The influence of former Bulgarian horticulture on the development of town twinning between Hungary and Bulgaria

Abstract

Twinning is a key instrument for transnational cooperation, strengthening trust and promoting deeper interactions between local or territorial self-governments. Although the existence of this type of relationships and, in most cases, the range of participants in the cooperations are known, the drivers behind the dynamic development of these twinning networks are less visible. The fundamental motive for establishing relations may be the pursuit of intra ethnic cooperation, one manifestation of which is the development and strengthening of relations between the ethnic community and the mother country. In Hungary, among the 13 recognized nationalities, the Bulgarian community is one of the smallest and least concentrated. Although the Bulgarian ethnic minority has been able to establish minority self-governments since its de jure recognition (1993), the proportion of the community in all Hungarian settlements remains below the ten percent threshold required by current legislation to obtain additional rights. Thus, although these cannot be considered settlements with significant ethnic minorities, certain local Bulgarian communities have historical characteristics that make it worthwhile to examine their twinning relationships. This characteristic is the Bulgarian horticultural past. Therefore, in addition to presenting the characteristics of the Bulgarian ethnic minority in Hungary, the present paper also seeks to answer the question of whether Bulgarian horticultural past and traditions, as well as family ties, are reflected in the twinning agreements concluded between Hungarian and Bulgarian local governments.

The research is based on national twin town databases compiled by the National Association of Local Authorities (TÖOSZ) and collected by Natsionalno Sdruzhenie Na Obshtinite V Republica Bulgariya (NSORB). Twinning relations are most often geographically determined, so they are mainly established between settlements in neighbouring countries. Of course, the general rules can be overridden by close, friendly relations between two states, their historical connections, the relationship between ethnic minorities living in the territory of each state and their mother country, etc. Historical ties between Bulgaria and Hungary are not particularly strong. Beyond the twinning relations that were established from above during the socialist period and have remained to this day, it is mainly the (now already) free and voluntary establishment of relationships between Bulgarian communities and their mother country that drives these collaborations. Some of the Bulgarian-Hungarian twinning relationships were established specifically between the Hungarian and former Bulgarian residences of Bulgarian gardeners who settled down in Hungary in the beginning of the 20th century, such as Halásztelek - Polikraiste, Halásztelek - Nikopol, Felsőzsolca - Draganovo, Szigetszentmiklós - Gorna Orjahovica, Zugló - Veliko Tarnovo, and Szentes- Sevlievo. Relationships based on the Bulgarian horticultural past were identified based on information available on the websites of the municipalities.

The findings were validated and supplemented by semi-structured telephone interviews with the leaders of the municipalities concerned, as well as with representatives of the Bulgarian ethnic minority and local ethnic minority governments and employees of cultural institutions between 15 January and 27 June 2025. In summary, it can be concluded that although the Bulgarian horticulture past and the presence of local governments are decisive factors in the establishment of twinning relations, official and regular contact can lay the foundation for closer cooperation between local communities and the formation of genuine ties between institutions, organizations, and social groups.