Two moments from February 1 in Bulgaria’s history sit at opposite ends of the country’s modern experience: one about the patient work of building a state, the other about its most contested exercise of power.
February 1, 1887 — Bulgaria’s First Permanent Weather Station Opens in Sofia
Bulgaria’s first permanent weather station opened in Sofia, marking the beginning of systematic meteorological observation across the country. Weather may seem ordinary, but for a young state it mattered enormously — agriculture, transport, public health, military planning, and river navigation all depended on better knowledge of climate and seasonal patterns. A permanent station meant that observation was no longer occasional or private; it became part of public administration and science.
The Sofia station helped connect Bulgaria with European meteorological practice, where data collection, standard instruments, and regular reporting were becoming essential infrastructure. In a largely agrarian society, weather records had practical value for farmers and planners, but they also represented something larger: the state learning to measure, classify, and understand its own territory through modern science.
February 1, 1945 — Sentences Are Issued by the First Panel of the People’s Court
The First Panel of the People’s Court issued death sentences against regents, ministers, royal advisers, MPs, and other figures from Bulgaria’s wartime political elite. The trials followed the communist-led Fatherland Front takeover in September 1944 and became one of the most controversial episodes in modern Bulgarian history. Supporters presented the court as justice for wartime responsibility and alliance with Nazi Germany; critics have long seen it as political revenge and an instrument for destroying the old order.
The executions that followed reshaped Bulgaria’s political class and opened the way for deeper communist consolidation. February 1 is now marked as a day of remembrance for victims of the communist regime, making the date not only historical but morally charged in Bulgarian public memory.
Discover more dates and stories in our February 2 entry, or step back to January 31. You can also explore Bulgaria From Above and our guides to the best of Bulgaria.
