After having forums in palace pilar-rooms, castels and other common conference rooms, Totaltherm Bulgaria planned the forum in the bar of the National Palace of Culture.
This is an amazing place with 6m high windows and a more "communistic" architectural look, nicely decorated with antique furniture and "bric-a-brac" things.
Our hosts: Lachezar Sofronov with his mother Valentina Sofronova from Totaltherm (middle of the picture)
About the city
The Balkan Wars and World War I
In 1912 and 1913, Bulgaria became involved in the Balkan Wars. The First Balkan War (1912-1913) proved a success for the Bulgarian army, but a conflict over the division of conquered land arose among the victorious allies. The Second Balkan War (1913) pitted Bulgaria against Greece and Serbia, joined by Romania and Turkey. After its defeat in the Second Balkan War, Bulgaria lost considerable territory that was conquered in the first war, as well as Southern Dobrudzha and parts of the region of Macedonia.
Interbellum
During World War I Bulgaria allied with the Central Powers and got defeated in 1918. This again lead to territorial losses. Elections in 1920 gave Aleksandar Stamboliyski the opportunity to form Bulgaria’s first peasant government. He succeeded in carrying out many reforms but caused a nationalist reaction by signing an agreement with the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. A coup d’etat followed in June 1923 and resulted in the assassination of Stamboliyski. The Popular Block gained power but got removed in May 1934 during another coup. An authoritarian military régime headed by Georgiev got established. A year later, Tsar Boris managed to remove the military régime from power, restoring a form of parliamentary rule. The Tsar's regime proclaimed neutrality, but Bulgaria gradually gravitated into alliance with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
World War II
In 1940, Bulgaria became allied with the Axis Powers, although it never declared war on the USSR. During World War II, Germany allowed Bulgaria to occupy parts of Greece and Yugoslavia. Bulgaria became one of only three countries that saved its entire Jewish population from the Nazi camps by refusing to comply with an August 31 1943 resolution. In early September 1944, the Soviet Union declared war on Bulgaria and invaded the country, meeting no resistance. This enabled the Bulgarian Communists to seize power and establish a communist state. The new régime turned Bulgaria's forces against Germany.
The People's Republic of Bulgaria
After World War II, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. It became a People’s Republic in 1946 and one of the USSR allies. The People's Republic ended in 1989, as many communist regimes in Eastern Europe as well as the Soviet Union itself, began to collapse. In June 1990 the free elections took place, won by the moderate wing of the Communist Party. In July 1991, the country adopted a new constitution. Since 1989, Bulgaria held multi-party elections and privatized its economy, but economic difficulties and a tide of corruption lead over 800.000 Bulgarians, including many qualified professionals to emigrate". Bulgaria became a member of NATO in 2004 and of the European Union in 2007.
SOFIA
Throughout its existence Sofia has always been the commercial, industrial, cultural and economic centre of the Balkans region. Sofia is well known for its mineral resources, neighboring mountains and historical sights (even though it was bombed in 1943 and 1944 by Allied forces and Russian forces later). Sofia became the capital of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria (1944-1989). Nowadays, Sofia has a population of about three million people. Most of them come to the capital for work and business opportunities, while these are scarce in the country.