site.bta President Radev Reacts to Decision to Withdraw Architectural Reserve Status of Town of Koprivshtitsa

President Radev Reacts to Decision to Withdraw Architectural Reserve Status ofTown of Koprivshtitsa

Sofia, March 30 (BTA) - In a social media post on Thursday President Rumen Radev urged all competent entities to forthwith revise or halt the decision of the municipal council in the town of Koprivshtitsa to withdraw the architectural reserve status of the town.

"Any compromise in the case will be a coup against the national memory and cultural heritage of Bulgaria. Koprivshtitsa does not belong to a handful of councillors. It belongs to Bulgaria. Koprivshtitsa is Bulgaria," Radev writes in a Facebook post.

The municipal council in the town of Koprivshtitsa has voted for scrapping the town's status as a architectural reserve under the pressure of a local businessman who sees this statute as a hurdle to his business plans. His plans include large-scale construction, a ski lift, a biomass-fuelled power plant and a spa centre.

Koprivshtitsa was declared an architectural and historical reserve by a Council of Ministers act in 1971.

Experts commented, quoted in the press, that the status may not be changed by the municipal council but only by a new government act.