1 Nov 2009. BHVS Annual General Meeting

The annual BHVS General Meeting was held yesterday at the Bulgarian Revival School Hall of the National Historical Museum in Sofia. One of the most important decisions was the election of Mr Zeljko Heimer as a BHVS honorary member. During the informal part the newest books in the members' libraries and the library of BHVS were shown and exchanged for use. Alexander Alexiev presented his personal coat of arms. Jovan Jonovski reported the debate about the state coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia, and his experience in cooperative events with museums.

18.05.2009. Herold #2 Issued

The second number of the BHVS bulletin is a special issue in honour of the Centenary of Bulgarian Independence (Sep 22, 1908-2008). Part of its contents are the paper about the Symbols of Bulgarian Statehood Exhibition, as well as, heraldic and vexillological articles on royal and state symbols. The bulletin is published with the support of the National Historical Museum.

13.04.2009. Rendezvous with Clive E. A. Cheesman, Rouge Dragon Pursuivant

Today BHVS members Aleksander Moshev, Aleksander Aleksiev and Plamen Tzvetkov met D-r Clive Cheesman in the frames of his private visit to Sofia. The honoured guest is Rouge Dragon Pursuivant, College of Arms, and joint editor of The Coat of Arms, journal of the Heraldry Society, London. Contemporary challenges of heraldry was the main topic of the conversations.

During the last couple of years this has been the third meeting of that rank after the visits of Aleksander Aleksiev and Lachezar Haralampiev at the College of Arms, and their welcome by Mr. David White, Somerset Herald of Arms and chairman of the Heraldry Society, London.

23 Sep 2008. BHVS Annual General Meeting

Following the Symbols of Bulgarian Statehood national exhibition, the 2008 BHVS annual general meeting was held yesterday. Our kind hosts from Veliko Tarnovo’s Regional Museum of History offered us the old-town comforts of Sarafkina House to this end. All activities for the past year were accounted for and a programme for the next was accepted. New BHVS members were also admitted.

23 Sep 2008. Exhibition in Honour of Centenary of Bulgarian Declaration of Independence

The Symbols of Bulgarian Statehood national exhibition was officially opened in Veliko Tarnovo’s Rafael Mihailov Exposition Hall. The exhibition’s heraldic side was developed by BHVS’s creative team and consists of the majority of Bulgarian national arms as recently discovered in western European and Illyrian armorials.

(Pictures: Plamen Tsvetkov)

18 Sep 2008. Exhibition in Honour of Independence Day and BHVS Annual General Meeting

The BHVS annual general meeting will be held on September 22 in Veliko Tarnovo. It will be complemented by the official opening of the Symbols of Bulgarian Statehood national exhibition to honour the centenary of the Bulgarian Declaration of Independence. The event is co-organised in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, National Museum of History, and BHVS, and hosted by the Municipality of Veliko Tarnovo and the Regional Museum of History. Approximately twenty museums, academic and cultural institutions from the entire country will also be participating with their exhibits.

27 Aug 2008. First Issue of BHVS Bulletin Published

The first issue of Herold, our bulletin, came out of print today. The publication contains academic articles on heraldry and vexillology, as well as information on BHVS activities. The bulletin is envisaged to be a regular annual edition, with additional dedicated editions to be printed when special occasions so demand. The first of these is already planned for September to honour the centenary of the Bulgarian Declaration of Independence.

9 Jun 2008. Village of Lozen with BHVS-Designed Arms

Lozen is the third village in the Municipality of Septemvri to possess heraldically-correct coat of arms. Plamen Tsvetkov is its author and Radoslav Iliev the heraldic artist. It was formally presented to Mayor Georgi Tsankov by Alexander Alexiev, the initiator of this project (see picture).

18 Mar 2008. The Flag of the BHVS is Adopted

Three years after the juridical registration of the BHVS, the flag of the association is adopted after the design of Peter Yanachkov. It is based on the national colours, the letter V (for vexillology) and the reversed triangle (as a shield, for heraldry).

09 Jan 2008. Obituary

Today, on the age of 82 our honorary member Mr. Ivan T. Papouktchiev has died in Kazanlak. May his memory live for ever!

03 Dec 2007. General Meeting of the BHVS

On 01.12.2007 at 14:00 the general meeting of BHVS was held at the 25th hall of the Historical Faculty in Sofia University - the very place where, on 14.12.2004, BHVS was established. The importance of the event was predetermined by the fact that it marked the end of the first three-year mandate and the beginning of the second one. There was a report on the period passed. The Advisory Council and the chairman were reelected. The most important topic on the agenda was the discussion and the adoption of a strategy for the future development and the program on the objectives of BHVS for the next 3 years. Jovan Jonovsky participated during the meeting as an honorary member and a guest from the Macedonian Heraldry Society. As a mark of friendship, he presented BHVS with a letter of gratitude. The meeting ended with the presentations of the latest heraldic investigations concerning Bulgaria: Lord Marshal's Roll of Arms, the Illyrian Armorial and Grunenberg Armorial of the Society of Antiquarians of London, Richental Prague Codex, and Grunenberg Parchment Codex from Bavarian State Library.

5 Nov 2007. A Lecture of the BHVS Chairman at the Museum of Macedonia

On 1 Nov 2007 г. in the hall 1 of the Museum of Macedonia in Skopje, Stoyan Antonov delivered a lecture about heraldry as a system of symbols. The event took place within the frame of Museum of Macedonia and Macedonian Heraldry Society Project. Among the public were representatives of the secretary of Ministry of Culture and the rector of Skopje University, as well as students from the secondary school of arts and parties interested in heraldry. The previous day (31.10.2007) the annual meeting of Macedonian Heraldry Society, where S. Antonov was present as a special guest, was held.

27 Jun 2007. Phototype on-line Edition of the Stemmatographia

BHVS prepares an edition of Hristofor Zhefarofich's Stemmatographia,  accessible via Internet. This very important source of South Slavonic heraldry, was published in 1741 in Vienna as a translation of 1701 Vitezovic's Stemmatographia from Latin into "Slavo-Serbian". The present issue is based on a copy from its 1742 second edition. The book was published only once in Bulgaria (1986, phototype). Notes about arms, territories and personalities, mentioned in Stemmatographia, are in the process of preparation.

You can turn over the 116 pages here. Loading may take a few minutes.

12 Apr 2007. Village of Varvara Has Coat of Arms

On 22 Mar 2007 the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Septemvri, District of Pazardzhik, adopted the coat of arms of Varvara Village, proposed by BHVS. The newly adopted symbol is one of the few coats of arms in Bulgaria.

6 Nov 2006. General Meeting of the BHVS

On 4 Nov 2006 the annual BHVS General Meeting was held at the Bulgarian Revival School Hall of the National Historical Museum in Sofia. The main topics on the agenda were report on activities, and adoption of 2007 BHVS Program. Three delegates of the Macedonian Heraldry Society were also present at the meeting. After the formal part, looking through and discussing rolls of arms were enjoyable for all. (Photos: Petar Gajdov)