Residents of several villages closed the Yambol-Sredets road in the Tamarino – Voynika section for two hours The blockade is in protest against the poor condition of the section The road is the main one for seven villages in Straldzha municipality as well as several more in Sredets municipality Quality repairs have not been done for more than 35 years the Road Infrastructure Agency announced that procedures are currently underway and a major repair will begin and by then the holes in the lanes will be patched It has been like this for as long as I can remember We try not to cross the road so as not to break our cars It's just complete disgrace and carelessness If they really start major repairs in the fall there is no point in spending unnecessary money now The road blockade lasted from 12 to 14 hours More news from Bulgaria An exhibition honouring Bulgarian operatic bass Nicola Ghiuselev will be showcased at Sofia’s Sredets Gallery The opening of the exhibition will take place on December 3 Axinia Dzurova has said that both art and singing were integral parts of Nicola Ghiuselev’s life from an early age with the two talents often competing for dominance "Although he won a competition at the age of 16 for performing the Aria of Ivan Susanin Ghiuselev went on to enroll at the Academy of Arts Ghiuselev was considered one of the most promising talents of the Academy of Arts upon graduation the depicted psychological state of the subjects and the masterful play of light and shadow in both early sketches from 1955 and later portraits and self-portraits featured in the exhibition one can see Nicola Ghiuselev’s consuming passion for painting which stayed with him until the very end," Dzurova added Nikola Ghiuselev (1936-2014) graduated from the Academy of Arts in 1958 with a degree in painting he studied singing with opera singer Iliya Yosifov and later with Hristo Brumbarov in 1960 Ghiuselev made his debut at the Sofia National Opera on June 27 During his time at the Sofia National Opera he made his debut at the Teatro Regio di Parma playing Attila in Giuseppe Verdi's opera of the same name he was awarded the Golden Verdi Prize in Parma for his outstanding contributions to the world of opera he performed at major opera houses across Europe Ghiuselev served as the director of the Boris Hristov Bulgarian Academy of Art and Culture in Rome where he mentored two generations of young singers Ghiuselev expressed his artistic talent through numerous oil and tempera paintings Contacts +359 2 9262 210 By accepting cookies you can enjoy a better experience while browsing pages two municipalities on the Turkish-Bulgarian border encouraged environmentally sustainable development with small-scale investment in green infrastructure in the cross-border area We see our work on the project as the best initiative to implement some of the key priorities in the field of sustainable development We are proud that the project has been implemented under the Interreg-IPA Cross-border Cooperation Bulgaria-Turkey programme because of its huge potential to enhance the active cooperation between the responsible institutions Nature – brought together the municipalities of Pinarhisar in Turkey and Sredets in Bulgaria to increase cross-border investments in green infrastructure raise public awareness and motivate the region’s youth to tackle environmental issues EU funds were used to renovate and reconstruct a dilapidated double-storey building in Sredets and turn it into the Green House and build an ecological centre in Pinarhisar for the youth These two venues are used for cross-border training and networking workshops and educational activities on sustainable eco-development in the region.  The Green House has special zones outside for organic agriculture Endangered species are protected in the surrounding area The house is accessible to people with disabilities and serves as a base for four newly established eco-clubs each of which has taken on environmental pilot projects.  reproduction and reintroduction of the Hermann’s tortoise because of the black flecks on their shells Members of the White Stork club are monitoring this bird and its numbers The other two – Eco-Academy and Eco-Patrols – monitor pollution in the region by mapping illegal landfills and organising actions for waste removal The project foresees membership at both locations to increase by 150 people annually gradually improving the region’s capacity to better conserve its natural resources “Green Weeks” have been organised twice a year in both locations to discuss climate change the conservation of the region’s nature and protected areas Green Weeks videos are broadcast on a dedicated YouTube channel to further increase awareness of these issues among the local population Another initiative established through the project is a joint