Sat, Nov 21 2009
About 37 results were found.
Klisura Monastery is in the western part of the Balkan Mountain Range, close to the holiday town of Vurshets. Klisura Monastery dates back to the time of the Second Bulgarian State. It was built in 1240, but during Ottoman rule, it was repeatedly raided and destroyed. In 1862, on the holiday of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the cloister was burnt to ashes while all monks and pilgrims were slaughtered by a Turkish pasha, Yusuf
Newly-built apartments in Varna were more expensive than in Sofia in 2007. This was because of the limited supply in the coastal city, Stroitelstvo Gradut weekly reported on March 10. Residential property prices in Sofia saw a greater increase than those in Varna, 45.7 and 33.9 per cent, respectively. However, the average price of new apartments in Sofia was 1043 euro a sq m, compared with 1188 euro a
Apparel retailer C&A, which manages some 1000 outlets across Europe, is hiring management staff for the launch of operations in Bulgaria, Dnevnik daily reported on March 12, quoting company sources. However, the first local C&A stores are not expected to roll out before 2010, the paper claimed. C&A is one of the largest clothes retailers in Europe, managing outlets in Latin America and China as well. Set up in The Netherlands in 1841, its biggest trademarks include Clockwise, Westbury and Your Sixth Sense. In Central and Eastern Europe the company has outlets in Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Turkey and Slovenia.
Spanish GreenFuel Corporation would decide within two months whether to build a bio-fuel plant in the region of Pleven, northern Bulgaria, expert.bg reported on March 12. The decision will be discussed at the company's shareholders meeting in May 2008, Greenfuel's technical director Antonio Jose Huertas Moreno said, as quoted by expert.bg.
Sofia regional governor Todor Modev said on March 12 he would return the city hall ordinance raising local taxes in Sofia for re-evaluation by municipal councilors within one week. During that time, a working group to decide whether the entire ordinance would be returned to the council, or just the part stipulating an increase to the tax on vehicles, Modev said, as quoted by Dnevnik daily.
Spanish experts would help Rousse regional administration with priority infrastructure projects, Rousse municipality said in a statement on its website. Rousse mayor Bozhidar Yotov met with Spanish ambassador Fernando Ares to discuss the projects eligible for European Union financing on March 11. This was Ares' second visit to Rousse in two months.
Sofia city hall will ask for annulment of the tender for the construction of the second line of Sofia's metro network because of the high prices offered by the bidders, Sofia's deputy mayor for transport Velizar Stoilov said, as quoted by Dnevnik daily on March 11. The decision lies with an ad hoc commission, which includes representatives of the city hall, finance and transport ministries representatives, and could decide to either negotiate down the price with the bidders or to start a new tender.
Two years after announcing plans to build a store in the town of Pazardjik, in southern Bulgaria, German discount retailer Lidl has notified the town mayor of its interest in a 1.3 ha land plot, Dnevnik daily reported on March 10. Lidl, part of Schwarz Unternehmensgruppe, wants to build a 1500-sq m supermarket with 85 parking spaces, its first in the country. The company has offered to gentrify at its own expense the immediate vicinity of the proposed store.
Sofia's Cty Hall has published its plans for the management and development of the Bulgarian capital until 2011 on its website, which includes one of mayor Boiko Borissov's more controversial ideas, namely the mandatory registration of its residents. One of the main priorities outlined in the new strategy is the mayor's proposal for the adoption of "properly functioning mechanism" for
Stefan Kitanov is the creator and the director of one of the most important international cinema events in Bulgaria, one that also holds its place as a key film festival in South East Europe. He is the reason internationally acclaimed filmmakers such as Wim Wenders, Sir Alan Parker, Terry Jones, Andrei Konchalovsky, Jiri Menzel, Emir Kosturica, Lech Kowalski and about 700 other young talents and producers have
The largest British clothing retailer Marks&Spencer Group Plc set up a joint venture with the Greek Marinopoulos Group to expand its business in Eastern Europe, Bloomberg reported on February 29. The British company acquired 50 per cent of Marks&Spencer Marinopoulos BV, which manages 38 outlets under franchise in Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Switzerland, for 50 million euro. Marks&Spencer plans to open 50 new outlets on the Balkans in the coming years, Bloomberg said.
