A unique exhibition with illustrations on the theme “The World for the Bulgarian Warrior” was opened at the Regional History Museum – Vratsa. It is part of the Patriotic Education Program and the official program of “Botev Days 2017” and was organized at the initiative of the MP from the United Patriots and a member of the leadership of the VMRO Krasimir Bogdanov.
The author Dimitar Dimitrov is a long-time journalist in the Bulgarian section of the BBC – London and for 25 years has collected publications from leading European publications and passages from books by Western correspondents, covering key moments in Bulgarian history. The original texts are in English, French, German, Italian and other languages, as well as numerous illustrations that have been scanned, and their translation into Bulgarian is attached, revealed Krasimir Bogdanov.
He said that the exhibition "The World for the Bulgarian Warrior" is based on the already published 2 books of the trilogy, and also includes elements from book three, related to the Liberation of Macedonia and Dobrudja during the First World War. Some illustrations and texts not included in the books have also been added. The vast majority of the materials have never been published in Bulgaria. There are also materials related to Vratsa. For example, during the Serbo-Bulgarian War, "Monde Illustre" depicted on its front page the enrollment of volunteers in the city. A few years later, an Italian count visited Vratsa, described the garrison and met with Bulgarian officers who had studied in Turin.
According to Dimitar Dimitrov, European printed publications began to pay more attention to the Bulgarians around the April Uprising and the subsequent Russo-Turkish War.
Interest increased after the creation of a new Bulgarian principality and a new Bulgarian army. Subsequent events such as the Serbo-Bulgarian War, the dethronement of Prince Alexander, the election of Ferdinand as Prince are among the leading topics of correspondence and analysis in publications in English, French, German, Italian and other languages. The general interest in Bulgaria did not decrease in the early 20th century, when the country became an independent state and became a key military power in the East, and culminated in the Balkan War and the First World War, said Dimitrov.
It is truly amazing how many times events related to Bulgaria and the Bulgarians are leading news on the front pages of renowned publications such as "Graphic", "Illustrated London News", "L`Illustration", "Monde Illustre", "Illustrirte Zeitung", "Domenica del Corriere" and others. Also, numerous authors of books and articles familiarize their readers with the development of the Bulgarian army, often describe with superlatives the qualities of Bulgarian soldiers and officers, tell about Bulgarian military successes and failures, the author told the attendees.
He presented the director of RIM – Vratsa, Georgi Ganetsovski, with original pages from the French magazine “Le monde illustre” with illustrations and texts about military affairs in Vratsa at the end of the 19th century.
The exhibition was presented for the first time in Bulgaria on September 21, 2016 in the National Assembly, followed by visits to Burgas and Veliko Tarnovo. Vratsa residents are privileged to be among the first to get a glimpse of the valuable information. The exhibition “The World for the Bulgarian Warrior” is exhibited in the small hall of the Ivan Funev Art Gallery in the museum and all those interested can visit it in the coming days.
Source and photos: IMRO
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