youth happening called “Kick the Carbon Habit” aimed at making people aware of their personal carbon footprint and contribution to global warming The goal is to get people to reduce their carbon footprint Both municipalities shared the same strengths that inspired them to work together such as the region’s unique biodiversity and eco-systems and active youth communities The project’s efforts have made locals in the region more environmentally aware and contributed to educating young people about nature conservation Total investment for the project “Green: Growth with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 333 203 through the “INTERREG-IPA CBC Bulgaria – Turkey” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period The investment falls under the priority “Jobs DG “Territorial Cooperation Management” Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works of the Republic of Bulgaria You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed HOT: » What kind of news would you like to see more of? 275 illegal migrants were stopped today at the Bulgarian-Turkish border during a large-scale/specialized police operation until now," announced Commissioner Ivaylo Tonchev head of the Border Police Department in Elhovo The operation is also currently being carried out on the territory of Burgas and Yambol regions About 700 employees of the Ministry of the Interior participate in it 25 checkpoints have been set up in road sections in the municipalities of Malko Tarnovo 10 illegal migrants from Morocco and two Bulgarian citizens were detained with them in the Sredets region the migrant pressure is stronger compared to last year Migrants are transported by any type of means of transport The operation will continue until it is no longer necessary added the head of the Border Police Department in Elhovo Follow Novinite.com on Twitter and Facebook Write to us at editors@novinite.com Информирайте се на Български - Novinite.bg We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria Bulgaria commemorates one of its most significant national holidays – the Day of Saint George the Victorious and the official Day of the Bulgarian Army all retailers in Bulgaria will be required to display prices in both leva and euros Employers in Bulgaria are legally required to implement all necessary measures to prevent and minimize workplace accidents a major British tour operator specializing in holidays to Bulgaria has halted all its operations effective April 24 Wage growth in Bulgaria is projected at 9.3 percent for 2025 a 15.4 percent rise in the minimum wage since January The World Bank has revised down its forecast for Bulgaria’s economic growth in 2025 According to Bulgaria's Military Intelligence Service report for 2023 Russia remains the dominant destabilizing force in global security A deviation in the operation of a system on the F-16 Block 70 fighter has been identified during the aircraft acceptance process according to the Bulgarian Air Force Commander The second F-16 Block 70 fighter jet purchased by Bulgaria has departed from the United States alongside European Council President Antonio Costa visited the Arsenal military plant in Kazanlak Russia and the volatile situation in the Western Balkans are identified as the primary threats to Bulgaria’s national security in the 2024 Bulgaria is actively defending its national interests within NATO according to Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov Google Street View Cars Return to Bulgaria for Major Mapping Update Housing Prices Soar in Bulgaria’s Major Cities as Demand and Supply Strain Increase Last year the photo exhibition "Far from Africa" by Elena Panayotova and Atanas Kanev toured a number of Bulgarian cities and won the Plovdiv 2023 Award for outstanding achievements in the field of "audiovisual art and photography" The exhibition is currently on display in an expanded version in the Ministry of Culture's Sredets Gallery in Sofia The exhibition can be viewed until January 31 The dozens of colour images present all perspectives on the work of the ‘'Artists for Children’' program produced by the Den Gri Foundation and led by Elena Panayotova for fifteen years in Bulgaria (2002-2017) and six years in Africa (2011-2017) The programme involved more than 5,000 children and youth at risk and more than 300 artists from two continents the program was among the eight projects out of a total of 1,800 projects worldwide supported by UNESCO for its contribution to cultural diversity The exposition in Sofia is complemented by the images of photographers Ivan Donchev and Maria Angelova They have captured moments from the work of the artists and children in the place where the program began at the beginning of the new century - amidst the magic of the Rhodope village of Shiroka Laka "Now I am working on the documentary ''Artists for Children'' I spoke with some of the grown-up children and people in Shiroka Laka who proudly say that the magic of the place has infused the whole program All our festivals were based on multicultural tales and we used professional costumes Every year these children had the opportunity to play their performances outdoors They became visible and felt the joy of living through theatre This magic also captivated our second sponsor who helped us implement the program in Kenya it is very important for me to talk about what has been achieved," Elena Panayotova told Radio Bulgaria Elena Panayotova has described in detail the results and benefits of artistic practices in her first book ‘'Applied Theatre Theory and Practices from Bulgaria to Africa’' which was presented on January 22 in the Sredets Gallery It is based on her doctoral dissertation on the subject and two decades of personal and professional experience on two continents "Applied theatre" refers to all practices that emerge when artists start entering spaces that are not typical for the theatre "This kind of theatre "enters" prisons and nursing homes Playback theatre and sexual health theatre emerge Augusto Boal’s "Theatre of the Oppressed" The audience is not just a spectator of a performance the boundary between artist and audience is broken allowing the audience to be empowered through participation in the process and to receive reflective solutions to questions and situations that concern them These practices do not work with ready-made dramaturgy; they work with real-life events or specific situations'' Translated and published by Kostadin Atanasov A pianist and conductor with a world-class career Ivan Yanakov has been performing on several continents for decades He has played as a soloist with prestigious orchestras in famous halls The Night of Musicals takes place tonight at the Vasil Levski Palace of Culture and Sports in Veliko Tarnovo The first major ballet event in the festive jubilee programme celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Stara Zagora Opera is the premiere of "Parisian Nights" english@bnr.bg Charasmatic will most likely never be overtaken as the biggest name ever in Bulgarian football “There are only two Christs; one plays for Barcelona the other is in heaven,” so said Hristo Stoichkov before collecting his award for European Footballer of the Year in 1994 With Hristo directly translating as Christ you could be forgiven for thinking he was joking and that it was a play on words…but you’d be wrong Stoichkov had three massive elements to his person Starting his career as a mere 16-year-old with local team Hebros Stoickov quickly became the bright young star of Bulgarian football he terrorised teams with his pace and precision and it came as no surprise to see CSKA Sofia they began to realise that this precocious talent also had a wild temper and in 1985 he instigated a brawl in the Bulgarian Cup Final against Levski Spartak The game had become a wild affair with both sets of players guilty of X-rated assaults Stoichkov and six other players were suspended for three months each and both teams were formally disbanded in disgrace after the game CSKA Sofia had their name changed to CFKA Sredets and our young Stoichkov returned to action a couple of games into the next season He came back in imperious form and began to add goals to his game with Sredets now  employing him as a left-sided forward in their new 4-3-3 formation a Golden Generation of players were beginning to come of age and none summed this up more than Stoichkov and the goal scoring machine of Emil Kostadinov were all starting to shine and European football was starting to realise that a new force was emerging Sredets swept all aside in Bulgaria on their way to yet their third title in a row Our prodigy was finally beginning to fulfil his promise and scored an incredible 38 goals in 30 games as he won the European Golden Boot Although it really wasn’t until Sredets made a run in the European Cup Winners Cup that people outside Bulgaria finally realised just how ridiculously talented Stoichkov was Sredets knocked out Panathinikos and Roda JC before coming face-to-face with Johann Cruyff’s “Dream Team” at Barcelona La Blaugrana won the two legged affair to progress to the final but it was Stoichkov who stole the show Cruyff put in a bid immediately and snapped the young star up for the following season Stoichkov’s fragile temper was to get the better of him In his debut season at the Camp Nou he disagreed with a refereeing decision and starting shouting at the official before stamping on his foot He was given a two-month suspension and Cruyff’s decision to bring the volatile Bulgarian to the club was questioned at all levels Stoichkov still managed to score 20 goals from midfield that season and the