Vidin

Present charm of past glories
The largest town in Bulgaria and one of the biggest ports around the Danube in the 16th century , more recent history has not been very friendly to Vidin. However, the future looks bright as the EU has brought in hopes of a renaissance.

Baba Vida, or the ruins of the 3rd century Roman fortress of Bononia, reconstructed by the Bulgars in the 10-14th century, then by the Turks in the 17th century, who used it to stockpile weapons.



Wander around and through the fortress courtyards and bastions, make a cliché picture to the waxwork prisoner sitting in the dungeon, walk the remaining outer walls on the Danube shores.

Testimony of the past glory of the city, of an era of fruitful trade made by a poliethnic society, an abandoned synagogue lies today hidden among vegetation and behind communist era blocks of flats.

But it makes a romantic sight, wandering around and inside it, for this is all that remains of this once vibrant community, one of the most important Jewish centers on the Danube during the Ottoman period.



Considering its size, I wonder how large used to be the Jewish community in Vidin ? Why did they leave and when ? How many still live in Vidin? What will the future bring to this old building, will it ever be restored ?

The city's mosque finds herself hidden among the same communist blocks, but in a much batter state as compared with the nearby synagogue….maybe it means the Muslim community of Vidin is still alive.

The city’s orthodox cathedral, recently restored with the help of the Beautiful Bulgaria project. Interesting frescoes and icons inside, as well as the usual oversupply of comically unfriendly octogenarian church cleaners. I've chosen to observe the no photos inside, though number of locals did not notice the no mobiles one.


I did not visit the Thracian and Roman artefacts, jewellery & statues inside the archaeological museum, but I wandered around the beautifully restored villa which hosts the museum. The pagoda shaped wooden building used to be a police station (aka konak) during the Turkish rule in the 19th century.

Mother Bulgaria monument....or a typically soviet piece of civic architecture, now covered in graffiti and red paint...The “mother” reminded me of the similar “mothers” in Yerevan, Tbilisi and even as far as Bukhara, Uzbekistan – same recipe to boast soviet dominance over space and time.

further on the same riverfront....the Victims of Communism Memorial...or one of the few public acknowledgements of the postwar political repression in communist Bulgaria. The memorial looks like a rather modern church and is locked.
evil thought – communism victims seem…quite insignificant and small, even obscure...when compared with the benefits of communism indicated through the grandeur of the Mother Bulgaria.

Strolling around downtown Vidin reveals numerous other small statues…..from old times as well present ones.....there must be many sculptors and artists around.





the EU promises a bright future...let's multiply ourselves


Putting an end to THE worker's day...in a riverboat restaurant, on a location with a view, with an excellent fish in the plate and several Kamenitsas. Sadly, they closed around 23,00 p.m., maybe because of the mosquitos attack :-))