feasts has been left in the past in many places, and if local people hear any bell tolling at all, they know that yet another fellow villager has passed away. However, the number of Bulgarians who get tired from the stressful urban lifestyle and try to settle in quiet and remote places has been recently on the rise.

Bulgarian puppet actress Irena Nencheva is among those who are trying to leave the stress and the clamor of the urban life behind their backs. Her initiative entitled Rent a Property for Free stirred the interest of many Bulgarian families towards the country's villages and made them return to their roots. Irena told Radio Bulgaria what motivated her to undertake that initiative: 

“One and a half years ago I was also looking for a house in the village where I grew up. There were dozens of abandoned houses in my village. I decided to ask some of the owners who live in the cities whether I could live and take care of their property. I noticed that there were numerous abandoned houses in Bulgaria and that many people living in Bulgarian cities could settle in those houses and take care of the properties together with their real owners. The relations between owners and house tenants are settled by a written contract which contains all necessary terms and conditions. The rent in most cases is quite symbolic. Usually the people living in such houses are obliged to take good care of those properties. ”

Initially many Bulgarians distrusted Irena's idea to connect owners of abandoned houses with ones wishing to settle in such places. Later, however, her plan turned successful and over 30 abandoned Bulgarian houses have now found their new tenants thanks to her Facebook group and the newly-launched web site. Irena believes that when demand meets supply, it is merely a coincidence of interests, rather than a bargain, or a deal. Some owners possess properties, but are incapable of taking care of their houses. Others, however, look for such houses and look forward to face their long-awaited challenge. The organizers advise those who are skeptical about that initiative to stay away, because negative attitude is what hampers the fulfillment of such undertakings the most.

Many young Bulgarians believe rural life is boring and too monotonous. However, in Irena Nencheva's view that is so, because their parents and friends contributed to their negative attitude towards rural life. Those people have lost their sensitivity and can't feel the true rhythm of life there. They are mainly worried about the quality of the internet connection. If they forget about their smartphones for a while, they have the chance to hear the long-forgotten laughter from their childhood. They can remember that once they spent their summers in their grandparents' house playing with their neighbors from dawn till dusk. Later, they may want to stay there longer.

Although the Rent a Property for Free initiative seems a bit strange, it is very useful and important. It gives many depopulated Bulgarian villages the chance to fill with life again. On the other hand, their residents will have a cause and a stimulus to fulfill that goal. They only need to have a bit more faith, desire and humaneness to make it happen.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov