Famous Polish people in Bulgaria

Wladislaw II Jagiello Wladislaw was the

first-born son of Wladislaw II Jagiello of Poland and Zofia Holszanska. He ascended the throne at the age of ten. The young king’s reign was difficult from the very outset. The opposition wanted another candidate but finally in 1438 the Parliament declared the fourteen-year-old king to have attained his majority.

Vladislav Varnenchik Park-museum.

In 1440 he took the Hungarian crown too. He had received significant support from Pope Eugene IV in exchange for his help in organizing an anti-Turkish crusade. The eighteen-year-old king became deeply involved in the crusade. He failed to recognize the serious threat which the Turkish Empire posed to Europe as a whole. Therefore, when the Battle of Varna began on 10 November 1444 the Polish king did not sense that this would be the final fight.

But according to a Portuguese legend Wladislaw survived the Battle of Varna and after his journey to the Holy land he settled on Madeira island. King Alfonso V of Portugal gtanted him the lands rent-free for the rest of his life. He married Senhorinha Anes /the King of Portugal was his best man? Who gave him two sons.

Nowadays the longest boulevard in Varna bears his name. The biggest housing complex there is also called Vladislav Varnenchik.

A famous tourist sight in Varna is Vladislav Varnenchik Park-museum.

There is evidence that about 1000 Polеs lived in Bulgaria in the end of the XIX century. They were mainly political immigrants after the national uprisings.

After the Bulgarian Liberation from Turkish yoke a lot of specialist – doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers came to Bulgaria. They were attracted by the invitation from the Bulgarian institutions to occupy higher positions and by the high payment. Others were incorporated by the idea of the cultural Slavonic mutuality. All of them took part in the revival of the social and the political life of our country.

Vitold Pekarski

The founder of the modern Bulgarian newspaper is Vitold Pekarski. He arrived in Sofia in 1885 and later became a secretary in charge of foreign correspondence at the Ministry of the War. The talented journalist and cartoonst. He founded some famous Bulgarian newspapers among which is the humour newspaper called Hornet.

Wanda Zembzhuska

Wanda Zembzhuska is a Pole born in Sofia. She was the only woman in the group of the military correspondents during the Balkan war and the World War I. She also worked for some plish papers and the French one Echo de Bulgarie.

Dr. Anton Unterberg

Dr. Anton Unterberg devoted his life to introducing some technical innovations in Bulgaria. In 1851 he brought the first spinning loom to our country. He built the first glass factory in the town of Samokov. He was the main donor for the establishing of a Vocational school in Sofia.

His son Georg Wnterberg took part in the building of the Bulgarian rail road system.He became the station master of Sofia station and later the chief inspector of the rail roads in Bulgaria.

Edvin Vzheshniovski

Polish people contributed to the developing of the town-planning schemes of some Bulgarian towns. The town-planning scheme of Varna is a result of the work of the Polish engineer Edvin Vzheshniovski.

Josef Fadenheht

Josef Fadenheht is the Pole who reached the highest state position. In the beginning of the XX century he became Dean of the Faculty of Law at Sofia university. His home was the place where many famous Bulgarian writes of that period gathered.

Nowadays the Polish community in Bulgaria has its Cultural society called Vladislav Varnenchik – it was founded in 1984.

In 2006 was founded the Varna Polish club. There has been a Polish State School in Varna since 1997. Now 50 students are studying there.