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

June 3 is a day of commemoration for the victims from Belene concentration camp

Over 20,000 people have been imprisoned at Belene in total

Photo: Belene municipality

The annual initiative commemorating the victims of the biggest concentration camp for the political opponents of the Bulgarian Communist Party in Bulgaria, is to take place at 12 noon today on the spot where the former concentration camp Belene stood on Persin island in the Danube in the times of the communist regime.

The event is organized by an action group of numerous NGOs and private individuals for the restoration of the annual commemoration, a tradition since 1990 mottoed: Together again to honour the memory of the victims of the Belene camp. The commemoration is being renewed after a 3-year break.

The concentration camp was opened in 1949 by the communist regime, and went by the name of “Second site”. To begin with, there were 300 prisoners but their number quickly grew to more than 2,000. Over 20,000 people have been imprisoned at Belene in total. Many of them lie buried in unmarked graves on Persin island.



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

Drop in temperatures, cloudy skies, rain expected in Bulgaria over the weekend

On Saturday, the minimum temperatures in Bulgaria will be from 8 to 13C, in Sofia – 10C. During the day, cloudy weather will prevail. Rain is expected in the southwestern regions. A moderate wind will blow from the east-northeast.  Maximum..

published on 9/26/25 7:25 PM

Bulgarian industry is vulnerable to climate dumping

In economic terms, Bulgaria is highly dependent on carbon-intensive production and is particularly vulnerable to the risk of these productions being shifted to countries with weaker environmental standards, with the corresponding loss of jobs and a..

published on 9/26/25 6:01 PM
Ivan Krastev

Just 10% of children deprived of parental care in Bulgaria can be adopted

Currently, out of nearly 8,000 children deprived of parental care, just 850 have permission for full adoption. This was announced by Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy Ivan Krastev at a roundtable in Sofia, specifying that about 3,700 children..

published on 9/26/25 5:35 PM