Experts from the European Commission and the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works got acquainted with key projects implemented under the Interreg - IPA Bulgaria - Serbia Program in Pravets and Botevgrad. Margarita Grancharska-De Muenck from the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy of the EC, the Head of the Joint Secretariat of the program Slaviyan Kostadinov, Stanka Dimitrova - Head of the INTERREG - IPA Cross-Border Cooperation Programs Department in the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, etc., visited the sites in order to see on site the benefits of the investments made for the preservation and promotion of Bulgarian cultural – historical heritage as an opportunity for tourism development and increasing interest in small settlements and border regions.
At the Historical Museum – Pravets, the director Tatyana Borisova-Dinova briefly presented the museum exhibition, the wealth of the region and future development plans. The museum has established itself among the experienced beneficiaries of the cross-border program, and in recent years has implemented a series of projects aimed at researching, preserving and exhibiting a number of historical sites on the territory of the Pravets municipality. Among them are the ancient Borovets fortress, located on Golyam Borovets peak near the village of Razliv, the Old Class School and the Tunyakov Inn in the village of Vidrare, the church of “Holy Mother of God“ in the village of Osikovitsa, etc. Unique finds were discovered during the research, which are exhibited in the museum, as well as in the church itself. Thanks to the program, tourists can scan special QR codes created under the project, visualizing directly on their phone in 3D format how different parts of the fortress looked in the original - guard tower, main entrance, various buildings, finds, etc.
The experts visited the sites in the village of Vidrare on site. There, with funds from the program, the old classroom school, built in 1848 in the courtyard of the church "St. Paraskeva", was restored. The interior has been carefully restored to preserve its authenticity and a permanent exhibition has been created that highlights the educational heritage of the region. It is an example of typical architecture for the time, a cultural and educational center, and visitors have the opportunity to experience the conditions of education in the 19th century in Bulgaria. The Tunyakov Inn, built in 1820, has been restored and adapted for tourist visits. It houses an exhibition dedicated to travel and trade in the 19th century. The main attraction is Vasil Levski's hideout, as the inn housed the Secret Revolutionary Committee “Hasan Kasan“, one of the most important in the period 1870-1872.
The tallest clock tower in Bulgaria, located in Botevgrad, was also part of the experts' program. Under the project “Botevgrad - digital cultural corridor“, financed under the Program, restoration was carried out, safety equipment, an information kiosk and artistic lighting were installed. The tower was built in 1866 by master Vuno Markov and is 30 meters high. It is characteristic in that it does not have a dial, but counts down each new hour with a bell ringing that can be heard for kilometers. Tourists can climb the authentic wooden staircases almost to the top, where the mechanical clock mechanism has been working for over a hundred years. Near the tower in the city center, the project has created an open-air museum, in which the municipality publishes images and information about notable historical figures and events on special panels. An information center with digital devices and a telepresence hall have also been created, where modern tourist services are provided. With EU funding, an outdoor lecture area, playgrounds with chess, checkers and a "Don't get angry, man" recreation area have also been set up.
The experts gave high marks for the completed projects and were impressed by the contribution they have made to the development of the two Bulgarian cities and the potential for future development of tourism based on the rich cultural and historical heritage.