Ecological Environment and Lifestyle Traditions Along the Upper Reaches of the Bulgarian Section of the Danube (Ethnological Study on Examples From Lom and the Villages of Archar and Dolni Tsibar)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60053/GSU.IF.1.108.303-346

Keywords:

Danube River (Bulgarian section/upper stretches), Northwestern Bulgaria, Cultural landscapes, everyday life

Abstract

The article is an ethnographic study of three settlements in Northwestern Bulgaria, located along the Danube River. By applying a qualitative ethnographic methodology and using techniques from related sciences such as history, the study traces the change in the human-environment relationship in the town of Lom, the village of Archar and the village of Dolni Tsibar. Theoretically, the study adheres to the direction of the so-called cultural ecology, which emphasizes precisely the process of simultaneous influences between man and nature. The influence of the geographical factor in modern times on cultural patterns, livelihood structure and identity of the local population is analyzed. The emphasis is on the formation of cultural landscapes as a result of human activity and their subsequent impact on the daily lives of people living along the river.

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Respondent, male, of Bulgarian ethnic origin, approx. 60 years old, village of Dolni Tsibar, municipality of Valchedram.

Respondent, male, approx. 65 years old, of Turkish ethnic origin, village of Dolni Tsibar, municipality of Vlchedram.

Respondent, male, of Roma origin, approx. 40 years old, village of Dolni Tsibar, municipality of Vlchedram.

Respondent, female, of Roma ethnic origin, approx. 45 years old, town of Lom.

Respondent, female, of Bulgarian ethnic origin, approx. 50 years old, town of Lom.

Respondent, male, approx. 35 years old, of Bulgarian ethnic origin, town of Lom.

Respondent, male, approx. 40 years old, Bulgarian ethnic origin, village of Archar.

Respondent, male, Roma ethnic origin, approx. 40 years old, village of Dolni Tsibar, municipality of Vlchedram.

Respondent, female, Bulgarian ethnic origin, approx. 65 years old, lives in Sofia, born in Lom.

Respondent, male, Bulgarian ethnic origin, approx. 40 years old, lives in Sofia, born in Lom.

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Published

25.11.2025

How to Cite

Iordanova, K., & Kotseva, V. (2025). Ecological Environment and Lifestyle Traditions Along the Upper Reaches of the Bulgarian Section of the Danube (Ethnological Study on Examples From Lom and the Villages of Archar and Dolni Tsibar). Annual of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” – Faculty of History, 108(1), 303-346. https://doi.org/10.60053/GSU.IF.1.108.303-346

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