February 4 in Bulgaria’s history carries two acts of violence, separated by twenty-one years — one aimed at a statesman, the other at an entire town from the air.
February 4, 1923 — Assassination Attempt against Alexander Stamboliiski
An assassination attempt was made against Prime Minister Alexander Stamboliiski and three of his ministers at the National Theatre in Sofia. The attack reflected the intense political polarization of interwar Bulgaria. Stamboliiski’s Bulgarian Agrarian National Union government had introduced major reforms and challenged older elites, the military establishment, and nationalist organizations. His rule was admired by supporters as democratic and peasant-oriented, but condemned by opponents as authoritarian and divisive.
The failed attempt showed that political violence was already becoming a central feature of the period. Only months later, in June 1923, Stamboliiski would be overthrown and brutally killed after a coup. February 4 foreshadowed the instability that would mark Bulgaria’s interwar years: conspiracies, coups, repression, and deep conflict over the country’s future direction.
February 4, 1944 — Allied Aircraft Bomb Dupnitsa
British and American aircraft bombed Dupnitsa in southwestern Bulgaria during the Second World War, killing 59 people and injuring 33. Bulgaria was allied with Nazi Germany at the time, and Allied bombing campaigns targeted infrastructure, rail links, and urban centres connected with the Axis war effort. Yet for the people on the ground, these raids were experienced as fear, destruction, loss, and sudden death.
Dupnitsa’s bombing reminds us that wartime history is not only about diplomatic alignment or military strategy — it is also about local communities hit by decisions made far away. The attack forms part of the broader story of Allied air raids over Bulgaria in 1943–1944, including the devastating bombings of Sofia. February 4 remains a date of local wartime memory and civilian suffering.
Move ahead to February 5 or back to February 3. For more on the country, see our Bulgaria guides and Bulgaria From Above.
