“ONGAL” HISTORICAL ATTRACTION OPENED IN THE VILLAGE OF BALGAREVO

A different way of presenting the Bulgarian history from ancient times to date took place at the village of Balgarevo near the Black Sea coastal town of Kavarna. Nine stories tells visitors about of the achievements and impacts of the people who populated the Bulgarian lands from the most ancient times until today.

At the end of the village of Balgarevo, in the direction of Kaliakra cape, there is a wooden fortress. Behind its walls visitors can listen to stories about historical times. The complex was constructed based on the idea of Valentin Simeonov, who is an amateur historian.

The fortress is called “Ongal”. (Ongal was the name of the fortified camp, in an area to the North of Danube, from where Khan Asparukh launched attacks against the Byzantine fortresses to the South. After winning the battle of Ongal, Khan Asparukh established the First Bulgarian Empire in 681.)

The creator of the historical complex says that it is called “Ongal” becuae it is made of wood. The ancient Bulgarians usually would not build from wood, but this fortified place, where the first battle of the Bulgarian Khan Asparuh took place in 681 was built from wood, because they had to build a fortification for a short time and only using wood could make that possible. The Bulgarians won the battle against the enormous Byzantine army and this resulted in the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire.

Valentin Simeonov says that for 40 minutes visitors of “Ongal” fortress have the opportunity to learn the history of the Bulgarian territories from 7,500 years ago to nowadays, without using a tour guide. Nine stories, translated in 7 languages, in the form of tales about the history and lands of the Bulgarians, are accompanied by visualization and illustrations. A narrator tells the history of Thracians, Bulgarians and the Bulgarian state and then makes an overall overview of Bulgarian history, Simeonov explained.

The stories tell us which year would be now if we counted the years in accordance with the old calendar and about the uniqueness of the old Bulgarian calendar, the way old Bulgarians build and constructed, how the Bulgarian language became sacred and how many people today use and write in Cyrillic alphabet. This is the first stage of the development of the idea. Simeonov’s plan is to have a complex visualizing including videos, virtual tour guides and scenery which will provide an overview of the Bulgarian history.