Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Bessarabian poet Dimitar Borimechkov: "Homeland is where your soul is"

Photo: private library

Bulgarians first set foot to Moldova more than 200 years ago. It was during the Ottoman rule. At the time many Bulgarians sought refuge outside their homeland and found it in Bessarabia.

This was also the case with the family of Dimitar Borimechkov – a poet, public figure and intellectual. Borimechkov is a member of the numerous Bulgarian community in the Republic of Moldova.

He was born on May 1, 1949, in Taraclia. "This is my hometown, this is my small homeland" - he says and continues to tell about his ancestors.


"The forefather of our lineage is Petko Iliev Borimechko. He has fought with a bear and has won, as a result of which was his nickname "Bori mechka" (fights with a bear). That's where our surname comes from - Borimechkovi.

Ever since their migration from the Balkans to Budzhak, the Bessarabian Bulgarians found common grounds with the locals. We are friends, we help each other. Bulgarians have not faced conflicts and problems - neither political, nor ethnicity based. To this day, we live in the Republic of Moldova and we are perceived as their own, as a national minority that makes up just over 3% of the population."


Dimitar Borimechkov has visited Bulgaria many times. He also has many friends here and does not hide that he misses his ancestral homeland. When asked what his friends in Bulgaria are like, he answers like this:

"Many are my friends, both by blood and spirit. My friends from Bulgaria saw me as a person who is interested in his homeland, in its culture, art and history.When I was with them, they used to say to me: 'Mitya, you are our guest, but you know more about Bulgaria than we do.'

Dimitar Borimechkova and Georgi Kaish

They treated me with great respect. At first they didn't understand how we were so different from them. For example, my ancestors had lived in Bulgaria, moved over here to Moldova and embraced the local culture and language. We have the same blood, but spiritually we differ. The main differences lie in the language, it is purer here, there are not so many borrowed words from Turkish and English. But in "our" Bulgarian language there are many Russian words. Yet I personally consider Bulgaria my first homeland - where my ancestors came from. I feel at home both here and there".

"Homeland is where your soul is," concludes Dimitar Borimechkov.

You can learn more about him in the third episode of Radio Bulgaria's video series "Time to Talk" on the Bulgarian National Radio's YouTube channel. On the platform, you can choose subtitles in the language you prefer.


Editor: Elena Karkalanova

English: Elizabeth Radkova



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

Cellist Nickolai Kolarov and his road to an academic career in the US

Nickolai Kolarov is a Bulgarian cellist who has been building an academic career and giving concerts in Minnesota, the US for almost 30 years. His life overseas started with a master’s degree in string instruments in Kansas City. He left in 1995 to..

published on 8/13/24 1:30 PM
Hristo Stoichkov (L) and Gianni Infantino (R)

Hristo Stoichkov to work for FIFA

Bulgarian football legend Hristo Stoichkov has accepted an invitation from FIFA President Gianni Infantino to join his team . "It is a great honor for me to accept Gianni Infantino’s invitation to work for FIFA. I will represent both myself and..

published on 8/12/24 10:13 AM
Jaap van Beelen

Jaap van Beelen and his unique collection of old Bulgarian carpets

He says he has not felt like a foreigner in Bulgaria for a long time. This is his home, he has learnt Bulgarian and like most of our compatriots he is interested in the political situation in the country. But his greatest passion, what fills his days with..

published on 7/21/24 9:05 AM