The invention of the telephone marks one of the greatest milestones in the history of human communication. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell patented the first device capable of transmitting speech over a distance using electrical signals—an invention that forever changed the way people communicate. The first words transmitted by Bell over the telephone were to the next room, where his assistant Thomas Watson was located. Although initially met with skepticism, the telephone quickly gained a place in the modern world, symbolizing progress, modernity, and a new era of connectivity.
Bulgaria was quick to join this technological revolution. Just a few years after the Liberation, as the country was building its new institutions and creating modern infrastructure, the telephone emerged as an innovative means of communication between key administrative centers.
The first telephone connection in Bulgaria took place in 1878, during the Russo-Turkish War. The location was the town of Pordim in the Pleven region, and the two parties on the line were Prince Nikolai Nikolaevich from the Russian army's headquarters and King Carol I from the Romanian army's headquarters.
The first official telephone in Bulgaria was introduced in 1879 in the capital of Eastern Rumelia—Plovdiv. It connected the office of the city's governor, Prince Alexander Bogoridi, with his chancellery, located 200 meters away. A conversation was held over the line, in which he addressed his subordinates.
The first intercity telephone connection in Bulgaria was established in 1891 between Sofia and Plovdiv. Its official inauguration took place on January 13 1892. The ceremony at the Main Directorate of Posts and Telegraphs was attended by Prince Ferdinand I, the entire cabinet, several diplomats, and military officials.
The first long-distance telephone network was built in honor of the opening of the first industrial exhibition in Plovdiv. Telephone booths were installed in both the capital and the city under the hills.
A few years later, the first telephone operators were hired, and only in 1935 were automatic telephone exchanges introduced in Bulgaria—initially in Sofia, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo, and Krichim station. The first telephone directory in Bulgaria was published in 1900 and was subsequently issued regularly every year.
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