Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Altimir: Life in the depopulated Bulgarian countryside [video]

youtube.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 42 posts

Re: Altimir: Life in the depopulated Bulgarian countryside [video]

#11

Post by emptyfile »

zokier wrote: post #8

I was reading on the history of Bulgaria from wikipedia, and came across this curious snippet: > Facing declining birth rates among the ethnic Bulgarian majority , in 1984 Zhivkov's government forced the minority ethnic Turks to adopt Slavic names in an attempt to erase their identity and assimilate them So the population decline is not just some recent post-communist depression, but something more deeply ingrained i…

It's really not especially weird.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ageing_of_Europe

Bulgaria and Romania experienced extreme level of emigration but almost every country in Europe is dying out. The countryside in these countries is depopulated and dead, in a country like the UK or France it is merely grim and miserable.

Re: Altimir: Life in the depopulated Bulgarian countryside [video]

#12

Post by chewyland »

chimen wrote: post #7

Joining EU had this effect on my country as well (Romania). There are entire villages (I lived in one of them for 6 years and I can make a difference) where just old people can be found. The young left for other countries (mostly UK and Italy) and to the bigger cities but the latter did so because, for some reason, they couldn't find anything abroad. What you're left with is nothing but old people who are easily mani…

I have visited over 80 Bulgarian towns and villages in my campervan over the last 6 years and have never seen anything what you are describing.

Sure, lots of empty towns, plenty of poverty and old people but did ever feel fear or see any violence, not once.

BTW, I'm just a random friendly Canadian who talks with everyone.

Re: Altimir: Life in the depopulated Bulgarian countryside [video]

#13

Post by robocat »

chimen wrote: post #7

Joining EU had this effect on my country as well (Romania). There are entire villages (I lived in one of them for 6 years and I can make a difference) where just old people can be found. The young left for other countries (mostly UK and Italy) and to the bigger cities but the latter did so because, for some reason, they couldn't find anything abroad. What you're left with is nothing but old people who are easily mani…

A few years ago I traveled solo through Bulgaria for a few days from Serbia to Greece on a 50cc Yamaha DT50R, avoiding major roads (due to small engine and it's just fun - spent a month going from Marseille to Istanbul - loved all the ex-yugoslav countries).

Never noticed anything dangerous while traveling in Bulgaria, although Sofia has that normal big city be-careful feel to it. No bribes required either.

Obviously only a few days and not a local and maybe I didn't see the rough areas...

Edit: obviously there is danger throughout many parts of Europe. I just wanted to say that travelling solo through mountainous roads on a 50cc motorbike and often staying in hick areas, I felt welcome. Then again: I wasn't in a campervan or riding a BMW; I am not from a usually hated country; YMMV.

Re: Altimir: Life in the depopulated Bulgarian countryside [video]

#14

Post by witty_user_name »

chimen wrote: post #7

Joining EU had this effect on my country as well (Romania). There are entire villages (I lived in one of them for 6 years and I can make a difference) where just old people can be found. The young left for other countries (mostly UK and Italy) and to the bigger cities but the latter did so because, for some reason, they couldn't find anything abroad. What you're left with is nothing but old people who are easily mani…

I've lived here for a couple of years and traveled most of the country. I've never seen anything like you describe.

There are enough challenges for this little country without the need to fabricate more of them.

Re: Altimir: Life in the depopulated Bulgarian countryside [video]

#15

Post by witty_user_name »

throwaway8342 wrote: post #5

As much as the story pains me as Bulgarian, I'd like to provide some more facts rather than emotions. Before the end of communist rule in Bulgaria everything was distributed rather evenly across the country and believe it or not the majority of people were content, there was work and some pay and most people got the same. The exceptions were not visible. After this the country "reset" and places with critical mass of…

As a westerner living here the stand out issue was the utterly random placement of industry.

All of the factories were placed to provide employment. When capitalism took over the ridiculous placement of them (far from raw goods & far from distribution) meant they all failed and died.

Bulgaria could never be considered a true capitalist country anyway. There is still no rule of law and the mafia choke every last stotinki from the state and the EU.

Re: Altimir: Life in the depopulated Bulgarian countryside [video]

#17

Post by ido »

Jughashvili wrote: post #2

That's a good example of the results of the healing powers of capitalism, that the western propaganda talked so much about, when they were collapsing the Soviet Union.

You think the Soviet Union needed help collapsing? It was mostly doing that on their own, Reagan et al just sped up the process a bit.

Re: Altimir: Life in the depopulated Bulgarian countryside [video]

#18

Post by Halluxfboy009 »

Very bored with "documentaries" showing Bulgaria as under developed country with people living in villages, thinking it will be "original". 74% of the population is in urban areas, so showing this village with no roads is really trivial. If you wanted to look into the problem you should have filmed the young people who are living the country and why. Also why you present content which is a few years old without specifying that?

Re: Altimir: Life in the depopulated Bulgarian countryside [video]

#19

Post by Asooka »

chewyland wrote: post #12
chimen wrote: post #7

Joining EU had this effect on my country as well (Romania). There are entire villages (I lived in one of them for 6 years and I can make a difference) where just old people can be found. The young left for other countries (mostly UK and Italy) and to the bigger cities but the latter did so because, for some reason, they couldn't find anything abroad. What you're left with is nothing but old people who are easily mani…

I have visited over 80 Bulgarian towns and villages in my campervan over the last 6 years and have never seen anything what you are describing. Sure, lots of empty towns, plenty of poverty and old people but did ever feel fear or see any violence, not once. BTW, I'm just a random friendly Canadian who talks with everyone.

I'm from Bulgaria. The stuff in OP's post definitely happens and there are more than enough areas like what he describes. Generally the area around Sofia/Plovdiv is civilized (South-West quadrant). But the South-East is depopulated and if he's going from Romania to Turkey, he'll be passing through the rougher parts of the countryside. I wonder if Google Maps or similar made him take a route off the highway as well. Don't do that. 100% on point about the road police.

I wouldn't blame the EU for these developments though, it's the natural consequence of how our country developed post-Soviet rule. I also can't blame the old people for voting how they do, for them it's life or death. At least the EU can keep some check on the corruption, without them we'd be a de-facto Russian vassal and there's no corruption like Russian oligarch corruption.

Re: Altimir: Life in the depopulated Bulgarian countryside [video]

#20

Post by cromat3 »

chimen wrote: post #7

Joining EU had this effect on my country as well (Romania). There are entire villages (I lived in one of them for 6 years and I can make a difference) where just old people can be found. The young left for other countries (mostly UK and Italy) and to the bigger cities but the latter did so because, for some reason, they couldn't find anything abroad. What you're left with is nothing but old people who are easily mani…

Same happened to Croatia. From 2013. when we joined EU, Croatia lost at least 140000 people, which is about 3,3% of population, but unlike Bulgaria, I can say that Croatia is a really safe country.
Post reply on HN