World War One Sites - The NETWORLD Database

Military Cemetery in Dobrich, Bulgaria

Military cemetery in Dobrich is one of the few original and completely preserved in nowadays military cemeteries in Bulgaria and on the Balkan Peninsula. The cemetery is a unique monument of culture related to the fights of the town in 1916.  Its territory covers more than 10da and thus makes it the biggest one in Bulgaria. More than 3500 buried soldiers there are not grouped depending on their nationality or religion but they were laid in graves just together, not divided in special sectors or plots. This fact makes the cemetery an unique historical monument demonstrating categorically the humanity and the tolerance that citizens from Dobrich proved to have as its founders. In 1922 the people of Dobrudzha, with their own money build an ossuary chapel St. Archangel Michael, iconography by the Dobrich painter Nikola Tahtunov.In the museum you may view the exposition "Dobrich Epic 1916".
 Just a small number of men are buried in single graves (about 500 of them) and the other several thousand soldiers lay in common graves. Some of them are not longer in the territory of the cemetery, because its reduced terrain in the 60's of 20th century. At that time the Cemetery is actually in the middle of the north industrial and factory zone of the town and only the in time actions of the Ministry saved it from a total destruction.  In 1976 it is declared to be a cultural heritage and became a museum. The two entrance buildings accommodate the first exposition dedicated to the battles in Dobrudzha in1916. Within the borders of the cemetery there are also exposed as in an open air museum different kind of guns, cannons, pontoons and other equipment available having a connection with the WWI.

Bulgaria, Dobrich

Type of WWI-heritage

  • Military cemetery

Dimensions

The cemetery is 10353 m2.

State of repair/preservation

The cemetery needs partial renovation.

Historical WWI Context

The existing of the military cemetery in Dobrich is in a close connection with the dramatic and bloody battles for the defense of Dobrich in WWI. As it is well known, after the Romania joined the Antanta, Bulgarian government announce it war. This war was well accepted by Bulgarians, because they consider it as a fair act on historical retribution. It is indeed after in 1913 Romania seized from Bulgaria the South Dobroudzha. Bulgarian soldiers accept this war as a just war and that is why they show courage, heroism and selflessness.
The battle of Dobrich, also known as the Dobrich epopee, took place between 5 and 7 September 1916 between the armies of Bulgaria and Romania, Serbia and the Russian Empire. Despite being outnumbered, the Bulgarian Third Army was victorious and took Southern Dobroudha, pushing the Russian and Romanian forces further north and defeating them once again at the Lake Oltina - Kara Omer - Mangalia line.

State of legal protection

It is public property.

Owner

Regional Museum of History - Dobrich.

Opening

Summer hours (May-September):
Monday - Friday: 9.00 to 18.00 pm. 
Winter hours (October to April):
Monday - Friday: 8.30 to 17.30 pm.
Saturday and Sunday on request
Telephone number: 0884 311 493
e-mail address: rim_dobrich@abv.bg

http://www.dobrichmuseum.bg/index.php/bg/muzeini-obekti

Entrance Fee

Entrance fees: adults - 3.00 lv., children, students - 1.00 lv., family ticket - 4.00 lv. Entrance fee within the tourist route: adults - 4.00 BGN, children, students - 2.00 BGN, family ticket - 5.00 BGN.

Information regarding cities, villages, other touristic attractions (non-WWI) nearby

Further information sources

For further information see:

http://artdialog-bg.com/%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%8A%D0%B2-%D0%B5-%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD-%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%BE-%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5-%D0%BF/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPmLZOw_qvQ

http://www.focus-news.net/opinion/0000/00/00/10509/

http://www.dobrichmuseum.bg/index.php/bg/research/new-history-research/282-spisak-zaginali

http://www.dobrichmuseum.bg/index.php/bg/research/istoricheski-arhiv/143-istoricheski-arhiv-100-godishnina-ot-napisvaneto-na-o-dobrudzhanski-krai

http://www.dobrichmuseum.bg/index.php/bg/research/istoricheski-arhiv/192-ravna-dobrudzha

Bibliography:

Бойчев, Петър. Симеонов, Радослав. Те загинаха за Добруджа. София, ИК „Гутенберг”, 2016 г.

Първата световна война и събитията на Добруджанския фронт. The First World War and the events on the Dobrudzhan  front. Сборник с изследвания. Тутракан, 2011 г.

Dobrudja – Politicsq Societyq Economy and Culture (XIX-XX Centure). Добруджа – политика, общество, стопанство и култура (XIX-XX в.). Тутракан, Ковачев, 2015 г.

Dobrudzha in the Wars for National unification. Добруджа във войните за национално обединение. Добрич, 2016 г.

Букурещкият мирен договор и съдбата на Южна Добруджа. Добрич, 1994 г.

Добричката епопея 1916 г. Историко-библиографски справочник. Добрич, 2006 г.

Links, books, brochures, leaflets etc.
 

Museums Private Collections

For further information see:
http://dobrich.government.bg/ipage.php?id=204
h
ttp://visit.guide-bulgaria.com/a/744/history_museum.htm

Location

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