site.btaPazardzhik's Contribution to Europe Is Free Access to Culture, Says BTA Director General

In Pazardzhik, the Bulgarian contribution to free access to culture is particularly visible, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev at the opening of a local conference within BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project. The conference is taking place at the BTA National Press Club here on Friday.

He emphasized that the conference is held during the 50th anniversary of the International Festival of Symphonic and Contemporary Music Winter Musical Evenings – Prof. Ivan Spasov. Valchev pointed out that attendance for the festival is traditionally free, against the background of the very expensive tickets for such festivals in other places in Europe. He recalled that the concerts of the symphony orchestra in Pazardzhik are also free every Thursday and that the town's symphony orchestra is supported by the Municipality. "This is another good example of providing access to culture, as is the case with the symphony orchestra in Sliven," Valchev stressed.

As an example of the centuries old tradition of young Bulgarians returning to Bulgaria after studying in European countries, Valchev pointed to the 26-year-old pianist Emanuel Ivanov, who was the soloist of the Beethoven concert at the festival on Thursday. Born in Pazardzhik, Ivanov got a full-scholarship at the Royal Conservatory in Birmingham, but still often performs in Bulgaria. "Such an example is also Maestro Georgi Atanasov, whose name is given to the hall with one of the few organs in Bulgaria, in which the festival is held," Valchev recalled, adding that in 1901, Atanasov went to Italy, where he studied composition and counterpoint at the Conservatory in Pesaro, before returning to Bulgaria to play a significant role in Bulgarian musical life.

Prof Ivan Spasov, whose name the festival bears, who, after graduating from the Bulgarian State Conservatory in Sofia, specialized in orchestral conducting and composition at the Warsaw Conservatory, and in many of his works combines European avant-garde compositional techniques with Bulgarian folklore, is also an example of this centuries-old tradition, Valchev noted. He also recalled that Konstantin Velichkov, whose name the Pazardzhik Theatre bears and who was born here on January 1, 1855, was sent by his father to study at the French Sultan Lyceum in Constantinople. After his return to Bulgaria he translated Shakespeare's drama Macbeth and Dante's Divine Comedy, as well as other very famous works of literature.

The Pazardzhik Theatre is also an example of the understanding of Bulgarians that everyone should have easy access to culture, Valchev emphasized. He recalled that the foundation of the theatre was laid in 1862 through the Videlina Community Centre, whose name comes from videlo, which means light. It became a home to one of the oldest theatres in Bulgaria, built with funds collected voluntarily by citizens. Since 1922, the Municipal Administration has been granting subsidies for theatre performances and salaries for theatre managers, Valchev added. He noted that the Pazardzhik History Museum, one of the leading and oldest museums in Bulgaria, was also established from the Videlina Community Centre in 1911. The Stanislav Dospevski Art Gallery, founded in 1966 bears the name of the Revival artist Stanislav Dospevski, who was also associated with his life in Pazardzhik. His follower in the artistic field is another famous Pazardzhik resident, Rayko Aleksiev, who is one of the greatest Bulgarian cartoonists and founder of the weekly newspaper Shturets in 1932.

He emphasized that thanks to many personalities and the understanding of the local politicians that their fellow citizens should have access to the cultural achievements of Europe, Pazardzhik transformed from a settlement founded in the 15th century as a small market into one of the cultural centres of Bulgaria. He pointed out that one of the most striking examples of the merging of the Bulgarian culture with culture from other parts of Europe is the work of the poet Teodor Trayanov, who was also born in Pazardzhik and who combined his native and foreign education as well, graduating from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Sofia University and the Higher Technical School in Vienna. "In literary criticism about him, we will read that as the founder of Bulgarian symbolism, Trayanov achieved a combination of the universal and the individual of the Bulgarian spirit in his work," Valchev said.

Through the Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project, BTA aims to raise public awareness and foster open dialogue about cohesion policy, local achievements, and the implementation of the EU's policy priorities. The project kicked off with a conference in Veliki Preslav in November 2024. Until September 2025, BTA will host discussions at its press clubs in the following cities: Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Gabrovo, Dobrich, Kazanlak, Kardzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Razgrad, Ruse, Samokov, Svishtov, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Troyan, Targovishte, Haskovo, Shumen, and Yambol. Cross-border conferences will be held in Belgrade, Bosilegrad, Bucharest, Edirne, Skopje, and Thessaloniki. The project builds on the Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future and Europe in Bulgaria: A Common Future projects, implemented by BTA in 2023 and 2024, respectively.