Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria commemorates 100 years of severing of Bulgaria's Western outlands after end of WW1

Town of Bosilegrad, in present-day Serbia
Photo: far.rs

After the First World War /1914-1918/ and the decision of the Neuilly Peace Treaty in 1919, on November 6, 1920, the Serbian army occupied Bulgaria's Western outlands (129 settlements in the regions of Tsaribrod, Bosilegrad, and Strumica) with an area totalling ​​1,545 sq. km and a population of nearly 65,000 people. 

On the day of the occupation, the National Assembly of Bulgaria suspended its sittings as a token of protest and declared 3 days of national mourning. 
The black headscarf became a symbol of this occupation. The Bulgarian women in the occupied territories put on black headscarves ion their heads in sign of national mourning, and the border drawn in this way has been called by the local Bulgarians the "Black Border". 
In the occupied territories, Serbs closed down 7 schools and 45 churches.
Despite the pandemic, Bosilegrad Cultural and Information centre, GLAS Association and the Democratic Union of Bulgarians in Bosilegrad, Serbia, will symbolically mark the Day of the Western Outlands and the centenary of the occupation of these lands with a minute of silence to those who died at the border, the Bosilegrad Cultural and Information Centre has announced. 



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgaria hosts a global event of OECD related to students' skills

Today Bulgaria is hosting a global event of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The results of the organisation's global report on social-emotional skills among 15-year-old students around the world will be announced from..

published on 4/26/24 6:35 AM

Sunshine and snow on the peaks on Friday

Clouds will break over the western half of the country overnigh t, becoming mostly clear, while rain will continue to fall over the east. Friday will be mostly sunny. There will be light winds, mainly from the north. Minimum temperatures will be between..

published on 4/25/24 7:05 PM

Prime Minister: 'We are exploring options for the release of the Bulgarian sailors from the Galaxy Leader'. 

Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev and Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov met at the Council of Ministers with relatives of the Bulgarian sailors on board the hijacked ship Galaxy Leader, where Glavchev assured that efforts to secure their release were..

published on 4/25/24 6:35 PM