Surprising facts about Bulgaria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The largest bay is the Burgas bay at the Black Sea Coast. ... The total number of falls in Bulgaria is nearly 300, 70 of which are looked after by the state ...
A €360,000,000 project exists for the modernisation and electrification of the Plovdiv-Kapitan Andreevo railway.Air transportation has developed relatively comprehensively. A formal peace treaty lasted until 912, when both sides became engaged in a war which ended with several major defeats of the Byzantines, including one of the bloodiest battles in the Middle Ages at Anchialus in AD 917. A History of the First Bulgarian Empire (in English). A party or coalition must win a minimum of 4% of the vote in order to enter parliament. A Polish-Hungarian crusade under the rule of Władysław III of Poland to free the Balkans was crushed in 1444 in the battle of Varna.During the 13th and 14th centuries Bulgarian culture flourished. A right-wing government under Aleksandar Tsankov took power, backed by the army and the VMRO, which waged a White terror against the Agrarians and the Communists. A year later Tsar Boris managed to remove the military régime from power, restoring a form of parliamentary rule (without the re-establishment of the political parties) and under his own strict control. Additionally Bulgaria engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the native Greek population in its area of occupation, killing thousands of civilians and terrorising the rest into avoiding use of their language. Additionally, he featured in the FIFA 100 rankings. After that, the Hungarians made an attempt to increase their influence beyond the Danube river; John Comnenus' campaigns along the Danube eventually drove back the Hungarians as well by c.1140. After the fall of communism in 1989, most of them are not used as the importance of domestic flights declined. After World War II, Bulgaria became a communist state and part of the Eastern Bloc.Currently, Bulgaria functions as a parliamentary democracy under a unitary constitutional republic. Alexander von Battenberg took the position of Bulgaria's first Prince. Although Bulgaria lacks large reserves of oil and gas, it produces significant quantities of electricity. An Industry Watch report predicts inflation rate of 5% for 2008, with unemployment dropping further to a record low of 6.5%. Arable farming predominates over stock-breeding. Arms production mainly operates in central Bulgaria (Kazanlak, Sopot, Karlovo).Foreigners seeking additional homes have recently boosted the Bulgarian properties market. At the 2006 Volleyball World Championship, they won the bronze medal.Chess has achieved great popularity. Beach-resorts attract tourists from Germany, Russia, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. BORIANA Publishing House 2002, ISBN 9545000449^ Runciman, p. Bulgaria again became a significant military power under the rule of the Asen dynasty in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Bulgaria also instituted a large-scale colonisation program of these areas with peasants from the Bulgarian heartland. Bulgaria became one of three countries (with Finland and Denmark) that saved its entire Jewish population (around 50,000) from the Nazi camps by refusing to comply with a 31 August 1943 resolution. Bulgaria has 6,500 km (4,000 mi) of railway track, more than 60% electrified. Bulgaria has a fertility-rate of 1.4 children per woman as of 2007, with a predicted rate of 1.7 by the end of 2050. Bulgaria has about 185,000[39] Internet hosts.Bulgaria supplied many scientific and research instruments for the Soviet space-program, and also sent two men into space: Georgi Ivanov on Soyuz 33 (1979) and Alexander Alexandrov on Soyuz TM-5 (1985). Bulgaria has achieved major success with its judo and karate teams in European and World championships. Bulgaria has six official international airports — at Sofia, Burgas, Varna, Plovdiv, Rousse and Gorna Oryahovitsa. Bulgaria has tamed inflation since the deep economic crisis in 1996-1997, but latest figures show an increase in the inflation-rate to 12,5% for 2007. Bulgaria is becoming an attractive destination because of the quality of the resorts and prices below those found in Western Europe.Bulgaria has enjoyed a substantial growth in income from international tourism over the past decade. Bulgarians generally refer to the results of the treaty as the "Second National Catastrophe".Elections in March 1920 gave the Agrarians a large majority, and Aleksandar Stamboliyski formed Bulgaria's first peasant government. Bulgarians in towns can access the Internet, and recently most villages have acquired fast connectivity and VoIP; BTK offers DSL connection in larger cities. Bulgaria's