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

Ivelin Muhaylov

New party Velichie on the verge of collapse, says founder

The smallest political party in Parliament - Velichie - is on the verge of collapse, its founder Ivelin Mihaylov has warned, after the party's MPs voted unanimously against the government proposed by GERB.  PP-DB reaffirms its refusal to support a..

published on 7/4/24 9:37 AM

Rain to move off, except for brief local showers in the south

On Thursday, clouds will break over the country. After midday there will be short showers with thunderstorms in the Rila-Rhodope area. Minimum temperatures will be between 15 and 23°C, 15°C in Sofia. Maximum temperatures will be between 25 and 30°C,..

published on 7/3/24 7:05 PM

The folklore ensemble ''Rodina'' to represent Bulgaria at the European Union Cultural Festival in Ottawa

The Bulgarian folklore ensemble ''Rodina'', led by Rayna Stamatova, will represent our country at the annual European Union Cultural Festival, which will be held in Lansdowne Park in Ottawa on July 13, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced...

published on 7/3/24 6:04 PM