site.btaKazanlak to Hold Local Referendum on Management of Buzludzha Monument

The Kazanlak Municipality may receive European funds in the amount of BGN 7 million for the protection, conservation and restoration of the Buzludzha Monument, said Mayor Galina Stoyanova on Monday during a press conference at BTA's press club.

Stoyanova stated that the project is part of the concept for Integrated Territorial Investments with leading partner Kazanlak Municipality and has been approved for financing. She noted that a requirement for the implementation of the project is that the Kazanlak Municipality manages the monument, which can be done at the request of the mayor and without other procedures. Stoyanova said that additional funding from the municipal budget will not be required, as European funding will be sufficient and reminded that Kazanlak Municipality has significant experience in the conservation and socialization of national cultural heritage, as for more than 15 years the administration has been managing and socializing the Thracian sanctuaries with European funds.

The press conference was part of an information campaign in connection with the upcoming local referendum on November 17, where residents of Kazanlak will decide whether the local administration should take over the management of the monument for a period of 10 years. In order for the referendum to be valid, a voter turnout of 40% of voters from the municipality is needed.

"The process of socialization will be long and is beyond the mandate of a mayor. For this reason, I decided to refer the matter to the residents, who must decide whether this monument will continue to fall apart, or whether it will be restored and preserved for generations," Stoyanova commented. The Mayor said that the ultimate idea is to turn the Buzludzha Monument into an international congress and cultural centre. She stressed that the Municipality has no intention of restoring the monument ideologically and instead focus on its cultural value, as it is a recognizable object worldwide.

"The referendum will not solve the State's task. If the State knew how to act, Buzludzha would have been reconstructed a long time ago," Stoyanova said, adding that it is important that the monument does continue to fall into disrepair, as future generations will want to know why the monument was not protected. She called on the residents to come out and cast their vote on November 17.