air forces also use a large amount of Soviet equipment. Bulgaria's naval and air forces became fully professional in 2006, with the land-forces scheduled to follow suit in 2008. Bulgaria's navy comprises mainly Soviet-era ships, and two submarines. Bulgaria's Road to the First World War (1996) New York: Columbia University Press ISBN 088033357XMacDermott, Mercia A History of Bulgaria, 1393-1885 (1962)Perry, Duncan M. Bulgaria's roads have a total length of 102,016 km (63,390 mi), 93,855 km (58,319 mi) of them paved and 441 km (274 mi) of them motorways. But the Bulgarian authorities did send Jews and Greeks in territories newly-acquired from Greece and Yugoslavia to death-camps at Germany's request. By the end of the following century factional divisions between Bulgarian feudal landlords (boyars) had gravely weakened the cohesion of the Empire which therefore collapsed before the invading Ottoman armies in the 1390s. By the use of approximately 12,000 heavy cavalry in tactics resembling those of feudal knights, Simeon I's forces reached as far as the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, in AD 896 . Byzantium recognized the new state by treaty in 681.Pressure from the Khazars led to the loss of the eastern part of Great Bulgaria in the second half of the seventh century. Central government weakened over the decades, and this had allowed a number of local adventurers and freebooters to establish personal ascendancy over separate regions. Centuries later, this alphabet, along with the Old Bulgarian language, fostered the intellectual written language (lingua franca) for Eastern Europe, known as Church Slavonic. Centuries later, with the decline of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185 - 1396/1422), the country came under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries. Cheap house for sale in Bulgaria^ Bojidar Dimitrov: Bulgaria Illustrated History. Construction has started on a second plant, the Belene Nuclear Power Plant with a projected capacity of 2,000 MW. Crampton, A Concise History of Bulgaria, 1997, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-567-19-X^ D. Crampton, A Concise History of Bulgaria, 1997, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-567-19-X^ D. Crampton, A Concise History of Bulgaria, 1997, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-567-19-X^ Dennis P. Dan Kolov has became a wrestling legend in the early 20th century after leaving for United States.Bulgarians have made many significant achievements in athletics. Defeat in 1918 led to new territorial losses (the Western Outlands to Serbia, Western Thrace to Greece and the re-conquered Southern Dobrudzha to Romania). Diplomacy re-established Bulgaria as a constitutional monarchy in 1878, with the Treaty of San Stefano marking the birth of the Third Bulgarian Kingdom. Drier areas include Dobrudzha and the northern coastal strip, while the higher parts of the mountains Rila and Stara Planina receive the highest levels of precipitation. During his reign, the Cyrillic alphabet originated in Preslav and Ohrid,[13] adapted from the Glagolitic alphabet invented by the monks Saints Cyril and Methodius.[14]The Cyrillic alphabet became the basis for further cultural development. During the government of Zhan Videnov's cabinet in 1996, the economy collapsed due to lack of international economic support and an unstable banking system. During World War II Nazi Germany allowed Bulgaria to occupy parts of Greece and of Yugoslavia. Economic forecasts for 2005 and 2006 predicted continued growth for the economy. Economists predicted annual year-on-year GDP growth for 2005 and 2006 of 5.3% and 6.0% respectively. Emperor Ivan Alexander won a reputation as a great maecenas and patron of culture.[edit] Ottoman ruleIn the mid 13th century the Second Bulgarian Empire dominated the Balkan Peninsula. Findley, The Turks in World History, pp. Finkel, The History of the Ottoman Empire:Osman's Dream, pp. Five of the ten Trans-European corridors run through its territory. Forecasters expected industrial output in 2005 to rise by 11.9% from the previous year, and by 15.2% in 2006. Founded in 870 AD under the Patriarchate of Constantinople (from which it obtained its first primate, its clergy and theological texts), the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has had autocephalous status since 927. From 1300, under Emperor Theodore Svetoslav Bulgaria regained its strength, but by the end of the fourteenth century the country had disintegrated into several feudal principalities, which the Ottoman Empire eventually conquered. G. Bell & Sons, London. Zlatarski, Vasil N. George), and Bulgarians celebrate his feast day, 6 May nationally as Valour and Army Day. Given the existence of such
