Bulgaria
Scouting began in Bulgaria between 1911 and 1913, and a national Scout organization was created in 1923. Bulgarian Scouting was originally a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement from 1924 to 1940. Scouting reached 60,000 members at the beginning of World War II.
In the interwar period, Russian Scouting went into exile, and continued in many countries where fleeing White Russian émigrés settled, establishing its own Scout groups in Bulgaria.
In 1940, due to the political situation, Scouting stopped its activities in Bulgaria. When the war ended, communists dominated the country and prevented Scouting from starting again. With the advent of Communism, Scouting was outlawed and the resources of the Scout organizations were confiscated and redistributed to the newly formed Communist youth organizations. After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Scouting was reborn again in Bulgaria in 1989. It was not until 1995 that a national Scout organization was created that conformed to WOSM requirements.
On January 17, 1999, Organizatsia Na Bulgarskite Skauty became the 151st member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, and officially welcomed to WOSM at the World Scout Conference in South Africa on July 25, 1999. The Scout organization has approximately 2,800 members with 57 groups in the 20 largest cities and towns in the country. The organization is volunteer-run. The Organizatsia Na Bulgarskite Skauty is open to both males and females. There is an active Sea Scout program on the Black Sea and in Silistra, on the Danube River.
Each year, Bulgarian Scouts organize a national Jamboree. Bulgarian Scouts take part in community development activities in their country. They have carried out several projects with the Bulgarian Red Cross and have also taken part in reforestation projects. They receive good press and TV coverage.
Due to the negative legacy of the Communist youth organizations, the Scouting movement in Bulgaria is having a slow rebirth. The Scouting organization of Bulgaria is left without an inheritance of leadership, equipment, and established program. However, as stated by Stoyan Ivanov, the Chairman of the Bulgarian Scout Organization of Varna, "The democratic changes during the last two years in our country created conditions for the veterans of the Scout movement in Varna to start its restoration after it was suppressed by the totalitarian regime [for] half a century."
The Vratza Scout Troop has an extensive Bulgarian-language website that offers information about the state of Scouting in Bulgaria today.