inquisition relented But not before Stoichkov questioned Barcelona’s director’s parentage…live on television The signing was to be the inspiration behind Barcelona’s best-ever period With Stoichkov pulling the strings from the left side of midfield Cruyff’s Barca went on to win the league for the next four seasons (91 The name “Dream Team” was truly deserved with players like Ronald Koeman as Barcelona played some of the best football ever seen in Europe Hristo had come of age; he orchestrated every Barca attack with the skill of a composer Stoichkov deservedly won the European Footballer of the Year award in 1994 Cruyff where the relationship between the two could be described as fractious at best After one massive argument with Cruyff and the press Stoichkov told them “I am not talking to any of you bastards until November!” Cruyff’s response It would be unfair to say that Stoichkov was a volcano constantly on the verge of eruption he paid for the 1992 European Cup Finals broadcasting rights for Bulgaria after the National broadcaster could not afford the fee and his amazing acts of benevolence have become the stuff of legend back home But something else was happening in Bulgarian football Most of the country’s best players had been exported to the top leagues in Europe and as the World Cup in America came around Bulgarian football was at an all-time high Stoichkov may have been part of the Dream Team at Barca but he was also the centrepiece of Bulgaria’s Golden Generation Without a World Cup win in their country’s history Stoichkov led a quietly confident Bulgaria team to USA ’94 but few gave them any chance of progressing after drawing Nigeria Their lack of experience showed in the first game when they froze against Nigeria who swept them aside with a comprehensive 3-0 win a win was the minimum that Bulgaria needed to progress With Nigeria registering a big win against them and with Argentina destroying Greece 4-0 goal difference was always going to be a factor in deciding this group Bulgaria took to the pitch against Greece like men possessed and hammered them 4-0 Argentina beat Nigeria 2-1 to set the group up on a knife edge going into the last game Mathematicians all over the world still suffer headaches with this one Argentina were top of the group with 6 points and a goal difference of +5 Depending on the result any team could go out as it would come down to a head to head battle The cut and thrust of it meant that Bulgaria had to win by two clear goals Their cause was helped by Diego Maradona’s disqualification from the tournament after cocaine was found in his urine sample something he strenuously denies to this day With Argentina reeling from the loss of their prime inspiration Stoichkov missed out on the chance of a master vs master battle that so many had looked forward to But he was not going to let Maradona’s absence spoil his World Cup and Bulgaria found it hard to find a rhythm Despite Stoichkov being under close attention from Argentinian defenders he was still the best player on the pitch In the 61st minute Stoichkov and Bulgaria got the moment they had been waiting for Balakov intercepted a cross from Caniggia and headed the ball wide to Kostadinov whose perfect pass sent Stoichkov racing through three Argentina defenders he was coolness personified as he passed the ball into the back of the net to give Bulgaria a fighting chance Argentina packed out their defence and Bulgaria crashed upon their wall time and time again as they searched for that elusive goal As the game headed into injury time Argentina were actually top of the group but all that changed in the 92nd minute as Sirakov pounced to break Argentinian hearts and send Bulgaria through Argentina also went through as the best third-place team but the damage had been done and they crashed out to a Hagi-inspired Romania in the next round Bulgaria’s opponents in the Last-16 were Mexico who had topped a group containing Ireland and Italy scoring his country’s only goal in the 1-1 draw Bulgaria eventually progressing after they won the penalty shootout 3-1 Germany were next up and in a match regarded by many as being the best of the tournament Lothar Matthaus had given Germany the lead right on the stroke of half time but two goals in the space of three minutes from Stoichkov and Letchkov gave Bulgaria a memorable win After becoming the fans favourite because of their beautiful expansive football Bulgaria found themselves paired in the semi finals with Italy Bulgaria were the only total footballing side left in the tournament Italy and Brazil had been grinding results out from the start and Sweden were a tough well organised team so Bulgaria found themselves as the people’s favourites As the pressure grew Italy produced their best performance of the competition Roberto Baggio scored twice before