Balgarianovinite.com A delegation led by Bulgaria’s Consul General in Munich, Stefan Ionkov, visited the Bulgarian chapel dedicated to St Cyril and St Methodius in the town of Ellwangen, on May 16, when the town marks St Methodius Day.
The delegation included Milena Dimitrova, the President’s Secretary for Culture, Education and Relations with Bulgarians Abroad; Kiril Valchev, Director General of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA); the two deputy mayors of the town of Troyan, Nikolay Raykovski and Veronika Todorova; journalists and staff from the Bulgarian Consulate General in Munich; as well as representatives of the Bulgarian community in Germany.
Also attending were Metropolitan Anthony of Western and Central Europe; Archpriest Rayko Sinev from the Bulgarian parish of Sts Cyril and Methodius in Stuttgart; Archpriest Nedyalko Kalinov of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church Community in Munich; Archpriest Tichon, head of the Bulgarian Orthodox church community in Regensburg; and Archpriest Vasil Bechevski, who provides spiritual care for the Bulgarian parishes in Mannheim and Mainz.
Earlier on Saturday, they concelebrated a thanksgiving service at St Vitus Basilica in Ellwangen.
At the Bulgarian chapel, the clergy performed the Troparion of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius and, together with the members of the delegation, paid tribute to the work of the holy brothers.
Bulgarian community in Baden-Wuerttemberg
According to data from the Statistical Office of Baden-Wuerttemberg, as of the end of November 2025, the population of the state stood at 11.25 million people, of whom 2.06 million were foreign citizens. Foreign nationals accounted for 18.3% of the total population. The largest foreign group was Turkish citizens, numbering 265,975, followed by Ukrainians with 189,460, Romanians 179,745, and Italians 173,210. Bulgarian citizens in the state numbered around 49,700 as of end-December 2025, according to BTA’s Reference Department.
Bulgaria, Ellwangen and St Methodius Day
Ellwangen, the third-largest town in the Ostalb district in eastern Baden-Wuerttemberg, holds particular significance for Bulgarian cultural history because of its connection to St Methodius. Methodius is believed to have served a three-year sentence in Ellwangen between 870 and 873 after being accused by Bavarian bishops of preaching without respecting diocesan boundaries. As early as 1885, a bas-relief depiction of the saint was placed on a wall of the old basilica, according to BTA’s Reference Department.
Since 1970, the town has marked St Methodius Day annually in memory of the saint’s stay at the Imperial Abbey of Ellwangen. The tradition began with the establishment of the Methodius Committee by Ellwangen residents and the donation of a relief by artist Hans Scheble (1904-1994). That same year, with the support of then mayor Karl Woehr, St Methodius Day began to be officially celebrated and gradually evolved into a town festival.
Relations between Ellwangen and Bulgaria deepened over the following decades. Commissioned by the Bulgarian government, Prof. Velichko Minekov created a bronze relief for the St Methodius monument in the town square bearing the saint’s name. On November 27, 1975, a Bulgarian government delegation and representatives of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences visited Ellwangen and unveiled a commemorative plaque.
In 1987, the town of Ellwangen, Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church built a memorial and the St Methodius Orthodox chapel. In 2010, artist Tsvetko Tsvetkov added frescoes depicting scenes from the saint’s life.
Since 2007, Ellwangen has maintained an active partnership with Troyan, including annual student exchanges between Hariolf-Gymnasium and schools in Troyan, as well as youth meetings and joint initiatives.
In 2011, ties between Ellwangen and Bulgaria entered a new phase with the establishment of the Southeast European Bulgarian Cultural Institute (Methodius Centre) at Adelmann Palace in Ellwangen.
In 2014, the Bulgarian city of Ruse and Ellwangen signed a partnership agreement within the framework of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. The agreement envisages cooperation in culture, innovation and the development of regional centres for cultural exchange.
Over the years, the St Methodius Day celebrations have become a traditional gathering place for the Bulgarian community in Germany. The events are attended by representatives of Bulgarian diplomatic missions, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, cultural organizations and official delegations from Bulgaria.
In 2025, Ellwangen hosted the 55th St Methodius celebrations with the participation of a Bulgarian delegation and the Lazarka Ensemble from Munich. During the event, a renovated memorial plaque at the St Methodius chapel was unveiled by Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Germany Grigor Porozhanov and Borislav Petranov, Director of the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Berlin. Bulgarian Delegation Led by Consul General Stefan Ionkov Visits Sts Cyril and Methodius Chapel in Ellwangen 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-05-16 16:08:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