The two reports by the Finance Ministry's inspectorate on possible misuse of funds at the National Road Infrastructure Fund (NRIF), as well as the final report of the European Union Funds Audit Directorate, showed there were no infringements in the fund's operations, the Finance Ministry said on February 29. There were no unexplained expenses concerning the projects financed under EU's pre-accession infrastructure aid programme ISPA or using cohesion funds, according to the reports. At the same time, there were also no serious violations in the functioning of the fund's management and control systems.
The Prosecutor's Office in the town of Smolyan has launched investigations into Russian investors pouring money in construction of hotels in Pamporovo, Bulgarian news agency (BTA) reported on February 29. The prosecutors seek to make sure that no illegal money was used for the construction of hotels in Pamporovo mountain resort. Similar inquests have been carried out since 2006.
The screening programme of the 12th Sofia International Film Festival was officially presented on February 27 at a news conference at the cafe Matti'D in Sofia. The 12th edition of one of Bulgaria's most awaited cultural events will be held from March 6 until March 12 in Sofia, with additional screenings in Sofia, Plovdiv and Bourgas (March 17 to 23). SIFF is the only place where Bulgarian cinema fans can meet both outstanding films and film makers from all over the world. This year's festival focuses on the cinemas of two nations. Russia will be presenting the best that it has to offer from the past year. To coincide with the Russian screening programme, director Nikita Mihalkov is coming for the premiere of his Oscar nominated film 12. Mihalkov will also be presented with the Sofia Municipality Award for Outstanding Achievements in Cinema.
Sofia city hall has published its plans for the management and development of the city until 2011 on its website. Its motto is "The Change Goes On" and needs the approval of the Sofia municipal council before going into effect By end-2011, when the current term of Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov expires, the collection rate of local taxes, fees and fines should reach 100 per cent, while the amount collected should show an increase of 50 per cent over the figure for 2007. Proceeds from leased municipal property and from advertising should increase fourfold.
Bulgaria's Cabinet will propose amendments to the legislation regulating concession contracts, state properties and coastline control in order to promote public-private partnerships, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said at a news conference after a meeting of the Council for Coordination, Control and Implementation of Infrastructure Projects of National Importance, as quoted by Dnevnik daily.
The Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) announced it has alerted the European Commission about infringement on the Europe-wide network of protected sites Natura 2000, the organisation said in a statement on February 25 2008. The complaint claims that unique natural habitats in the north-eastern Kaliakra region have been destroyed in the process of building a wind farm. It has been backed by 12 other environmental and civil non-governmental organisations. The environmentalists believe that Kaliakra "is emblematic of how innovations and investment are used to mask criminal encroachment on bio-diversity". The complaint package includes documents, photos and maps showing the damage that the wind farm projects have done to nature.
The long-awaited Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy for the period 2008 - 2013, presented by the State Agency for Tourism (SAT) at the end of January, will focus on business representatives and the various branch organisations. The strategy's main priorities are: to turn Bulgaria into a tourist destination of better quality through an increase in the sector's effectiveness and competitiveness; the improvement of
Bulgarian authorities have issued 4637 construction permits in the last quarter of 2007, a decrease of 4.9 per cent decrease over the previous three months and two percent lower than in the same period of 2006, data from the National Statistical Institute data showed. Residential developments continued to account for the largest share of the total, with 2884 permits granted for total area of area of 2.4 million sq m, compared to 3110 permits for 2.1 million sq m in the previous quarter. The number of permits for administrative buildings went up to 145 from 114.
The new mayor of the town of Sozopol on Bulgaria's Black Sea has presented the amendments to the urban zoning plan, which would see 10km of coastline between Sozopol and Chernomorets built up into a an upgraded luxury version of of Sunny Beach resort, Dnevnik daily reports. Panayot Reizi, elected in November 2007, and new chief architect Roumen Aleksandrov announced plans for the construction of of beachfront villas, an aqua park, three golf courses and a small runway for charter planes.
