Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi
Encyclopedia
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi is a city situated on the right bank of the Dniester Liman
(on the Dniester
estuary
leading to the Black Sea
) in the Odessa Oblast
(province
) of southwestern Ukraine
, in the historical region of Bessarabia
. In 2004, its population was estimated at 48,100.
s from Ukrainian as Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky or Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyy. Dnistrovsky was added to differentiate it from Bilhorod
that was part of the Sloboda Ukraine
and carried a similar name.
Previous settlements on the current site of the city were called Ophiusa (Οφιούσα) or Tyras
(Τύρας), also the name for the Dniester
by the ancient Greeks
and Album Castrum ("White Castle") by the Romans
.
The Byzantine
fortress was first noted as Asperon, a name deriving from the local Turkic
Pecheneg
word for "white," after the appearance of the shoreline with its high content of white seashell
s. The word "white" as a basis for the name of the city has persisted ever since.
In the fourteenth century castle, now called Mavrokastron (black city), is captured by the Tatars call it Turla. In 1315 The Genoese established here a call and a counter trade, renovating city, calling it Moncastro Montecastro or in Greek "Asprokastron" (White City). The town became part of the Principality of Moldavia
in 1359 and the fortress is enlarged and rebuilt in 1407 under Alexander the Kind
and in 1440 under Stephen the Great
.
Greek
forms of the name were Leukopolis (Λευκόπολις), meaning "white city", Asprokastron (Ασπρόκαστρον) meaning "white fortress" and Maurokastron (Μαυρόκαστρον), ironically meaning "black castle". The latter was modified to Latin
Maurocastrum and Moncastrum and, later, became Italian
Moncastro or Maurocastro.
From 1503 to 1918 and 1940 to 1941, the city was known as Akkerman , Turkish
for "white fortress". From 1918 to 1944 (with a short brief in 1940-1941), the city was known by its Romanian
name of Cetatea Albă, literally "white citadel" (or, alternatively, as Bolgrad). Since 1944 the city is known as Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (Білгород-Дністровський), while on the Soviet geography maps often translated into its Russian
equivalent of Belgorod-Dnestrovskiy (Бе́лгород-Днестро́вский), literally "white city on the Dniester".
The city is known by translations of "white city" or "white rock" in a number of languages including Белгород Днестровски (Belgorod-Dnestrovski) in Bulgarian
, Akerman (Акерман) in Gagauz
, Białogród nad Dniestrem in Polish
.
In Western European languages, including English, the city has typically been known by the official name of the time or a transliteration derived from it.
of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion (district
), Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi itself is a city of oblast subordinance
, thus being subject directly to the oblast authorities rather to the raion administration housed in the city itself.
In the 6th century BC, Milesian
colonists founded a settlement named Tyras
on the future location of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, one which later came under Roman
and Byzantine
rule. The Byzantines built the fortress and named it Asprocastron ("White Castle" - a meaning kept in several languages). The Voskresensk Chronicle lists Bilhorod "at the mouth of the Dniester, above the sea" among the towns controlled by Kievan Rus.
In 14th century the city was briefly controlled by the Republic of Genoa
and by King Louis I of Hungary
. Sfântul Ioan cel Nou (Saint John the New), the Patron saint
of Moldavia
, was martyr
ed in the city in 1330 during a Tatar
incursion. In 1391, Cetatea Albă was the last city on the right bank of the Dnister to be incorporated into the newly-established Principality of Moldavia
, and for the next century was its second major city, the major port and an important fortress.
In 1420, the citadel was attacked for the first time by the Ottomans
, but defended successfully by Moldavian Prince Alexander the Kind
.
In 1484, along with Kilia
, it was the last of the Black Sea ports to be conquered by the Ottomans. The Moldavian prince Stephen the Great
was unable to aid in its defence, being under threat of a Polish
invasion. The citadel surrendered when the Ottomans claimed to have reached an agreement with Prince Stephen, and promised safe passage to the inhabitants and their belongings; however, most of the city-dwellers were slaughtered. Later, attempts by Stephen the Great to restore his rule over the area were unsuccessful. Cetatea Albă was subsequently a base from which the Ottomans were able to attack Moldavia proper. In 1485, Tatars
setting out from this city founded Pazardzhik
in Bulgaria
.
