The Shipka Monument is the most complex reconstruction site in all of Bulgaria, said the Minister of Culture Evtim Miloshev during a press conference in the “Sredets“ gallery of the Ministry of Culture. At it, the Minister and specialists involved in the repair and restoration of the Freedom Monument on Mount St. Nicholas (today – Mount Shipka), presented details about the scope of the activities, the stages and deadlines for implementation, as well as measures to preserve the authentic appearance of the monument.
Miloshev pointed out that the monument was built 100 years ago and is located at an altitude of 1330 meters, which creates specific conditions for carrying out the activities. He introduced the specialists involved in the project and the work on the monument, including Prof. Petko Petkov, Prof. Vera Boneva, Prof. Plamen Mitev, Maya Milanova, Lachezar Pavlov, Dr. Chavdar Angelov, Prof. Dimitar Nazarski and Eng. Yanko Petkov.
Minister Miloshev also commented on the issue of information designated as a trade secret. According to him, according to the Public Procurement Act, the company that executes the public procurement for the reconstruction of the monument has the right to indicate individual activities in the implementation of the project, the information about which it wishes to keep as a trade secret. “In this particular case, there are things that are designated as a trade secret, this is related to the time schedule, the choice of material and the technical resources“, said Miloshev.
However, after discussions with the contractor, an agreement was reached “that the entire procurement should be absolutely open“. According to the minister, this is “rather a standard procedure, and not a desire of the contractor company to specifically put some kind of expository information“.
Miloshev also announced that every 10 days the director of the museum will provide the Ministry of Culture with a written report with up-to-date information on the activities carried out. Every 30 days a written report on the control over the activities will be provided, the minister also said.