Where Are Bulgaria's Dying Villages?

There are 199 settlements in Bulgaria without a single resident. At the same time, more people live in the "Lyulin" district of the capital—Bulgaria’s largest—than in the entire Vidin and Gabrovo districts.

The smallest municipality in the country, Treklyano in Kyustendil district, has only 522 residents, according to the latest data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI).

"Lyulin" and "Mladost" residential neighbourhoods in Sofia each have over 100,000 inhabitants, whereas Vidin district (Northwestern Bulgaria) has a population of 70,542.

Bulgaria’s administrative map has remained unchanged: 28 districts, 265 municipalities, 5,256 settlements in total, of which 4,999 are villages. But where are Bulgaria’s dying villages?

Once home to the largest reserve base of the Construction Troops, the village of Bogdanovtsi is now one of nine villages in Sofia Province officially without residents. It is located in the municipality of Ihtiman, just 50 minutes from the capital.

The asphalt road ends three kilometers before Bogdanovtsi and there is no sign of a village after that. And nature has tried to erase the last traces of people and vehicles.

Back toward the main road, there’s a small chapel. It is maintained by 78-year-old Vladimir Filyov—a former bus driver in Sofia and a retired military man. He, his wife, and a neighbour are the only inhabitants in a nearby hamlet. The last people who lived in Bogdanovtsi were his relatives. He is among the few who still remember the name of the dirt path—Bogdanov's Road.

"I’m afraid to go to Sofia now. One car cuts you off from here, another from there. Ten years I drove public transport, but the traffic wasn't like this. Those were the good years," said Vladimir Filyov, a resident of the depopulated area.

Vladimir buys candles for the "Holy Trinity" chapel. Though in the wilderness, the chapel is always open—and waiting. Sometimes, however, it welcomes non-believers.

"It was built by the people, not just me. We made this canopy together with the mayoress. She passed away—God rest her soul. It’s hard. Just before Easter, I caught three men trying to remove this door. I had recently repaired it. The police from Ihtiman came. They found the car, but the culprits were 'unknown perpetrators.' How can they find the car but not the thieves? I keep it up because there’s no one else. I live closest. I collect money for the village gathering, I light candles, I clean. I just installed a camera for those thieves—paid 200 leva for it," he added.

In recent years, researchers have only been able to note the growing number of settlements that are, in reality, uninhabited.

"In 23% of settlements, there are between 1 and 49 residents. This trend will deepen, particularly in the North Central region and border areas. We’ve seen a slight immigration trend in recent years, especially after COVID, but it’s a very modest rate of return," commented Associate Professor Dr. Alexandra Ravnachka of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

In the heart of the country, in the district of Gabrovo, 64 villages are completely deserted. There are a few guest houses, but they are not enough to support the local economy. Fewer and fewer people remain in the region, with properties primarily being purchased by wealthy foreigners. Villages such as Seykovtsi and Kozi Rog are now lined only with abandoned houses.

"We’re in a forsaken region, there’s no livelihood for young people. In the past, there were small workshops connected to large factories in the villages. People had jobs, not just in agriculture but also in industry. Now there’s nothing. The entire village has three cows," said Vasil Marinov.

"Only big farms survive, only big, big businesses survive. Small businesses struggle, like my village shop, with the bureaucracy, very hard," said Minka Georgieva, a resident of the village of Skalsko.

"Our state is like this, our rulers are like this. They drove the young people away. It’s simply terrifying to live in villages now—especially alone, like me, without neighbors," said Emilia Stoyanova, resident of the village of Zaya.

And amidst the peace and quiet, Vladimir is left waiting for the village fete in June, when the area around the chapel will once again come alive.

"We close it with just this latch—and that’s how it stays. We don’t lock it."