The Plovdiv Ethnographic Museum received the “Heritage” Award in the “Museum of the Year” category at an official ceremony held this evening at the State Puppet Theatre – Plovdiv. The awards initiative is organized by the Bulgarian Museums Association and recognizes the achievements of museum institutions in preserving and promoting cultural heritage in Bulgaria.

The chairman of the Bulgarian Museums Association and director of the Regional Museum of Natural History – Plovdiv, Ognyan Todorov, emphasized that in recent years the organization has been actively working to attract various partners. According to him, the initiative aims to unite the efforts of organizations and associations “to achieve something together,” similar to what was accomplished in Plovdiv during the European Capital of Culture initiative, when the leading motto was “Together.”

Todorov expressed his belief that unity is the key to success: “I strongly believe that in order to achieve something, we must be together,” stressing that this cooperation should not be limited only to institutions but should include “everyone who is involved.”

The jury’s motivation states that the “Museum of the Year” award is granted to the Regional Ethnographic Museum in Plovdiv for the project “The World of the Iron,” implemented in the museum’s branch—the Nevena Atanasova House—where a completely new permanent exhibition has been presented. The award was presented by the Minister of Tourism, Irena Georgieva.

A special guest at the event was actor Hristo Mutafchiev, who stated that he will consistently support Bulgarian museums. He assured that while “defending the rights of colleagues—theatre artists,” he will also stand behind the causes of the museum community, including issues related to income and increasing subsidies for museums and galleries.

As chairman of the Union of Artists, he emphasized the importance of the cultural heritage that museums present to young people, describing it as something that “must be seen.” According to him, institutions need to adapt to modern times and present it “in a contemporary way.”

In the “Educational Initiative” category, the Natural History Museum – Cherni Osam was awarded for its Museum Academy “Nature Teaches.” The award was presented by Dr. Irena Todorova, Executive Director of the Regional Centre Sofia – UNESCO.

In the “Events and Audience Engagement” category, the prize was awarded to the Historical Museum – Dryanovo for the national program “The (Un)Known Kolyu Ficheto,” dedicated to marking the 225th anniversary of the Master’s birth. The award was presented by Deputy Minister of Culture Aleksandar Traykov.

The laureates in the three categories were selected by this year’s jury composed of: Prof. Dr. Svetla Atanasova (Regional History Museum – Veliko Tarnovo); Dr. Dimitar Petrov (Regional History Museum – Pleven); Dr. Katya Tineva-Gyurkovska (Art Gallery – Stara Zagora); Amelia Gesheva – cultural heritage expert (Ministry of Tourism); and Prof. DSc Vera Boneva (UniBIT).

The announcement and presentation of the awards took place immediately after the General Assembly of the Bulgarian Museums Association, attended by museum directors and specialists from across the country. The program also featured students from Aleko Konstantinov Primary School, artists from the State Puppet Theatre – Plovdiv, and magician Veselin Dolmov – Arsen.

A total of 17 applications from 16 institutions were reviewed in the competition—5 national, 2 regional, and 7 municipal museums, as well as 2 art galleries. They presented diverse initiatives and projects of high professional value, the Bulgarian Museums Association noted.

(BTA information)