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

Bulgaria looking for help from USA for anti-corruption training of magistrates

The possibilities for anti-corruption training for Bulgarian prosecutors, investigators and financial intelligence officers was discussed at a working meeting between Chief Prosecutor Borislav Sarafov and US lawyers Dr. Kevin Carroll..

published on 9/12/24 1:45 PM

President Radev: Society expects politicians to stand for national interests

The political crisis can only be overcome by the return of principles to politics. Parties should clearly understand that their credibility is the key to their success, President Rumen Radev told journalists on the occasion of the upcoming elections...

published on 9/12/24 12:27 PM

100 years since the consecration of Saint Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral

Exactly 100 years ago, on the 12th of September 1924, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was consecrated . The temple was built with public donations "in gratitude to the Russian people for the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke in 1878", on the..

published on 9/12/24 11:51 AM