Bulgaria

Military Cemetery in Dobrich

Military cemetery in Dobrich is one of the few original and completely preserved military cemeteries in Bulgaria and on the Balkan Peninsula. The cemetery is a unique cultural monument, related to the Battle of Dobrich in 1916.  Its territory covers more than 10 decares and thus makes it the biggest one in Bulgaria. More than 3,500 buried soldiers there are not grouped depending on their nationality or religion but they were laid in graves together, not divided in special sectors or plots. This fact makes the cemetery a 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 built 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), the other several thousand soldiers lay in common graves. Some of them are no longer buried in the cemetery, because it was reduced in the 60s of 20th century. At that time the Cemetery was actually in the middle of the north industrial and factory zone of the town and only the actions of the Ministry saved it from a total destruction.  In 1976 it was 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 cemetery grounds, a collection of First World War military artifacts is on display, including various types of firearms, cannons, pontoons, and other equipment associated with the conflict.

3D Tour of the military cemetery >>

Photos: (1, 2, 4, 5) Archive of  Regional Historical Museum in Dobrich; (3) https://www.hotelmap.bg/dobrich-attraction-route-memory-of-the-fallen.html#