Stoickov replied but there was to be no way back and Bulgaria went out of the World Cup at the semi final stage It was a glorious defeat as Stoichkov won the Golden Boot and was heralded as one of the world’s greatest players he left Barca for high-flying Parma in Italy With Stoichkov gone Johann Cruyff’s team failed to live up to the heights they had set and he was sacked the following year Stoichkov and his volatile temperament found it a difficult place to play and their “agricultural” play frustrated him deeply as he only managed to score five goals in an injury-plagued 23 games seeking a leader and an inspiration for his Barcelona team brought an aging Stoichkov back to the Nou Camp Although he could not inspire Barca to the league title and the European Super Cup in his two seasons there an injury hit 32-year-old Stoichkov was on the wane and he went back to Bulgaria and CSKA Sofia to try to inspire the next generation and travelled the world for the next five years The biggest impact he had during this time was when he smashed a student’s leg apart while playing for DC United in the MLS; he was sued for this horrendous challenge and eventually settled out of court he took over as manager of the Bulgarian national team and over the next three years they failed to make any kind of progress until he was sacked in 2007 One of the best players ever to play in Europe was also one of the most volatile lived like a God…and fought like a Devil Himself and Hagi were huge favourites of mine as a kid Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. 2025 Back Page Football - Site by Capra Design Text version Standard version   edoc@tourism.government.bg More than 1,500 people have visited the National Archeological Reserve Deultum in Debelt since its opening two months ago This became clear during the visit of the Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova in Sredets municipality She went sightseeing to some of the main touristic attractions in the region and conducted a working meeting for the development of tourism attended by the members of parliament Diana Yordanova the Governor of Burgas region Valcho Cholakov „Sredets is located very close to our large Black Sea resorts and at the same time it can offer many attractions to tourists” „We will include the municipality within the range of foreign journalist tours that we are preparing with the hope that this will be a first major step for the popularization of the region“ the forecasts are for around 20 thousand tourists visiting the municipality per year with peak tourist flow in the active summer months Earlier today Minister Angelkova was a guest of the patronal feast All Saints’ Day in Sredets and gave an icon to the local church as a present Together with the Mayor Ivan Zhabov and the Deputy Mayor Angel Tashev she visited the village of Fakia where she was welcomed with 27 authentic Strandzha dishes they visited the Thracian Megalithic Sanctuary “Markov Kamak” which is located near the Bulgarian-Turkish border It is more than 2,000 years old and is a complex of stones of the worshipers of the sun They also visited the church in the village of Dolno Yabalkovo        Contacts:   Sofia 1000, 1 Saborna St.   phone.: +359 2 904 6809,   edoc@tourism.government.bg 2016 © Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria The Bulgarian Executive Agency on Fisheries and Aquaculture announced that two persons are entering prison Thursday for illegal fishing following a sentence by Sliven Regional Court The Agency on Fisheries and Aquaculture is the authority in charge of administering activities within the EU Common Fisheries Policy and other fishery-related duties of the Bulgarian state The two men were casting nets on March 10 in Zhrebchevo located on the Tundzha river in the south-eastern part of the country They had made a sizable illegal 126 kg catch from a number of fish species living in the dam The couple made use of seven nets of a total length of 400 m was sentenced to 8 months in jail and a BGN 800 fine His accomplice from the village of Seliminovo was sentenced to 4 months in jail and a fine of BGN 500 Both will serve their sentences in the Burgas prison under strict regime The two will be disallowed to practice any fishing for 3 years A Romanian family paid 3,084.60 leva (1,500 euros) for medical treatment at the Burgas University Hospital following a serious road accident Róisín Murphy will perform at the port in Burgas on August 2 as part of the BURGAS SUMMER LIVE concert series Burgas and Varna airports are set to welcome a wide range of new routes and airlines this summer reflecting an expected boost in tourism in Bulgaria Customs officers at Burgas port have uncovered over 40 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a shipment of bananas from Ecuador Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and