Compassionate Vidin

March 26, 2026

Vidin, Bulgaria

Please note that this dog has a green tag in his ear. That means he is a street dog that has been to the vet, had his shots and was neutered, then released back to the streets. But they don't have to scavenge for food, the locals feed them. Based on what we saw in Vidin, the locals are very generous!!!

Fun Facts about Bulgaria and Vidin

Bulgaria

• Bulgaria supplies up to 85% of the world's rose oil, considered among the finest and most expensive in the world. In fact, it takes thousands of rose petals to produce just a single drop of rose oil,

• A unique cultural trait is that nodding the head means "no," while shaking it means "yes."

• It is widely believed that yogurt was invented in Bulgaria around 4,000 years ago.

• Bulgarian Petar Petro developed the first digital wristwatch.

• During the holiday "Trifon Zarezan" (Day of the Vinegrower), people whisper to grapevines to encourage a better harvest.

• The bagpipe or “gaida” is Bulgaria’s national instrument. 

Vidin -

• After the fall of communism in 1989, many of the state-owned industries collapsed, leading to high unemployment and limited economic opportunities. As a result, large numbers of younger residents left in a hurry for Western Europe and better opportunities.

• Features a "Triangle of Tolerance" with a synagogue, mosque, and orthodox church just steps apart.

• Less than 30 miles from the stunning 10,000 BC paintings in Magura Cave.

• Known for its wines, mostly red.

• The architecture of the town is an interesting blend of many cultures such as Roman, Bulgarian, Turk, Communist, and modern.

The country of Bulgaria is roughly the same size as the state of Tennessee. Vidin is a city in Bulgaria on the bank of the Danube that used to be on the spice road. One of the key attractions in Vidin is an entirely preserved medieval castle. We will share more about the castle later in the blog.

We met our tour this morning next to the dock where our ship is docked. The tour started with a short walk down one of the main streets of the town, and included a view of the Saint Dimitar Cathedral.

We also passed a Memorial of Victims in Serbo-Bulgarian War. Created in 1888.

One of the most poignant and moving monuments we saw today was the Jewish Monument of Gratitude in Vidin's Central Square. (See below)

This monument was created by Jews in Bulgaria to thank the town of Vidin for protecting them from deportation to concentration camps during the Holocaust. In 1943, thousands of Jews lived in Bulgaria and the King was told to help round them up to put on the deportation trains. But the King said no. Meanwhile, the King directed the Jews to flee to the small towns and move in with the citizens to be safe. The people in the small farm towns welcomed the Jews and protected them. In the city of Vidin the people stood up in protest, even though they were being threatened. Regular citizens lay on train tracks to stop the deportation trains. The Bulgarians saved the Jews in the country from death in the camps. The Bulgarians showed humanity to their fellow citizens. In 1949, many of the Jews moved to Israel, but their gratitude to the people of Bulgaria, and especially those in Vidin, continued. And in 1998, the Jewish community, including those living in Israel, came together to create this monument expressing gratitude to the Vidin community and Bulgarian people. What a powerful expression of compassion, courage, care, and concern!

Other pictures from Vidin:

A coffee vending machine on a residential street.

These houses (the white building on the left, the brown one and the other white one on the right) all used to be one Baroque style house, in the design of the center section. During the socialist government people weren't allowed to have such large houses, so this one was broken into separate houses. After the end of socialism, several of the homeowners updated and modernized their homes.

This woodcarver was making beautiful boxes and 3-dimensional scenes of Vidin from his pop-up booth outside the fortress. We ended up buying one of his carvings.

Our Final Stop - The Baba Vida Fortress

This is the only entirely preserved medieval Bulgarian castle. A woman named Vida designed the fortress in the second half of the 10th century and dedicated her life to its protection, . The fortress has nine towers around it.

As we walked through parts of the castle (trying not to trip on the cobblestones), the guide pointed out the many clever defense mechanisms built into it. Besides the moat and thick walls, the other protections were:

• a small entry way after a sharp turn that did not allow the use of large weapons to break through the door

• immediately after entering the enemy would find themselves in a small dark entry way that would make it hard to see

• and above that entry way was a second floor with small holes in the floor that the protectors could pour hot liquids.

• many passage ways were steep uphills

• newer areas of the fortress included an octagonal tower which deflected canon balls more effectively.

The fortress withstood an eight month siege by Byzantine forces

Here is the floor plan and a description:

Some pictures of the fortress:

Old Bath House

This building is currently a hotel, but it used to be a bath house for families that didn't have an indoor bathing area at their home. There was a men's side and women's side, and the bathers were naked. Our tour guide remembers using the bathhouse as a child.

Birds - Here are some outstanding bird pictures Karen took today:

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Little Black Cormorants

Common Starling

Wandering Dogs of Vidin - Can you see which ones have tags and which one has a bisquit?

Tomorrow, we have one more stop in one of the most beautiful cities in Bulgaria - Pleven - before we head to Romania. This trip has flown by and we appreciate you following along the journey!