irreconcilable opponents to Byzantium as Krakra, Nikulitsa, Dragash and others, such apparent passivity seems difficult to explain. He also chairs the Consultative Council for National Security. He faced huge social problems, but succeeded in carrying out many reforms, although opposition from the middle and upper classes, the landlords and the officers of the army remained powerful. He played a significant role in US aircraft-development and took part in many other projects.The Bulgarian American inventor and scientist Peter Petroff became best known for his work in NASA. Hilly country and plains lie in the southeast, along the Black Sea coast in the east, and along Bulgaria's main river, the Danube in the north. His career peaked between 1992 and 1995, while he played for FC Barcelona, winning the Ballon d'Or in 1994. However, internationally his title equated to "King", not to "Emperor" (as the title Tsar suggests)In September 1918 Tsar Ferdinand abdicated in favour of his son Boris III in order to head off revolutionary tendencies. However, these too were crushed at Levounion and again in c. Hristo Stoichkov has arguably become the best-known Bulgarian footballer of all time. Important domestic airports include those of Vidin, Pleven, Silistra, Targovishte, Stara Zagora, Kardzhali, Haskovo and Sliven. In 1091 another invasion came in the form of the Pechenegs. In 1876 the April uprising broke out: the largest and best-organized Bulgarian rebellion against the Ottoman Empire. In 188 BC the Romans invaded Thrace, and the wars with them continued to 45. In 1912 Bulgarian forces introduced aviation bombardment, in the siege of Odrin.Following a series of reductions beginning in 1989, the active troops of Bulgaria's army number as many as 68,450 today. In 1926 the Tsar persuaded Tsankov to resign, a more moderate government under Andrey Lyapchev took office and an amnesty was proclaimed, although the Communists remained banned. In 1944 Bulgaria's forces (a 450,000 strong army in 1944, reduced to 130,000 in 1945) turned against the country's former ally, Germany. In 1989 the population comprised 9,009,018 people, in 2001 7,950,000 and in 2008 7,277,856. In 1997 the BSP government collapsed and the UDF came to power. In 2001, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church had 6,552,000 members in Bulgaria (82.6% of the population). In 971, they seized the capital Preslav and captured Emperor Boris II.[18] Resistance continued under Tsar Samuil in the western Bulgarian lands for nearly half a century. In addition, Bulgaria has a Supreme Administrative Court and a system of military courts. In all, Bulgaria has 28 provinces, each headed by a provincial governor appointed by the government. In March 1923 Stamboliyski signed an agreement with the Kingdom of Yugoslavia recognising the new border and agreeing to suppress Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO), which favoured a war to regain Macedonia for Bulgaria. In production of many metals per capita, Bulgaria ranks first in South Eastern Europe.About 14% of the total industrial production relates to machine-building, and 24% of the people work in this field. In production of steel and steel products per capita the country heads the Balkans. In summer, temperatures in the south of Bulgaria often exceed 40 degrees Celsius, but remain cooler by the coast. In the 19th century there came into existence the Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee and the Internal Revolutionary Organisation led by liberal revolutionaries such as Vasil Levski, Hristo Botev, Lyuben Karavelov and many others. In the course of recent modernization efforts, one new frigate was purchased from Belgium, and the navy is finalizing a deal with French company DCN for the acquisition of four Gowind corvettes. In the first place, Basil II guaranteed the indivisibility of Bulgaria in its former geographic borders and did not abolish officially the local rule of the Bulgarian nobility that now became part of Byzantine aristocracy as archons or strategs. In the late 1970s it began normalizing relations with Greece, and in the 1990s with Turkey. In the mid to late 11th century, the Normans, fresh from their recent conquests in southern Italy and Sicily, landed in the Balkans and began advancing against the Byzantine Empire. In the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries, missionaries from Rome converted Bulgarian Paulicians in the districts of Plovdiv and Svishtov to Roman Catholicism. In wrestling, Serafim Barzakov, Armen Nazarian, Plamen Slavov, Kiril Sirakov and Sergey Moreyko rank as world-class wrestlers. It became a full member of the European Union on 1 January 2007. It became a People's Republic in 1946 and one of the USSR's staunchest allies. It gradually gained ground throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries through the introduction of Turkish colonists and the conversion of native Bulgarians. It has large deposits of manganese ore in the north-east. It took the Byzantines until 1185 before the Normans were driven out but until then they posed a constant threat to Byzantine Bulgaria. It will be another 45 years before Bulgaria will attain independence. