Bulgaria Independence Day

Bulgaria Independence Day

September 22On September 22, 1908, Prince Ferdinand (1861-1948) of Bulgaria declared the country's independence from the Turkish Ottoman Empire, which had ruled since the 14th century. In 1944 the former Soviet Union invaded Bulgaria and imposed its communist system for nearly 50 years. Like many other eastern European countries, Bulgaria became an independent republic with a new constitution in 1991. In 1998 the Bulgarian Parliament reinstituted September 22 as Bulgarian Independence Day. It also declared September 6 Unification Day to mark the unification of Bulgaria with Eastern Rumelia, previously under Ottoman control, in 1885.
CONTACTS:
Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria
1621 22nd St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
202-387-0174; fax: 202-234-7973
www.bulgaria-embassy.org