ex-governor of Arkansas has raised alarms over reports that Russian fuel is being smuggled through the private Burgas port "Europe" An 18-year-old girl who had been reported missing in Haskovo has been found dead A 33-year-old man from the village of Semchinovo has been taken into custody by the police for physically assaulting a 10-year-old child A 12-year-old boy from Lukovit has been hospitalized with two broken arms and head injuries after reportedly being assaulted and thrown from a bridge the director of the Plovdiv Customs Office was arrested earlier today for allegedly facilitating a new smuggling route for cigarettes The Sofia Police has launched a targeted operation against drivers of electric scooters and electric motorbikes who engage in reckless behavior in the city's central areas opened fire with a gas pistol near a kindergarten in Sofia's Lyulin district In 2014 Bulgaria marks 1,000 years since the death of Tsar Samuel who has gone down in history as the ruler who staunchly upheld this country’s independence at a difficult period for it who is believed to have been governor of the Sredets region /Sofia today/ “The age of Samuel's reign was a constant battle against Byzantium,” says Associate Prof Georgi Nikolov from the Historical Faculty of the St It ultimately brought agony upon the Bulgarian kingdom as it exhausted it in terms of human and material resources; at the time Byzantium was a huge empire the Balkans and in part Italy and was able to compensate for the losses it sustained The central government of the Bulgarian kingdom was gradually moved from the old capitals of Pliska and Preslav to the southwestern parts This was done in view of the fact that comit Nikola’s four sons - David Moses and Samuel  - had ruled this region even before the start of the fighting against Byzantium; hence it was on this territory that the battles were played out…” Samuel was constantly waging war and his troops were ever ready for battle his death was truly tragic – he saw his 15,000 men return from captivity blinded /1 in 100 was left with one eye so as to lead the men back/ That was the reason why Byzantine Emperor Basil II received the sinister sobriquet of Bulgar-slayer At the sight of his blinded men Samuel most likely had a heart attack and passed away a few days later Just 4 years after his death Bulgaria was conquered by Byzantium for a period of two centuries so we can say that Samuel was the ruler to have postponed the defeat by 40 years An international scientific conference will be devoted to Samuel's death 1,000 years ago /October 6 1014/ entitled "The European Southeast Over the Second Half of the 10th Century – the beginning of the 11th Century: History and Culture" Experts from 14 countries in Europe and America will take part in the conference Among the other editions that will be published for the anniversary there is a compilation of Prof Vassilka Tapkova-Zaimova with historical sources shedding light on the famous ruler and his age Anna-Maria Totomanova on Cyrillic inscriptions from the time of Samuel will also be presented during the conference Exhibitions will be mounted at Sofia's foremost museums - The National Musem of History the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences National Institute of Archaeology with Museum "You must have strong faith and pray - then the saint will help you and carry your prayer to God," says Father Georgi Markov of the Church of St Athanasius the Great in Gorni Lozen near Sofia He adds that he has often witnessed the miracles of St. marks 1160 years since the baptism of our Bulgarian people into the Orthodox faith and 1170 years since the creation of the Bulgarian alphabet and Slavic literature the Varna and Veliki Preslav Bishopric Metropolis. Bulgaria celebrates 149 years since the April Uprising – an event that led to the liberation of Bulgaria after almost five centuries of Ottoman rule we must not forget that every participant in the April. From 5 to 13 February Sredets Gallery in Sofia is hosting the exhibition It marks the 165th birth anniversary of classic Ivan Vazov chief curator at the Vazov museum-house in the capital city: "Anyone of us Bulgarians can discover themselves in his robust creative legacy going across various genres He is Bulgaria's national writer because he provides an in-depth and extensive portrayal of all things Bulgarian the way are - with both the high and low aspects of the national character the most important lesson he wanted to teach us is to try and love ourselves the way we are After all he loved his country and its people unconditionally Vazov would tell us that should we fail to go to the seven Rila lakes we could at least read his brilliant travel notes The Great Wilderness of Rila or should we lack in good wording for our love for