145 years of service to Bulgarian statehood: The National Services for Protection of Bulgaria (1879—2024)
145 години служба на българската държавност. Службите за охрана в България (1879—2024)
Language: Bulgarian

   Security activities have various aspects related to the protection of persons, objects and events. The profession of security guard appeared in antiquity. In the late Middle Ages in Europe, the French model of providing security for the crowned royalty became established. Monarchs had their own personal units whose purpose was to guard the head of state. Guard units have a special status, a flag and a uniform, necessarily bearing the symbols of the ruler. This pattern is preserved in modern times. In the First (681—1018) and the Second (1185—1396) Bulgarian kingdoms, the rulers had their own personal troops responsible for the safety of the ruler and the security of the throne. These offices, and the memory of them, disappeared with the fall of medieval Bulgaria to Ottoman rule in the late 14th century. The Bulgarian security services were restored with the rising of Bulgarian statehood in 1879. By definition, their activities are invisible and unobtrusive, devoid of publicity and ostentation. Their history, organisation and functioning therefore remain hidden and largely unknown to the public. This publication presents the 145-year history of the Bulgarian security services in documents and images.

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