site.btaCulture Minister Hopes to See Historical Landmarks in Northeastern Bulgaria Included on UNESCO Heritage Lists

Caretaker Minister of Culture Nayden Todorov hopes that the ruins of Bulgaria’s two oldest capitals Pliska and Preslav, the Provadia Saltworks and the entire Madara National Historical and Archaeological Reserve (not just the Madara Horseman rock relief) will become protected sites of UNESCO. Speaking to journalists in Shumen, Todorov discussed the upcoming 47th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which Bulgaria will host in 2025.

He was in the northeastern town for a forum within the Brand Bulgaria Campaign of the Standart Media Group, which was also attended by Deputy Tourism Minister Irena Georgieva, Shumen Mayor Hristo Hristov, Regional Governor Beynur Ahmed, MPs, mayors of municipalities in Northeastern Bulgaria, representatives of cultural institutions and travel agents.

Noting that the Shumen area is particularly rich in historical landmarks, Culture Minister Todorov said: “We need to be prouder nowadays and to know our history.”

He commented on the government policy of funding archaeological research. He pointed to a failure to define the national priorities when it comes to supporting archaeology. “One of the issues is that the resources are scarce, and another issue is that a given team of archaeologists may have received funding for excavations in the current year, but they don’t know whether they will receive money again next year.”

“One of the changes we want to make is, first, to set priorities, and second, those who receive funding for such special sites should be able to do so not just for a year but for several years,” Todorov said. According to him, the priorities should not be defined by politicians and government ministers because they cannot see the details. “It should be done by professionals,” he added.