54 



The National Geographic Magazine 



extraordinary progress, but under the 

 present government very few improve- 

 ments have been made. The business 

 portion of the city will compare well 

 with any place of similar size in France, 

 German}^, or Austria. The business 

 blocks are of modern architecture ; the 

 streets are wide and well kept ; there 

 are many apartment-houses similar to 

 those in Vienna ; the shops are filled 

 with fine assortments of European 

 goods — patent sweepers and furniture 



The national costume is one of the most 

 picturesque in Europe, and their outer 

 ■garments are of wool grown and sheared 

 upon their own farms, spun and woven 

 in their own cabins, cut and made by 

 their own hands. Formerly their cotton- 

 goods were imported from England and 

 Germany, but the thrifty Bulgarians 

 have learned the most valuable lessons 

 of economy, and a little patch of cotton 

 is now found beside nearly every cabin, 

 which is planted, picked, ginned, spun, 



Sofia, the Capital of Bulgaria 



from Grand Rapids, agricultural im- 

 plements and machinery from our fac- 

 tories, and Armour's canned goods; but 

 what little commerce we have with 

 the Balkan States is filtered through 

 Austria. 



In the market places you see the cos- 

 tumes of nearly every oriental race. 

 The Bulgarian is distinguished by the 

 kalpak, ahead-dress of lamb's wool, and 

 the Turk by his fez. The Turkish 

 women wear veils, but the Bulgarian 

 women follow the European customs. 



woven by the women like wool from 

 their flocks. They are fond of bright 

 colors, and the garments of both men and 

 women are elaborately embroidered. A 

 Bulgarian girl arrayed for her wedding 

 or for a holiday is as pretty and pictur- 

 esque an object as you can find outside 

 of China or Japan, and a Bulgarian 

 dandy is a delight. The sober-minded 

 gentlemen wear long coats of white wool 

 with full skirts and frogs, turbans of 

 lamb skin, and high boots. 



There is a fine club in Sofia, more im- 