Bulgaria or disenchantment with her we could at least turn to his poem Beloved Fatherland If we take a look around we would immediately come across Vazovian quotes in various public messages the mourning book at the Ministry of Defense was full of quotes from his celebrated elegy The New Cemetery Above Slivnitsa Many Bulgarians had simply borrowed Vazov's unsurpassed expression of grief.” and even more importantly he had a strong sense of a mission despite that his life until he turned 45 was full of hardships and reckless adventures he never steered away from his mission of being the bard of Bulgaria So we can quite definitely argue that he had a very tough character tough as the Balkan Range where he came from and he unwaveringly served his mission pen in hand and thus did his great service to Bulgaria.” Mirela Ivanova tells us more about translations of Vazov works abroad fact is that Ivan Vazov is the most translated Bulgarian writer of all time it is curious to know that the novel Under the Yoke was translated and released in English ahead of its first autonomous edition in Bulgaria The translation was made using the version of the novel published in the Miscellany of Folklore and Literature released by the Ministry of Public Education in Sofia Professor of English Alexander Shurbanov and renowned British Slavicist Prof Michael Holman suggested a new interpretation of the first translations of Under the Yoke through an exploration of their base outstripped the autonomous Bulgarian one too The Danish translation was released almost simultaneously with the first Bulgarian edition Ten years after the novel's official release it was translated into almost all major European languages It has been compared to Homer's epic and called a national epic there are new translations of the novel because language is like a living thing and never stops changing and growing new translations display a more contemporary language.” The Sredets Gallery exhibition features thirty works by prominent artists such as Ivan Mrkvicka Georgi Evstatiev and Andrey Nikolov that Vazov received as a token of great love and respect for him Other items on display include congratulatory addresses and a silver lyre with a wreath with names of Vazovian works written on its leaves "Here we display the gifts that great masters of art gave to him a look at the letters that he got from across the country and from the frontlines of the Second Balkan War of 1913 and World War 1 from soldiers and later from parents of soldiers who had died in combat makes clear he enjoyed the nation's genuine love and admiration that he fully reciprocated His contemporaries knew for sure that there was a Bulgarian man of letters who was able to defend the national dignity and appease their grieving souls Ivan Vazov is unique on the Bulgarian public scene with his comprehensive and majestic presence during his lifetime "Direct from Paris" is the title of an exhibition opened on April 15 in the Sredets Gallery at the Ministry of Culture It displays works of the famous painter and sculptor Boyan Raynov son of no less famous Bulgarian intellectual The fate of Boyan Raynov has been marked by successes but also by personal drama - the result of the Cold War he and his wife (also a sculptor) went to Paris where their daughter Diana-Maria was born "I was four years old when my mother had to travel to Bulgaria and she took me with her Then they would not let her back and we stayed in Sofia” says in an interview for Radio Bulgaria Diana-Maria Raynova She didn’t see her father again until 1978 feel welcome and share his or her grief or joy This in turn gave him inspiration for his work very wise man he was," Diana-Maria Raynova recalls exhibitions with his sculptures were organized twice in Sofia in the Sredets gallery besides sculptures one can see also so far never displayed works of his He was friends with the famous poet René Char and has drawn illustrations for some of his books He also did the illustrations of Paul Eluard’s book "Beauties and Beasts" Renowned art historians and critics wrote about Boyan Raynov He was part of the French art elite and he had the good fortune to be assessed His drawings for books have been preserved including those of his first exhibition in Paris based on “Beauties and Beasts” What part of his works has remained in France "In France remained those things that are monumental and are part of Paris” The Stock Exchange in Paris has on display one of his monumental works The Museum of Post houses his emblematic sculpture - "Family" which is printed on a French post stamp in 1982 France paid the biggest homage to my father - printing a post stamp with one of his works depicted while he was still alive Such a gesture has been done so far only him for Picasso and several other artists during their lifetime."