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

Celebrating 129 years of organised tourism 

Cultural events on Vitosha mark first mass ascent of Cherni Vrah

On the 27th of August 1895, 300 people followed Aleko Konstantinov's call to climb the highest peak of Vitosha - Cherni Vrah.
Photo: Archive

The first mass ascent of Cherni Vrah on Vitosha Mountain 129 years ago is being celebrated today with a series of events, including several cultural ones as part of the "Green Libraries" campaign, the Sofia Library has announced.

The hike was led by writer Aleko Konstantinov (known as Shtastlivetsa, or "The Fortunate One") and marked the founding of the organised tourism movement in Bulgaria.

Photo: BGNES

The exhibition "Contemplation of Shtastlivetsa" with quotations from the works of the writer Aleko Konstantinov and photographs of the Vitosha Mountain from the beginning of the 20th century will be opened in front of the Aleko Chalet. Visitors will also be able to see publications by foreign travellers and Bulgarian explorers dedicated to the mountain and its surroundings. 

Aleko Konstantinov
At the same place Petar Tchouhov and Ivan Hristov will recite their poems and play ethno-folk music. The mobile library "Bibliobus" will also be there. 



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

Plovdiv will host farmers' exhibition of local products over the weekend

The Bulgarian Farmers' Union is organizing an exhibition of locally produced dairy and vegetable products in Plovdiv.   The event will be held on June 28 and 29 in Lauta Park in the Trakia district of Plovdiv. The aim of the event is to..

published on 6/28/25 6:15 AM

Eminent literary historian Prof. Milena Tsaneva dies aged 95

Prof. Milena Tsaneva, a leading Bulgarian literary historian and critic, has passed away at 95. Born in Sofia to a literary family—her father, Georgi Tsanev, a critic, and her mother, Penka Tsaneva-Blennika, a poet—she grew up surrounded by poets such..

published on 6/27/25 4:08 PM

Latin rhythms will heat up Sofia's Central Station at the Ocho Latin Fest

The third edition of Bulgaria's first Latin festival, Ocho Latin Fest, is taking place on 27 and 28 June in Rotonda Square, Sofia Central Station. The festival is entirely dedicated to Latin American music and its subgenres. Its aim is to promote Latin..

published on 6/27/25 3:10 PM