It was established as the fortress of Akkerman, part of the Ottoman defensive system against Poland-Lithuania
and, later, the Russian Empire
. Major battles between the Ottomans and the Russians were fought near Akkerman in 1770 and 1789. Russia conquered the town in 1770, 1774, and 1806, but returned it after the conclusion of hostilities. It was not incorporated into Russia until 1812, along with the rest of Bessarabia
.
On 25 September 1826, Russia and the Ottomans signed here the Akkerman Convention which imposed that the hospodars of Moldavia and Wallachia
be elected by their respective Divans for seven-year terms, with the approval of both Powers.
In 1918 the city, along with the rest of Bessarabia, became part of Romania
after Sfatul Tarii(local parliament) have voted for the unification with Roamania. In the interwar period
, projects aimed to expand the city and the port were reviewed. Romania ceded the city to the Soviet Union following the 1940 Soviet Ultimatum, but regained it in 1941 during the invasion of the USSR
by the Axis forces in the course of the Second World War and had it within its boundaries until 1944 when the Red Army
has occupied again this area. The Soviets divided Bessarabia and its southern sides (including Bilhorod) became part of the Ukrainian SSR
, and after 1991, of nowadays Ukraine.
According to the 2001 Ukrainian census, the majority of the city's population are Ukrainians
. The rest are Russians
(28%), Bulgarians
(4%) and Romanians
(2%).
Dniester Liman
Dniester Liman of Dniester Estuary is a liman, formed at the point where the river Dniester flows into the Black Sea. It is located in Ukraine, in Odessa Oblast. The city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi lies on its western shore and Ovidiopol on its eastern shore. Shabo, situated downstream of...
(on the Dniester
Dniester
The Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe. It runs through Ukraine and Moldova and separates most of Moldova's territory from the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria.-Names:...
estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
leading to the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
) in the Odessa Oblast
Odessa Oblast
Odesa Oblast, also written as Odessa Oblast , is the southernmost and largest oblast of south-western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Odessa.-History:...
(province
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
) of southwestern Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, in the historical region of Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
. In 2004, its population was estimated at 48,100.
Names
The city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi is also referred to by alternative transliterationTransliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
s from Ukrainian as Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky or Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyy. Dnistrovsky was added to differentiate it from Bilhorod
Belgorod
-Twin towns/sister cities:Belgorod is twinned with: Wakefield, England, United Kingdom Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia Opole, Poland Vyshhorod, Ukraine Kharkiv, Ukraine-External links:...
that was part of the Sloboda Ukraine
Sloboda Ukraine
Sloboda Ukraine was a historical region which developed and flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries on the southwestern frontier of the Tsardom of Russia....
and carried a similar name.
Previous settlements on the current site of the city were called Ophiusa (Οφιούσα) or Tyras
Tyras
Tyras , was an ancient Greek city founded as colony of Miletus, probably about 600 BC, situated some 10 m from the mouth of the Tyras River...
(Τύρας), also the name for the Dniester
Dniester
The Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe. It runs through Ukraine and Moldova and separates most of Moldova's territory from the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria.-Names:...
by the ancient Greeks
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
and Album Castrum ("White Castle") by the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
The Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
fortress was first noted as Asperon, a name deriving from the local Turkic
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
Pecheneg
Pecheneg language
Pecheneg language is the extinct Turkic language spoken by the Pechenegs in Eastern Europe.It is most likely a member of the Oghuz branch of the Turkic family, but the poor documentation to it and the absence of any descendant languages of Pecheneg has prevented linguists from making a definite...
word for "white," after the appearance of the shoreline with its high content of white seashell
Seashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers...
s. The word "white" as a basis for the name of the city has persisted ever since.
