Bulgaria: What Can You See? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Black Sea

The Black Sea has a reputation for shipwrecks. Because it is more like a lake, it creates ideal conditions for preserving the wrecks. One of them is a nineteenth century cargo ship called The Swift which sank in 1933, but some of the vessels lying at the bottom of the sea are much older. One of the oldest finds was a ship dating back to the Byzantine Empire. Divers have found evidence of Bronze Age settlements in the area, too.

Answer: Danube

The Danube river begins in Germany, makes its way east, and empties into the Black Sea. It forms the border between Bulgaria and and its northern neighbour, Romania. The Danube is one of the few large rivers in Bulgaria. Around 70% of the land is hilly and the other 30% is mountainous. In 2018, almost one third of the country was forest, too.

Answer: Communism

A huge communist monument was built on Buzludzha, which was viewed as the birthplace of Bulgarian socialism. Known as 'Monument House of the Bulgarian Communist Party', it was opened in 1981 and stood at 70 metres tall. The interior was decorated with huge mosaics that glorified the communist ideology. There were images of political icons like Karl Marx, a dragon (representing the enemies of communism) being defeated by a group of workers, and a 50 square metre hammer and sickle mosaic in the ceiling.

After the fall of communism, the building fell into a state of disrepair and was no longer accessible to the public. By the beginning of the 21st century, the building was considered to be structurally unstable with fears that the roof may collapse.

Answer: Roman (1st century CE)

After decades of war, the Roman empire conquered the area now know as Bulgaria. The amphitheatre in Plovdiv is one of many Roman sites that have been excavated in recent years. The ruin lay hidden underground until a landslide uncovered part of it in the 20th century. Archaeologists set about excavating the area and what was left of the building was restored.

It reopened as a venue showcasing music, drama, and opera.

Answer: Close to or below ground

When communism ended in the latter half of the 20th century, many families were left with little or no income. Some people set up tiny shops or kiosks in their basements or underground bunkers. Because the main part of the shop was underground, the hatches that opened out to the public were so low down that customers had to crouch to be served.

These shops, called kleks, were some of the first private businesses to be set up in the new era of Bulgaria's history.

Answer: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Decades passed between the planning and final completion of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in 1912. It was built in honour of the soldiers who died fighting in the Russo-Turkish War at the end of the 19th century. The church is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox churches in the world.

It has a bell tower that is over 50 metres tall and a gold-plated central dome with the Lord's Prayer inscribed around it. The church was named after the 13th century prince, Alexander Nevsky.

Answer: Skiing

Uzana is a skiing resort in the Balkan mountain range in central Bulgaria. In fact, it is officially right in the middle of the country. In 1991, scientists from the Bulgarian Academy of Science calculated the exact centre of Bulgaria, presenting Uzana with an official seal for display on the exact location.

The area is home to numerous wild animals, including badgers, bears, and wolves. In the winter, the mountains are covered in snow and many people visit the resort for skiing and other outdoor activities.

Answer: No

The Wonderful Bridges weren't designed by anybody, they are a natural phenomenon. They are three bridges stretching over a small river in the Rhodope Mountains. Originally, the river was much larger and ran through a cave. The river wore down the cave roof until it eventually collapsed. Now only the three bridge remain and they are a beautiful example of nature's architecture.

Answer: St Ivan Island

After the Romans conquered the area, a temple to Apollo was built on the St Ivan Island, which is in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria. After the conversion to Christianity, a monastery was built on the ruins of the temple (then destroyed, then rebuilt again, then destroyed again, then rebuilt - you get the idea - until it was completely and finally destroyed by the Ottomans in the 17th century).

In 2010, archaeologists claimed to have found the remains of St John the Baptist (St Ivan), the man the island and monastery were named after. Scientific analysis showed that the bones did come from the body of a Middle Eastern man who died in the middle of the first century CE.

Answer: A fortress

Baba Vida is a medieval fortress on the bank of the Danube. When it was used as a castle, the river would sometimes fill the moat that surrounded it. According to legend, the structure was built by the daughter of a Bulgarian boyar who shared his land out to his three children when he died. Two of the daughters married, but both relationships were unsuccessful.

The eldest daughter, Vida, chose not to marry. She built the fortress in her portion of land and remained in it for the rest of her life.