Bulgarian racing pigeons set off for home from a castle in Slovakia

A total of 302 Bulgarian racing pigeons took flight for Bulgaria from the castle museum in the Slovak village of Svätý Anton during the second Bulgarian-Slovak competition dedicated to Tsar Ferdinand, Bulgaria's Embassy in Slovakia announced on its Facebook page. After his abdication, the former Bulgarian monarch spent the last 28 years of his life in Svätý Anton.

The competition brought together 34 pigeon fanciers from across Bulgaria. By the end of the day, all the birds had successfully returned home.

The international event was initiated by the Tsar Boris III Racing Pigeon Club, founded last year. The club focuses on long-distance and marathon competitions of 700 kilometres or more, while also encouraging young people to take up the breeding and racing of sporting pigeons. The club bears the name of Tsar Boris III because, during his reign, he introduced Bulgaria's first carrier pigeons for military use.

The event was organised by Miroslav Hudák, director of the castle museum, and Georgi Vidrov, head of the Tsar Boris III Club. Among the guests were Bulgaria's Ambassador to Slovakia, Mrs. Snezhana Yoveva-Dimitrova, representatives of the Slovak Racing Pigeon Federation, and visitors to the museum.

During the visit, Ambassador Yoveva-Dimitrova met with museum director Miroslav Hudák to discuss opportunities for expanding bilateral cooperation and organising future cultural events.

Edited by Diana Tsankova