Dutch TKP Pensioen Real Estate Fonds (TREF), which claims to be the biggest property fund in Europe with investments of more than one billion euro, has declared its interest to invest in Bulgaria, investor.bg quoted the head of real estate investment at TKP Investments, Robert-Jan Tel, as saying. TREF has started researching investment opportunities offered by Bulgarian funds, but also in other South East European countries. The fund already has put money in real estate investment trusts (REITs) in Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic, such as the US based AEW and a fund specialised in office properties, managed by Orco Properties.
The EU's richest people live in Inner London, while the poorest live in Bulgaria, Romania and Poland, the Daily Telegraph reports, quoting Eurostat latest research. The three leading regions (figures are based on 271 regions' GDP in EU 27 countries) in the ranking of regional GDP per inhabitant in 2005 were Inner London (303 per cent of the average), the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (264 per cent) and Brussels (241 per cent), the Daily Telegraph reports.
Bulgaria has turned to golf, a sport not too popular in the country until now, looking to attract affluent tourists, AFP reported on February 14 2008. "Golf tourism development is very important - the regular tourist usually spends from 50 to 100 euro a day, while the golf tourist would rather spend from 400 to 500 euro," according to Kuncho Kunchev, an investor in the Black Sea Rama golf complex in Balchik, quoted by AFP.
The average sale price for a sq m of residential property in Bulgaria reached 1090 leva in 2007, a 30 per cent increase over the 840 leva from a year previously. The overall price hike of residential properties for the last three years is 300 per cent, Kapital weekly reported. Despite the price increase, the number of property deals went up with 10 per cent. Real estate agencies told Kapital Weekly the period between an apartment offer publication and signing a deal has dropped to less than a month.
Bulgarian electronic music promoter Metropolis is planning two large-scale parties in the beginning of 2008. Two of the electronic stage's emblematic artists will be coming on February 22 and April 19, the 12th birthday of Metropolis. The first to visit Bulgaria is Sharam from the legendary duo Deep Dish, which consists of Ali Dubfire Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi. Special guest for the Metropolis birthday party is Carl Cox.
Bulgaria's capital has been on the schedule for J&B Scotch's "Start a Party" worldwide party calendar, a company media statement said. Sofia would be turned into the world's party capital after Istanbul, Bucharest, Lisbon, Mexico, Seoul and Beijing. The J&B Start a Party event will take place on February 22 at the National Opera and Ballet. The "ultimate party symbol," a giant mirror ball, will be the focus of the
The reconstruction of Sofia Airport may cost three to four million euro less than the 111 million euro stipulated in the initial contract. The difference was the result of an out-of-court settlement between Strabag SE Company and Bulgaria's Transport and Communications Ministry. After a year-long dispute, the Austrian company finally agreed to sign the settlement. Strabag delayed construction with a total of two years, after which the state demanded payment of the 10 per cent default specified in the contract, amounting to around 11 million euro. Strabag insisted on receiving additional payment of between 10 and 15 million euro, citing increased prices of construction materials.
The large scale Grand Mall Varna project saw the turning of the first sod ceremony. Varna's mayor Kiril Yordanov, Borislav Gutsanov, head of Varna's Municipal Council and Ofer Miretzki, Orchid Developments' CEO were among the attendees. The investors from Orchid Developments built a time capsule in the mixed-use complex containing today's newspapers, Varna's map and a message for future generations. Orchid Developments aim to turn Grand Mall Varna into the largest retail and entertainment centre in the coastal city.
Low-cost airline easyJet has announced that it would increase the frequency of flights between Sofia and London in response to growing demand, website RealEstateTV reports. The carrier currently flies to the Bulgarian capital from Gatwick Airport three times a week, although high levels of interest have now prompted it to launch a daily service.
Prices of holiday properties in Bulgaria's mountain resorts increased by 10 per cent in the period 2006-2007. The supply/demand ratio remained the same, according to Green Life Property Development research, so ensuring a smooth development of the market during the new winter season. However, interest in holiday properties in Bulgaria from UK buyers has decreased by 70 per cent. This was mainly due to
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