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press^ Fine, The Early Medieval Balkans, pp. Its importance has decreased since 1989.Electronics and electric equipment-production have developed to a high degree. J. A Concise History of Bulgaria (2005) Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press ISBN 9780521616379Detrez, Raymond Historical Dictionary of Bulgaria (2006) Second Edition lxiv + 638 pp. Jackson Balkan Economic History, 1550-1950: From Imperial Borderlands to Developing Nations (1982)Lampe, John R. John Skylitzes, ChronicleIn the first decade after the establishment of Byzantine rule, no evidence remains of any major attempt at resistance or any uprising of the Bulgarian population or nobility. Many Bulgarian fans closely follow the top Bulgarian league, the Bulgarian "A" Professional Football Group; as well as the leagues of other European countries. Many roads have recently undergone reconstruction. Maps, bibliography, appendix, chronology ISBN 978-0-8108-4901-3Lampe, John R., and Marvin R. Maria Gigova and Maria Petrova have each held a record of three world-titles in rhythmic gymnastics. Massive investment plans exist for the first three. Medieval History of the Bulgarian State. Missionary work continued throughout the second half of the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century. Mobikom provides the only NMT 450 mobile-phone service. More than 20,000 Bulgarian soldiers and officers died in the war.[edit] The People's Republic of BulgariaAfter World War II Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. More than 6,245,000 Bulgarians[38] own mobile cellular phones. Most of Thrace was included in the autonomous region of Eastern Rumelia, whereas the rest of Thrace and all of Macedonia was returned under the sovereignty of the Ottomans. Most shipbuilding takes place in Varna, Burgas and Ruse. Much of the production of steel and pig iron takes place in Kremikovtsi and Pernik, with a third metallurgical base in Debelt. Negative population growth has occurred since the early 1990s,[42] due to economic collapse and high emigration. Now Bulgaria suffers a severe demographic crisis[citation needed]. Of the remaining 2.0%, 0.9% comprises some 40 smaller minorities, most prominently in numbers the Russians, Armenians, Vlachs, Jews, Crimean Tatars and Karakachans. One of the top chess-masters and a former world champion, Veselin Topalov, plays for Bulgaria. Other famous gymnasts include Simona Peycheva and Neshka Robeva (a highly successful coach as well). Other major rivers include the Struma and the Maritsa river in the south.Rila and Pirin feature around 260 glacial lakes; the country also has several large lakes on the Black Sea coast and more than 2,200 dam lakes. Other motorways are planned but their final track is yet to be decided. Other popular clubs include PFC Lokomotiv Sofia, PFC Litex Lovech, PFC Cherno More Varna and PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv. Other than Burgas, Sozopol, Nesebar and Pomorie are big fishing ports. Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I annexed Bulgaria following his victory against a crusade at the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396 .[22][23][24] According to some historians the five centuries of Ottoman rule featured violence and oppression. Parliament elects the twelve members of the Constitutional Court by a two-thirds majority: the members serve for a nine-year term.The territory of the Republic of Bulgaria subdivides into provinces and municipalities. Petroff also invented the first digital watch.[citation needed]U.S. Plans exist for a $1.4bn project for construction of an additional 670 MW for the 500 MW Maritza Iztok 1 Thermal Power Plant[36] (see Energy in Bulgaria).Ferrous metallurgy has major importance. Plans to acquire transport and attack helicopters are underway, in addition to a major overhaul on old Soviet weapon systems. Plants produce trains (Burgas, Dryanovo), trams (Sofia), trolleys (Dupnitsa), buses (Botevgrad), trucks (Shumen), motorcars (automotive assembly plant in Lovech). Precipitation in Bulgaria averages about 630 millimetres per year. Presently, Bulgaria takes pride in its sprinters, especially Ivet Lalova and Tezdzhan Naimova.Volleyball recently experienced a big resurgence. Reserve forces include 303,000 soldiers and officers. