site.btaBTA's Exhibition of Famous "Bulgarian Czechs" Unveiled in Prague

BTA's Exhibition of Famous "Bulgarian Czechs" Unveiled in Prague

Prague, January 20 (BTA) - A documentary exhibition of famous 'Bulgarian' Czechs in Bulgaria's Post-liberation History was unveiled at the National Library of the Czech Republic in Prague Thursday evening. The exhibition is staged by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) with the support of the Archives State Agency and Post Bank and will be open until January 25.

The show is an expression of Bulgaria's gratitude to the Czech statesmen, intellectuals, people of art, gardeners and specialists in different fields who had helped the institutional, cultural, spiritual and economic development of the Bulgarian nation in the late 19th and the early 20th century.

On display are 26 boards featuring photographs and documents pertaining to the life and work of some of the most famous Czechs who were part of Bulgaria's post-liberation development. They include the historian and first minister of enlightenment - Konstantin Jirecek; the founder of the National Academy of Arts - Ivan Mrkvicka; the composer - Ivan Cibulka, and the Czech master brewer - Franz Milde.

Most of the landmarks in Sofia and other Bulgarian cities were built by Czechs. The Proshek brothers - entrepreneurs, builders and engineers, who designed Sofia's famous Eagle's Bridge and Lion's Bridge, the Sofia central railway station and the Port of Varna. They also developed Sofia's first urban plan. The foundations of Bulgarian archaeology were laid by the two Czech brothers - Karel and Hermann Skorpil, who also helped launch museum work in this country.

The exhibition will also feature many other prominent Czechs who have contributed to Bulgaria's cultural life and development, such as the founder of Bulgarian entomology and natural sciences - Academician Ivan Bures; the famous painter and master of battle scenes - Yaroslav Vesin; Czech agronomist, botanist and pioneer of modern apiculture - Vaclav Stribrny, among many others.

Attending the opening were Bulgarian Ambassador in Prague Luchezar Petkov, BTA Director General Maxim Minchev, Peter Kroupa, Director General of the National Library of the Czech Republic, the exhibition' curator, Ivo Hadjimishev, representatives of Bulgarian and Czech institutions and representatives of the Bulgarian community in the Czech Republic.