Official opening of the EHD 1999 in Bulgaria, Plovdiv, 18 September

Official opening of the EHD 1999 in Bulgaria, Plovdiv, 18 September Concert in the court of the “Nedkovich” house

EHD 1999 in Plovdiv Press conference in the “Nedkovich” house

Installation “Euro-cobblestone” in the “Nedkovich” house

In the European Heritage Days 1999 participated many municipalities and city-halls, famous with their rich vernacular architecture (Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo, Kustendil, Smolyan, Slivengrad and their surrounding settlements-preserves, Bozentci, Dryanovo, Nessebar, Kalofer, Svilengrad and others), the Union of the country-experts in Bulgaria, Society “The Old Plovdiv”, museums, local foundations and organisations, sponsorship-companies, architecture students and others also participated.

The European Heritage Days were officially opened in the Old Plovdiv on 18-th of September in 11:00 in the house “Nedkovitch” - Residence of the International scientific committee of ICOMOS on Vernacular architecture.

Simultaneously in all the historic settlements the Days started with local programs, including interesting and various activities:

• Thematic exhibitions - exhibition of the graphic materials after the work out of BNC of ICOMOS “National cultural routes”, the installation “Euro-cobblestone” (with original cobblestones from different European towns) and the photo-exhibition “the Old Plovdiv” (Plovdiv); “The architecture building traditions of the county of Dryanovo” (Dryanovo); “Paintings and engravings from carried out in Bozentci children meetings 1986-1999”, “Bozentci clans and their family houses” and “Retrospection of the hold in Bozentci photo-meetings” (Bozentci); Ethnographic materials from the town of Kalofer (Kalofer); “The vernacular architecture and the paintings of the Kustendil artists” and “Architecture projects, reconstruction and original materials from monuments of the vernacular architecture from the neighbourhood of Kustendil” (Kustendil); “The Renaissance architecture in the Rodopa mountains” (Smolyan); photo-exhibition “Monuments of the national architecture in Tryavna (Tryavna); “Retro-photo” (Gabrovo); “The monuments of the culture in the neighbourhood of Svilengrad” (Svilengrad) - to be presented afterwards in Greece.
• Happenings that actively engage young people or address them - European meeting of the architecture students, on the theme “The vernacular architecture - impacts” (Nessebar); setting of programs for specific work with the children and students, dedicated to the problems of the cultural heritage (Sliven); discussions involving the Euro-association of the students about the problems of the church building and architecture in the Middle Rodopi (Smolyan); students theatre play and competition for children painting about the theme “Kalofer in the past and nowadays” (Kalofer); Children meeting on encaustics (Bozentci); with many read lectures and talks about the problems of the heritage planned.
• Organised cultural routes to the monuments of the culture and sites within the surroundings of the municipalities like Smolyan and Sliven.
• Tours with guides of preserves of the monuments of the vernacular architecture and free of charge visits of some houses - monuments of the culture in all of the settlements.
• Inauguration for the public of restored sites - for example the church “St. George” in the Kolousha quarter (in Kustendil); presenting of the process of preserving - for example in the “Danchov’s house” (Plovdiv).
• Media campaigns in the national and local media and press conferences, dedicated to the European Heritage Days and the vernacular architecture.