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.Bulgaria Portal[edit] Further readingCrampton, R. Ruse serves as the main centre for agricultural machinery. Several motorways are planned, under construction or partially built: Trakiya motorway, Hemus motorway, Cherno More motorway, Struma motorway, Maritza motorway and Lyulin motorway. Since ancient times, the country has served as a major crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa. Smaller deposits exist of iron, silver, chromite, nickel and others. Some historians[21] explain this fact by concessions that Basil II granted the Bulgarian nobility in order to gain their obedience. Some towns such as Gabrovo, Tryavna, Karlovo, Lovech, Skopie prospered. Spa resorts such as Bankya, Hisarya, Sandanski, Velingrad, Varshets and many others attract visitors throughout the year. Starting in 2008, Bulgaria will completely abolish compulsory military service. Stefan Stambolov and the Emergence of Modern Bulgaria, 1870-1895 (1993) Durham: Duke University Press ISBN 0822313138Runciman, Steven (1930). Stefka Kostadinova, who still holds the women's high jump world record, jumped 209 centimetres at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome to clinch the coveted title. Summer resorts exist on the Black Sea at Sozopol, Nessebur, Golden Sands, Sunny Beach, Sveti Vlas, Albena, Saints Constantine and Helena and many others. The architecture of the Tarnovo Artistic School and the painting of the Tarnovo Artistic School produced some splendid achievements. The armed forces have as their patron saint Sveti Georgi (St. The Balkan Wars and World War I led to the influx of over 250,000 Bulgarian refugees from Macedonia, Eastern and Western Thrace and Southern Dobrudzha. The barrier effect of the Balkan Mountains influences climate throughout the country: northern Bulgaria gets slightly cooler and receives more rain than the southern regions. The biggest uprising occurred under the leadership of Peter II Delyan, (proclaimed Emperor of Bulgaria in Belgrade in 1040). The Black Sea defines the extent of the country to the east.Bulgaria comprises the classical regions of Moesia, Thrace, and Macedonia. The Bulgaria national football team achieved its greatest success with a fourth-place finish at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.Dimitar Berbatov currently ranks as the most popular[citation needed] Bulgarian footballer. The Bulgarian Economy in the Twentieth Century (1986) London: Croom Helm ISBN 0709916442[edit] Pre 1939Hall, Richard C. The Bulgarian national volleyball team,one of the strongest teams in Europe, currently ranks fifth in the FIVB ranklist. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church, as the independent national church of Bulgaria (like the other national branches of Eastern Orthodoxy in their respective countries) plays a role as an inseparable element of Bulgarian national consciousness. The Bulgarian peasants actually possessed their land, although it officially belonged to the sultan. The conquerors also assumed virtual ownership of the land, though they vested legal ownership in Allah’s representative on earth, the Sultan. The country had joined the United Nations in 1955, and became a founding member of OSCE in 1995. The country had to reduce its army to 20,000 men, and to pay reparations exceeding $400 million. The country has a lack of modern equipment. The country still belongs amongst the poorest member states of the EU, but standards of living have started to rise. The First Balkan War (1912-1913) proved a success for the Bulgarian army, but a conflict over the division of Macedonia arose amongst the victorious allies. The first signs of recovery emerged in 1994 when the GDP grew and inflation fell. The highest recorded temperature is 46.7c near Plovdiv.The country possesses relatively rich mineral-resources, including vast reserves of lignite and anthracite coal; non-ferrous ores such as copper, lead, zinc and gold. The king's party — National Movement Simeon II ("NMSII") — won 120 out of 240 seats in Parliament and overturned the two pre-existing political parties. The largest centres include Sofia, Plovdiv and the surrounding area, Botevgrad, Stara Zagora, Varna, Pravets and many other cities. The largest ports on the Danube River are Rousse and Lom which serves the capital. The mountainous southwest of the country has two alpine ranges — Rila and Pirin — and further east stand the lower but more extensive Rhodope Mountains. The National awakening of Bulgaria became one of the key factors in the struggle for freedom. The new rulers made few attempts to enforce conversion to Islam and relatively few Bulgarians felt attracted to the new ruling faith by the legal privileges its adherents enjoyed. The next