BTA: Cultural Values – National Pride Book Maps Out New Approach to Protecting Bulgaria’s UNESCO Heritage

The book Cultural Values – National Pride sets out a single framework for protecting and managing Bulgaria’s cultural and natural heritage, University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (ULSIT) board of trustees chair Stoyan Denchev said in Sofia on Tuesday. He spoke at the book’s presentation at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia.

The monograph combines academic analysis, expert assessment and strategic thinking into a single concept for the protection and management of Bulgaria’s cultural and natural heritage, Denchev said during in the presentation of the book at BTA's National Press Club in Sofia.

The book is the outcome of systematic academic and expert work carried out through the activities of the Ekspertika Laboratory at ULSIT, Denchev said. He added that it examines 32 sites, grouped into four main thematic areas. The first part focuses on tangible cultural heritage, the second on intangible cultural heritage, the third on natural heritage, and the fourth on intermediate forms of recognition.

“For five years, ULSIT has been running the master’s programme Expert Assessment of Cultural Heritage Assets and Works of Art. Since last year, the University of National and World Economy (UNWE) has been training postgraduate specialists in the valuation and insurance of cultural heritage assets. In other words, we are closing the loop between theory and practice—two universities, one ministry, and several civic organizations,” said Dimitar Ivanov, who co-authored the book with Gergana Kyurkchieva.

Ivanov added that the aim was to confront the chronic problems affecting Bulgaria’s cultural heritage. He noted that they had also drafted amendments to Bulgarian legislation on the protection of cultural heritage.

“Through cultural heritage and cultural values, Cultural Values – National Pride shows us that memory is alive, and one way to keep it alive is through expert perspective and assessment, as understanding and valuing individual items of cultural heritage,” said Vanya Dobreva, head of the Culture, Historical Heritage and Tourism Department.

“I think the book will be useful to all circles involved in studying, preserving, presenting, restoring and promoting cultural heritage,” said Mariela Modeva, director of the leadership institute at ULSIT.

“The book is genuinely very interesting and deals with a very current topic. I will bring together the themes of memory and wealth, because everything described in the book is part of our memory and part of what we must protect. We have great wealth, but we do not even realize we have it,” said Dimitar Dimitrov, rector of UNWE.

“Bulgarian legislation in the field of culture, and specifically cultural heritage, really needs a fresh reading and a new analysis that can be put through an important expert review, as the authors have done,” said Ventzislav Velev, director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Directorate at the Ministry of Culture.

Egypt’s ambassador to Bulgaria, Nader Saad, congratulated the team on the book, which he rated highly, especially because it was published in both English and Bulgarian. He said this was particularly important for people living here who, unfortunately, do not always have a good command of foreign languages.

“This book is of great interest to me. I am an adviser at the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria and relatively new to the post, having arrived in Bulgaria this August. It is very important for me to deepen my understanding of Bulgaria. I represent the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, so culture, tourism, and related areas are of particular importance to me,” said Zhang Yanbo, Advisor for Culture and Tourism at the Embassy of China in Bulgaria.

Denchev added that the book would be distributed free of charge to all institutions in Bulgaria and abroad involved in safeguarding cultural heritage and would not be offered for sale.

The photographs for the book were provided by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). The publication was reviewed by Toshko Yordanov and Polina Karastoyanova.