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 is an attractive destination for dental tourism

The Balkans are attracting more and more medical tourists, with Turkiye being the undisputed leader, ranking among the top 10 most preferred countries for health tourism, according to the jury of the ninth edition of the BALKAN MEDICAL AWARDS 2024,..

published on 7/4/24 1:53 PM

The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy provides temporary employment for 2,800 unemployed

In the coming months of 2024, around 2,800 unemployed people will start working under the regional employment programs, the press center of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy reported. The programmes are funded by the Ministry of Labour and..

published on 7/4/24 12:46 PM
Dimitar Glavchev

Bulgaria sending troops to Ukraine is out of the question, PM Glavchev assures

Bulgaria sending troops to Ukraine is out of the question , caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev said at the beginning of his hearing in parliament. Glavchev was briefing MPs on Bulgaria's position at the upcoming NATO summit in Washington. In his..

published on 7/4/24 11:29 AM