In the fourteenth century castle, now called Mavrokastron (black city), is captured by the Tatars call it Turla. In 1315 The Genoese established here a call and a counter trade, renovating city, calling it Moncastro Montecastro or in Greek "Asprokastron" (White City). The town became part of the Principality of Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
in 1359 and the fortress is enlarged and rebuilt in 1407 under Alexander the Kind
Alexandru cel Bun
Alexander cel Bun was a Voivode of Moldavia, reigning between 1400 and 1432, son of Roman I Mușat. He succeeded Iuga to the throne, and, as a ruler, initiated a series of reforms while consolidating the status of the Moldavian Principality....
and in 1440 under Stephen the Great
Stephen III of Moldavia
Stephen III of Moldavia was Prince of Moldavia between 1457 and 1504 and the most prominent representative of the House of Mușat.During his reign, he strengthened Moldavia and maintained its independence against the ambitions of Hungary, Poland, and the...
.
Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
forms of the name were Leukopolis (Λευκόπολις), meaning "white city", Asprokastron (Ασπρόκαστρον) meaning "white fortress" and Maurokastron (Μαυρόκαστρον), ironically meaning "black castle". The latter was modified to Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Maurocastrum and Moncastrum and, later, became Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
Moncastro or Maurocastro.
From 1503 to 1918 and 1940 to 1941, the city was known as Akkerman , Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
for "white fortress". From 1918 to 1944 (with a short brief in 1940-1941), the city was known by its Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
name of Cetatea Albă, literally "white citadel" (or, alternatively, as Bolgrad). Since 1944 the city is known as Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (Білгород-Дністровський), while on the Soviet geography maps often translated into its Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
equivalent of Belgorod-Dnestrovskiy (Бе́лгород-Днестро́вский), literally "white city on the Dniester".
The city is known by translations of "white city" or "white rock" in a number of languages including Белгород Днестровски (Belgorod-Dnestrovski) in Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
, Akerman (Акерман) in Gagauz
Gagauz language
The Gagauz language is a Turkic language, spoken by the Gagauz people, and the official language of Gagauzia, Moldova. There are two dialects, Bulgar Gagauzi and Maritime Gagauzi. This is a different language from Balkan Gagauz Turkish....
, Białogród nad Dniestrem in Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
.
In Western European languages, including English, the city has typically been known by the official name of the time or a transliteration derived from it.
Administrative status
Serving as the administrative centerCapital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion (district
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
), Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi itself is a city of oblast subordinance
Administrative divisions of Ukraine
Ukraine is subdivided into 24 oblasts , one autonomous republic, and two "cities with special status".- Overview :...
, thus being subject directly to the oblast authorities rather to the raion administration housed in the city itself.
History
Milesians (Greek)
The Milesians of Hellenic civilization were the inhabitants of Miletus, a city in the Anatolia province of modern-day Turkey, near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and at the mouth of the Meander River. Settlers from Crete moved to Miletus sometime in 16th century BC...
colonists founded a settlement named Tyras
Tyras
Tyras , was an ancient Greek city founded as colony of Miletus, probably about 600 BC, situated some 10 m from the mouth of the Tyras River...
on the future location of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, one which later came under Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
rule. The Byzantines built the fortress and named it Asprocastron ("White Castle" - a meaning kept in several languages). The Voskresensk Chronicle lists Bilhorod "at the mouth of the Dniester, above the sea" among the towns controlled by Kievan Rus.
In 14th century the city was briefly controlled by the Republic of Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
and by King Louis I of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
. Sfântul Ioan cel Nou (Saint John the New), the Patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
, was martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
ed in the city in 1330 during a Tatar
Nogais
The Nogai people are a Turkic ethnic group in Southern Russia: northern Dagestan and Stavropol Krai, as well as in Karachay-Cherkessia and the Astrakhan Oblast; undefined number live in Chechnya...
incursion. In 1391, Cetatea Albă was the last city on the right bank of the Dnister to be incorporated into the newly-established Principality of Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
, and for the next century was its second major city, the major port and an important fortress.
