A Bulgarian State Railways Siemens AG Desiro train at the Central Railway Station in Sofia

The Bulgarian State Railways (Български държавни железници, Balgarski darzhavni zheleznitsi, abbreviated as БДЖ, BDZ) are Bulgaria's state railway company and the largest railway carrier in the country, established as an entity in 1885. The company's headquarters are located in the capital Sofia. Siemens AG (FWB:SIE, NYSE: SI) is the worlds largest electronics company. ... Desiro DMU, as part of an InterCity Săgeata Albastră (Blue Arrow) train in Romania, run by Căile Ferate Române A Bulgarian State Railways-operated Desiro train at the Central Railway Station in Sofia Desiro is a brand name of modular trains manufactured by Siemens of Germany. ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Flag Seal Location Position of Sofia in Bulgaria Government Country  Province Bulgaria  Sofia-City Mayor Boyko Borisov Geographical characteristics Area    - City 1,310 km²    - Land   (?) km²    - Water   (?) km² Population    - City (2006) 1,376,742    - Density   907/km² Coordinates , Elevation 550 m Time zone - Summer (DST) EET (UTC+2) EEST (UTC...

History

The first railway in Bulgaria (Rousse–Varna, with a length of 223 km) was constructed in 1865 by a British company, one of the investors being William Ewart Gladstone, and began operation on 7 November 1866. Rousse (also transliterated as Ruse or Russe; Bulgarian: Русе; Romanian: Rusciuc) is the fifth largest city in Bulgaria, with a population of 178,000. ... Varna (Bulgarian: Варна) is the third largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 351,552(10. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... William Ewart Gladstone (29 December 1809–19 May 1898) was a British Liberal Party statesman and Prime Minister (1868–1874, 1880–1885, 1886 and 1892–1894). ... November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...

The British company transferred the rights to the corporation to Baron Maurice de Hirsch, which was eventually bought by the Bulgarian state in 1888. Between 1870 and 1874, the railway lines in Southern Bulgaria owned by Baron Hirsch had a total length of 309,6 km. They became state property in 1909. Maurice de Hirsch, baron Hirsh auf Gereuth, in the baronage of Bavaria (December 9, 1831 - April 21, 1896), capitalist and philanthropist (German by birth, Austro-Hungarian by domicile), was born at Munich. ... 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

The first railway line in Bulgaria that was entirely designed and built by Bulgarian engineers and designers was opened on 1 August 1888, connecting Tsaribrod, Sofia and Vakarel. August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ...

According to a 1886 law approved by the National Assembly, the state entirely assumes the construction, development and exploitation of Bulgaria's railway network, also establishing the Bulgarian State Railways. The National Assembly of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Народното събрание, transliterated: Narodno Sabranie) is the unicameral parliament and body of the legislative of the Republic of Bulgaria. ...

External links

• Official website of the Bulgarian State Railways
• Unofficial map of Bulgarian Railways in Bulgarian and English.