On November 26, the city of Shumen will mark four decades since the opening of the Memorial Complex "Founders of the Bulgarian State". The program includes a festive performance and a light and laser show specially prepared for the anniversary. A 3D mapping presentation will show animated and designed archival videos and footage taken with a drone, tracing the construction of the memorial.

The monument is the work of sculptor Prof. Krum Damyanov and his team and was officially unveiled on November 28, 1981 in honour of the national celebrations dedicated to the 1300^th anniversary of the founding of the Bulgarian state. After the political changes in 1989, it is one of the few such monuments that continue to be managed by the state. Last year, a commission from the Ministry of Culture issued an opinion that “it is the most impressive representative of monumental art in Bulgaria from the period of Socialism and one of the most significant material complexes built in the 1970s and 1980s”.

Its new status as a site of national importance allows the Shumen administration to apply for funds from national or European programmes to maintain the monument. Such restoration activities are planned for 2022.

Compiled by Vessela Krasteva

English version Rositsa Petkova