site.btaProject Aims to Find Houses Scattered Across Villages Deemed Architectural Treasures

A discussion on architectural heritage was held here on Sunday. The aim of the project, titled Architectural Treasures in Bulgarian Villages - Presentation, is to search for unique houses that are hidden in villages, photograph them and to combine the pictures in a virtual library, architect Elena Stoycheva, one of the organizers, told BTA.

According to her, the arrangement and classification of the photographs will help to draw conclusions about the valuable heritage that exists in villages. Each region has a specific cultural heritage. The houses were built under external influences that have also mixed with local ones. Each village has something unique, a specific style that is worth preserving, Stoycheva explained.

The idea behind organizing meetings and discussions with local communities is to hear people's views. Three discussions have already been held in Veliko Tarnovo region (North-Central Bulgaria).

The meeting in Novo Selo is the fourth one, she added. "Fortunately there are enthusiastic people, there is a growing interest among young people to preserve this cultural heritage. Our goal is to raise awareness, to turn our gaze to these buildings as something positive, as something beautiful that we can be proud of," Stoycheva said.

Architect Rumen Dzhagarov, who restored an old house in Novo Selo, had a presentation as well. Guests of the event were Bella Antova and Zornitsa Martinova from the event platform "Aesthetics", who presented an exhibition of photos of old rural houses from the region of Vidin (North-West Bulgaria).

The project  is implemented with the financial support of the National Fund Culture.