In 1420, the citadel was attacked for the first time by the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, but defended successfully by Moldavian Prince Alexander the Kind
Alexandru cel Bun
Alexander cel Bun was a Voivode of Moldavia, reigning between 1400 and 1432, son of Roman I Mușat. He succeeded Iuga to the throne, and, as a ruler, initiated a series of reforms while consolidating the status of the Moldavian Principality....
.
In 1484, along with Kilia
Kilia
Kilia may refer to:* Kilia, a town in Ukraine* Chilia Veche, a town in Tulcea County, Romania* Chilia branch, a distributary of the Danube.* 470 Kilia, an asteroid.* Kilia, an English transliteration of Χηλή, the Greek name for the town of Şile in Turkey...
, it was the last of the Black Sea ports to be conquered by the Ottomans. The Moldavian prince Stephen the Great
Stephen III of Moldavia
Stephen III of Moldavia was Prince of Moldavia between 1457 and 1504 and the most prominent representative of the House of Mușat.During his reign, he strengthened Moldavia and maintained its independence against the ambitions of Hungary, Poland, and the...
was unable to aid in its defence, being under threat of a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
invasion. The citadel surrendered when the Ottomans claimed to have reached an agreement with Prince Stephen, and promised safe passage to the inhabitants and their belongings; however, most of the city-dwellers were slaughtered. Later, attempts by Stephen the Great to restore his rule over the area were unsuccessful. Cetatea Albă was subsequently a base from which the Ottomans were able to attack Moldavia proper. In 1485, Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
setting out from this city founded Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik is a city situated along the banks of the Maritsa river, Southern Bulgaria. It is the capital of Pazardzhik Province and centre for the homonymous Pazardzhik Municipality...
in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
It was established as the fortress of Akkerman, part of the Ottoman defensive system against Poland-Lithuania
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
and, later, the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. Major battles between the Ottomans and the Russians were fought near Akkerman in 1770 and 1789. Russia conquered the town in 1770, 1774, and 1806, but returned it after the conclusion of hostilities. It was not incorporated into Russia until 1812, along with the rest of Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
.
On 25 September 1826, Russia and the Ottomans signed here the Akkerman Convention which imposed that the hospodars of Moldavia and Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
be elected by their respective Divans for seven-year terms, with the approval of both Powers.
In 1918 the city, along with the rest of Bessarabia, became part of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
after Sfatul Tarii(local parliament) have voted for the unification with Roamania. In the interwar period
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
, projects aimed to expand the city and the port were reviewed. Romania ceded the city to the Soviet Union following the 1940 Soviet Ultimatum, but regained it in 1941 during the invasion of the USSR
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
by the Axis forces in the course of the Second World War and had it within its boundaries until 1944 when the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
has occupied again this area. The Soviets divided Bessarabia and its southern sides (including Bilhorod) became part of the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
, and after 1991, of nowadays Ukraine.
According to the 2001 Ukrainian census, the majority of the city's population are Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
. The rest are Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
(28%), Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
(4%) and Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
(2%).
Natives
- Elena CerneiElena CerneiElena Cernei was a Romanian operatic mezzo-soprano, musicologist, and voice teacher. During her 25 year career as an opera singer, she sang in leading opera houses in both Europe and North America...
, Romanian opera singer - Nicolae VăcăroiuNicolae VacaroiuNicolae Văcăroiu is a Romanian politician, member of the Social Democratic Party, who served as Prime Minister between 1992 and 1996. Before the 1989 Revolution he worked at the Committee for State Planning, together with Theodor Stolojan....
, former Prime Minister of RomaniaPrime Minister of RomaniaThe Prime Minister of Romania is the head of the Government of Romania. Initially, the office was styled President of the Council of Ministers , when the term "Government" included more than the Cabinet, and the Cabinet was called The Council of Ministers...
and the former President of RomaniaPresident of RomaniaThe President of Romania is the head of state of Romania. The President is directly elected by a two-round system for a five-year term . An individual may serve two terms...
(interim) - Porfiriy Stamatov (1840–1925), Minister of Justice of BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
(1881)
