150 Years of the Tarnovo Constitution

150 Jahre seit der Tarnowo-Verfassung

The Tarnovo Constitution (Tarnovska konstitutsia) was adopted in 1879 in the then capital Veliko Tarnovo and was the first constitution of the modern Bulgarian state. It was drawn up shortly after Bulgaria's liberation from Ottoman rule and gave the young principality a constitutional monarchy with separation of powers, a single-chamber parliament (Narodno Sabranie), and far-reaching civil rights and liberties.

For its time, it was regarded as one of the most progressive constitutions in Europe. It shaped Bulgaria's political self-understanding for decades and remains to this day a central reference point of national statehood — reason enough to honour its 150th anniversary with a 2-euro commemorative coin.