Bardarski geran History

The Banat Bulgarians are descendants of fugitives originally coming from the Catholic villages within the area of Nikopol and Svishtov. After the suppression of the uprising in Chiprovtsi in 1688 they escaped in the district of Banat, formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1878 after the Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman rule, these Bulgarians came back to their motherland and founded 5 villages – Dragomirovo, Gostilya, Bregare, Asenovo and Bardarski geran all of them within the Nikopol Catholic Eparchy.
The most impressive feature of the Banat Bulgarians is their language. It is the oldest Bulgarian dialect that was preserved and developed during the years outside Bulgaria. It was enriched with loanwords from the German, Hungarian, Romanian, Serbian, Turkish etc. languages. Many books were published in Banat and they are a proof of the intellectual potential of this small community. The dialect was recognized as the second official variation of the Bulgarian literary language by Professor Stoyko Stoykov.
In 1887 a few Bulgarian families returned from Banat and founded our village. In April, 1893 a group of Germans from Swabia [Schwaben in German] joined them as they had known the Banat Bulgarians were good cultivators and farmers but needed craftsmen. That is the reason why they hoped they would succeed in Bulgaria and cooperate with the natives.

On your way to Bardarski geran the first thing you would see in the distance is the tower of the so called “German Church”. If you travel with visiting friends you will have to explain where this name comes from. Subsequently it would be inevitable not to go deep into the history of our village which every native, proud of their ancestors’ past, is familiar with.
The closer you get, the better you would be able to see the bell tower of the second temple. When you finally enter Bardarski geran you would be met by the two temples which towers touch the sky and which majesty would draw tears from the eyes of those who have been away from home for a long time.
Following the road, decorated with coniferous trees, you would approach the parish of “St. Joseph” which basically is the centre of the built-up area itself.
The German church is due to be renovated as it is a part of the Benedictine Sisters monastery. They finally managed to get the property back since it was deforced from them a few decades ago. According to the project a brand new German culture centre is going to be built thus reviving the idea of German education and traditions and turning Bardarski geran into a unique place in the North-Western part of Bulgaria.
Mid-European architecture, distinguishable cast of mind, specific traditions and habits, unique folklore – all these features describe our village as a spectacular place indeed. We still keep in touch with the Banat Bulgarians all over the world and we welcome the Benedictine Sisters help and the support from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. And yes, our village has future and not only have the inhabitants believed in this, but also everyone who got the chance to become a part of the magical atmosphere of this place.