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

US Embassy in Sofia invites the new patriarch to reception on the occasion of the 4th of July

The newly elected Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil attended a reception at the US Embassy on the occasion of Independence Day, BGNES reported. The head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was invited by Ambassador Kenneth Merten to attend the..

published on 7/3/24 11:12 AM

Bulgaria has sent humanitarian aid to Gaza through Jordan

Humanitarian aid provided by Bulgaria to the civilian population of Gaza was loaded in trucks that departed for the region on June 29, the Bulgarian Embassy in Jordan announced on Facebook. The shipment includes food, medicine, tents..

published on 7/3/24 10:18 AM

Bulgarian President calls for quick completion of the Alexandroupolis LNG terminal

President Rumen Radev has held a working meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. In Athens, they discussed the urgent activation of work on strategic bilateral projects. At a briefing, Radev said that the liquefied..

published on 7/3/24 9:28 AM