Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria marks the International Day in memory of the victims of the Holocaust

On today's memorial date - January 27, the world community pays tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. It was on this date, in 1945, when the Soviet army liberated the few survivors of the concentration camp Auschwitz (Oswiecim-Birkenau, in Poland), the atrocities of the Nazis in the death camps became public knowledge, and the liberated Auschwitz camp became a symbol of the Nazi genocide. 

60 years later, in 2005, the date was declared by the United Nations as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Then the Secretary General of the organization described the day as "an important reminder of the universally relevant lessons of the Holocaust -  this unprecedented manifestation of evil that should not simply be left in the past and passed into oblivion".

Today, this day is already observed by more and more countries, paying tribute to the victims of the Holocaust and the liberation of the most horrific Nazi death camp, Auschwitz. This year, however, the heirs of the liberators are not invited to the commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Jews in the Polish city. To AFP, the spokesman of the Auschwitz museum, Piotr Cywinski, noted that representatives of Russia were not invited to the commemoration because of its aggression against independent Ukraine.

In Sofia, the memory of the victims is being commemorated with a film week from January 26 to 31 at the Odeon cinema, which recalls in special thematic screenings the dark events of the time of Nazism. The aim of the initiative of the Organization of Jews in Bulgaria "Shalom" together with the Master of Art International Film Festival and the support of Sofia Municipality is to present to the general public the fate of various Jews during the Second World War. The free screenings present different perspectives and personal stories from Europe's not-so-distant dark past.

The date will also be marked by the representatives of the Bulgarian Anti-Fascist Union in Sofia, who will honor the victims and lay flowers and wreaths in front of the monument to the Soviet Army.





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

Culinary stars arrive in Burgas for the World Paella Cup

On June 21 and 22, the Expo Center "Flora" in the Sea Garden in Burgas will turn into a culinary arena , where the best paella masters from all over Bulgaria will face each other in the national qualifications for the World Paella Day Cup . There are..

published on 6/19/25 2:06 PM
Bulgaria's longest legal graffiti art wall is ready for its opening this weekend.

Kustendil unveils Bulgaria’s longest legal graffiti wall

A retaining wall alongside the Banshtitsa River in Kyustendil is being transformed into the country’s longest legal graffiti art wall, according to a report by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). "The goal is to attract artists from around the world to..

published on 6/19/25 8:25 AM

The oldest Bulgarian ensemble in the US, "Otets Paisii" from Pittsburgh, is touring Bulgaria

Back home again after 30 years! This is exactly what is happening to the oldest Bulgarian folk ensemble in North America. Affiliated with the Bulgarian-Macedonian National, Educational, and Cultural Center (BMNECC) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Otets..

published on 6/17/25 4:28 PM