The "Traveling Exhibitions" program of the State Cultural Institute under the Minister of Foreign Affairs is enriched with a new poster exhibition dedicated to Bulgaria's participation in the "Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe" initiative. The exhibition was realized in partnership between the State Cultural Institute under the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Cyril and Methodius Scientific Center at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, which prepared the scientific concept, texts and expert information for the content of the exhibition.

The Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe are among the most successful European instruments for building a common cultural space. The program began in 1987 with the Declaration of Santiago de Compostela, and today it unites over 50 certified routes and thousands of partner organizations from dozens of countries. The model is not based on administratively defined cultural priorities, but on real historical, cultural and social connections between communities and regions, with cooperation, not competition, as the main value between the participants.

In 10 panels, the exhibition presents the Bulgarian participations in the program, paying attention to the Cyril and Methodius Cultural Route, the Vine and Wine Route (Iter Vitis), the European Route of Historic Thermal Cities, the Roman Emperors and Danube Wine Route, the ATRIUM - Architecture of Totalitarian Regimes of the 20th Century, the European Route of Industrial Heritage, the Danube Route of the Iron Age, the Route dedicated to Women Writers and the European Route of Historic Pharmacies and Medicinal Gardens.

The exhibition tells the story of the connection between history and the present day - how routes that at first glance seem immersed in the past are today becoming incentives for sustainable tourism, for initiatives of local communities and a field for contemporary creative expression. The Cyril and Methodius Cultural Route, for example, has dimensions in numerous cultural and creative events – from literary readings, music festivals and educational programs to contemporary artistic interpretations of the literary and spiritual heritage.

The participating Bulgarian organizations – scientific institutes, museums, municipalities and cultural operators – declare the ambition to expand their participation in the program by preparing new applications and building sustainable international partnerships. Thus, the cultural routes are established as a significant resource of the cultural diplomacy of the Republic of Bulgaria – a way to present the country not only through individual monuments and events, but through stories with a truly European dimension.

Authors of the concept Slaviya Burlieva and Elka Zlateva (Cyril and Methodius Scientific Center at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)

Photos provided by the participating organizations.