The music was derived from the German folk song "Wenn die Soldaten durch die Stadt marschieren" that was very popular in Bulgaria in the mid-19th century. The original text was written by Nikola Zhivkov, a head teacher in Veles (now in North Macedonia).
The music originated from the German folk song "Wenn die Soldaten durch die Stadt marschieren" and was popular in Bulgaria during the mid-19th century.  Nikola Zhivkov, a teacher at Veles (now in North Macedonia), wrote the original lyrics.