scheduled elections should take place in summer 2009.The Bulgarian judicial system consists of regional, district and appeal courts, as well as a Supreme Court of Cassation. The nineteenth century also brought improved communications, transportation and trade. The Orthodox Church re-established the Bulgarian Patriarchate in Sofia in the 1950s after the promulgation of the Bulgarian Exarchate in 1870. The Ottomans decimated the Bulgarian population, which lost most of its cultural relics. The People's Republic ended in 1989 as many Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, as well as the Soviet Union itself, began to collapse. The ports of Varna and Burgas are by far the most important and have the largest turnover. The reaction against economic reform allowed BSP to take office again in 1995, but by 1996 the BSP government had also encountered difficulties, and in the presidential elections of that year the UDF's Petar Stoyanov was elected. The Rila range includes the highest peak of the Balkan Peninsula, Musala, at 2,925 meters (9,596 ft); the long range of the Balkan mountains runs west-east through the middle of the country, north of the famous Rose Valley. The Second Balkan War (1913) pitted Bulgaria against Greece and Serbia, joined by Romania and Turkey. The ski-resorts are a favourite destination for British and Irish tourists.Bulgaria now attracts close to 7 million visitors yearly. The standard-of-living fell by about 40%, but it regained pre-1990 levels in June 2004. The votes go to parties or to coalition-lists of candidates for each of the 28 administrative divisions. The Western Great Powers immediately rejected the treaty: they feared that a large Slavic country in the Balkans will serve Russian interests. There are buses, trolleys (in about 20 cities) and trams (in Sofia). There are many military airports and agricultural airfields. There is well organised public transport in the cities and in many smaller towns. These local ayans employed armed retainers and having established their authority frequently imposed new and far more arduous tenancies on the peasantry under their control. These numbers increased in the 1930s following Serbia's state-sponsored aggression against its native Bulgarian population.[citation needed][edit] The interwar yearsFerdinand proclaimed himself Tsar of Bulgaria in 1908. These plants produce household appliances, computers, CDs, telephones, medical and scientific equipment.Many factories producing transportation equipment currently do not operate at full capacity. They have a well-developed[citation needed] network of service-centers throughout the country, constantly[citation needed] growing in number and quality. They include a link between the capital Sofia and Vidin, a link between the Struma and Trakiya motorways south of Rila Mountain, a link between Rousse and Veliko Tarnovo, and the Sofia ringroad. This happened under the rule (852–889) of Boris I. This led to the Treaty of Berlin (1878) which provided for an autonomous Bulgarian principality comprising Moesia and the region of Sofia. This triggered a nationalist reaction, and the Bulgarian coup d'état of June 9 1923 eventually resulted in Stamboliykski's assassination. Today their descendants form the bulk of Bulgarian Catholics, whose number stood at 44,000 in 2001.Missionaries from the United States of America introduced Protestantism into Bulgarian territory in 1857. Turkish authorities destroyed most of the medieval Bulgarian fortresses in order to prevent rebellions. Two Bulgarians have won the European top scorers' Golden Boot award: Stoichkov and Petar Jekov. Under the Treaty of Neuilly (November 1919), Bulgaria ceded its Aegean coastline to Greece, recognized the existence of Yugoslavia, ceded nearly all of its Macedonian territory to that new state, and had to give Dobrudzha back to the Romanians. Unemployment declined from more than 17% in the mid 1990s to nearly 10% in 2007, but the unemployment-rate in some rural areas continues in high double-digits. United Nations sanctions against Yugoslavia and Iraq took a heavy toll on the Bulgarian economy. With its capital based in Veliko Turnovo and under the Asen dynasty, this empire fought for dominance in the region against the Byzantine Empire, the Crusader states and Hungary, reaching its zenith under Ivan Asen II (1218–1241). With only 354 kilometres (220 mi) of coastline, Bulgaria does not regard assault by sea as a major risk. Yordan Yovtchev ranks as the most famous Bulgarian competitor in Artistic Gymnastics. Аs a result of the Tatar invasions (beginning in the later 13th century), of internal conflicts and of the constant attacks from the Byzantines and the Hungarians, the power of the country declined until the end of the 13th century.