In recent decades, thefts of cultural valuables have frequently occurred in Bulgarian museums. In some cases, original exhibits have been replaced with similar objects, usually suggesting or revealing internal complicity. This study presents the replacement of the cross of Pop (Priest) Gruyu Banski, which was used to administer the oath to the delegates at the Assembly in Oborishte during the April Uprising. The main sources include documents from the Scientific Archive of the Regional Historical Museum – Plovdiv, as well as printed and digital images. The last photograph of the original cross dates from early January 2010. The cross disappeared in 2011 or 2012. As a silver-plated object, it was subject to annual inventory checks. According to the inventory conducted at the beginning of 2011, the cross was still present. After 2012, however, it was no longer listed among the cultural valuables subject to annual inspection. Such a change could only be made by order of the museum director. Subsequently, at an unknown time and under unclear circumstances, another cross appeared in the display case, resembling the original but clearly different from it. All museum collections are subject to a full inventory every five years; however, the inventory due in 2015 proved to be fictitious, with an inaccurate report entered into the Scientific Archive only in 2022. No subsequent full inventory has been conducted. It became evident that no positive change would occur while the director remained in office, and a report was therefore submitted to the Ministry of Culture. The director retired, and a few months later the employee who had most consistently insisted on resolving the case in accordance with the law also retired. The new director was informed but took almost no action. Ultimately, the only remaining staff member who remembered the original cross and refused to allow the replacement to be concealed filed a report with the prosecutor’s office. No actual investigation followed: no representative of the investigative authorities visited the exhibition or the Scientific Archive, the case file was closed, and no official document confirming the loss of the cross has been issued to this day. The new cross continues to be displayed in the exhibition.

The regulation of the establishment and protection of boundaries of agricultural properties occupies an important place in Bulgarian common law. Land, as the primary means of subsistence, necessitated its clear delimitation and effective safeguarding. This study examines customary practices related to the demarcation and protection of property boundaries during the Ottoman period and the years immediately following the Liberation. The Bulgarian customary legal order developed a rich system of terms, markers, and rituals through which fields, meadows, pastures, and forests were delineated and protected. These norms were not only legal in character but also carried moral and religious significance, with their violation being perceived as a serious offense and sin. For the purposes of this publication, a substantial corpus of ethnographic, historical-legal, and folklore materials has been analyzed. Bulgarian customs related to the establishment and protection of boundaries have been systematically examined, demonstrating that they are neither random nor isolated phenomena but constitute part of a durable legal and social tradition. The study further highlights the central role of customary law for the Bulgarian people, for whom the violation of boundaries was perceived as both a legal transgression and a moral offense, affecting the community as well as divine justice. Additionally, regional variations and similarities have been traced, showing that these customs were adapted to specific local conditions and the social structure of Bulgarian society.

The article examines the relationship between the Macedonian émigré community and the Bulgarian state following the coup of May 19, 1934, through an analysis of the newspaper Macedonian Tribune. The periodical, a leading voice of the Macedonian diaspora in North America, documents the shifting attitudes of emigrants toward political developments in Bulgaria. Initially, the newspaper adopts a cautious and neutral stance toward the new government. However, this position gradually changes as tensions escalate between the state and the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization. Before the coup, the focus of the émigré discourse is largely on foreign policy, especially Bulgaria’s relations with Yugoslavia, which are viewed with suspicion. After the coup, attention shifts to internal politics, particularly the repressive measures imposed by the new regime associated with the Zveno (a Bulgarian political circle). Arrests, censorship, and administrative control over Macedonian organizations intensify tensions and elicit a sharp response from the diaspora. As a result, the newspaper's tone grows increasingly adversarial. The language used in the newspaper evolves rapidly, reflecting a deepening divide between “Bulgarians from Macedonia” and those from the Kingdom. The study highlights how political pressure and state policies not only provoke open confrontation but also reshape identities and rhetoric within the community.

The present study examines the historiographical debate surrounding the relationship between Bogomilism and the process of Islamisation in the Balkans, with a particular focus on Bosnia. Bogomilism, a dualistic Christian heresy that emerged in the medieval Bulgarian lands, spread widely across Southeastern Europe and became especially influential in regions such as Bosnia, where religious diversity and institutional fragmentation were characteristic features of the late medieval period. The article traces the origins of the so-called “Bogomil theory” of Islamisation, which suggests that adherents of Bogomilism were more inclined to convert to Islam following the Ottoman conquest due to doctrinal similarities or their marginal position within Christian society. This theory, developed in late Ottoman and modern historiography, has been widely debated and often challenged. Drawing on a comparative and interdisciplinary methodology, the study analyzes abroad range of historiographical sources, examining Ottoman tax registers, narrative accounts, archaeological evidence, and epigraphic materials such as tombstones. These sources and studies reveal that Islamisation was a gradual and complex process, shaped by demographic changes, social mobility, economic incentives, and administrative structures under Ottoman rule, rather than by direct religious continuity with Bogomil beliefs. The research highlights that earlier interpretations overstated the role of Bogomilism, often influenced by ideological and national narratives, particularly in the context of Bosnian identity formation. Modern scholarship increasingly rejects the idea of a direct causal link between Bogomilism and Islamisation, emphasizing instead the diversity of religious experiences and the significance of broader socio-political factors. In conclusion, while the “Bogomil theory” continues to persist in certain historiographical and public discourses, it lacks solid empirical support. The Islamisation of Bosnia should be understood as a multifaceted historical phenomenon, embedded in the wider context of Ottoman expansion, regional dynamics, and evolving identities in Southeastern Europe.

This article examines the level and dynamics of average labour productivity (LP) in the countries associated with three major regional economic blocs: the European Union (EU), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), over the period 1951–2019. The relevance of the topic stems from the relationship between labour productivity and key macroeconomic indicators, particularly economic growth and economic well-being. The main objective is to characterize LP at both the aggregate and country levels, compare productivity patterns across the three groups, and identify their most significant similarities and differences. The period under analysis is determined by the availability of empirical data on GDP and employment in the Penn World Table 10.1 database. It begins with the post-World War II recovery, includes major global crises such as those of 1971 – 1974 and 2007 – 2009, covers periods of expansion, and ends immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic. The article discusses the economic significance of labour productivity and reviews key empirical findings on its historical development in Europe compared with the United States. It presents a descriptive analysis of the selected country groups. The results indicate a general increase in LP levels, accompanied by a decline in growth rates. The slowdown in productivity growth over the past three decades raises questions about the role of contemporary technological transformations as a driver of economic growth and has potentially adverse implications for regional economic integration. In comparative terms, the upward trend in LP is more pronounced in the EU and NAFTA, while it remains relatively weak in MERCOSUR. Within the EU, smaller economies tend to record higher growth rates, with Luxembourg standing out in average productivity level. The United States occupies a dominant position within NAFTA. Among the MERCOSUR countries, Argentina records the highest productivity level, whereas Brazil exhibits the highest average growth rate.