site.btaOctober 25, 1878: Bulgaria's First Red Cross Society Is Set Up

On October 25, 1878, the first Bulgarian Red Cross Society was founded in the southeastern town of Sliven. Its statute was approved by Prince Alexander Dondukov-Korsakov, Governor General of Eastern Rumelia.

After the Unification of the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia in 1885, a national organization was established on September 20, 1885. Bulgaria's first prince, Alexander of Battenberg, took the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) under his patronage.

The organization was recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva in a letter dated October 20, 1885.

Today, BRC is the largest humanitarian organization in Bulgaria. As of 2023, it had 141,580 members, 16,546 volunteers, 28 regional branches, 264 municipal branches, and 2,691 local associations.