The rich Bulgarian cultural heritage is at serious risk after years of vicious practices in its preservation, institutional regression and corruption pressure.
Monitoring by the National Institute for Immovable Cultural Heritage, conducted for the first time in decades in 2021, showed that 10% of our heritage has been irretrievably lost, 35% is in a state of emergency, and 40% has impaired authenticity. This means that 85% of the sites could be lost for Bulgaria, Europe and the world.
This is stated in an official position of "We continue the change", sent to the media. Here is more from the document:
Based on this analysis, at the initiative of the institute and its management, a plan for strategic measures and urgent actions to save our cultural heritage has been proposed. The institute's public reports are visible evidence of a change in policies in this area, despite the inherited, difficult-to-overcome problems. A Roadmap for the restoration of the preservation system has been prepared, steps have been taken to return scientific research work to the field, and the restoration of the National Institute for Immovable Cultural Heritage has begun, with a full staff and expertise provided.
Against this background, instead of building on what has been achieved and developing it, the current leadership of the Ministry of Culture:
- Refused to host Bulgaria at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, planned for July 2025, thus giving up an already secured opportunity to protect our heritage and improve our international prestige;
- Refused recognition for professional experience acquired through the joint program of the National Institute for Immovable Cultural Heritage and the prestigious French school École de Chaillot. It has over one hundred and thirty years of history, and over one hundred Bulgarian architects and restorers have been trained in it. This refusal sabotages the strategic building of national expert capacity;
- Removed the leadership of the National Institute for Immovable Cultural Heritage, selected after a legitimate competition, an undisputed biography in the field of conservation at the international level and a public report;
- Did not hold a transparent debate on its actions and policies in the sector and did not comply with the reasoned opinion of the guild in defense of the institute's current leadership;
- Made a scandalous appointment of a new interim director, with no experience in the preservation of cultural heritage, no participation in academic or international projects and with a vague vision for the direction of the institute's development - an indicator of possible corruption practices.
The actions and inactions of the current leadership of the Ministry of Culture are highly disturbing. They show that instead of a clear strategy and policies for the preservation and development of the Bulgarian cultural heritage, the priority for the ministry is the unprincipled employment of incompetent personnel.
Our cultural heritage is not only an identity and a connection between our past and future, but also a responsibility. Preserving it is a national cause.
The Minister of Culture Marian Bachev not only does not work for this cause, but also puts the entire cultural sector at risk of becoming another victim of the current corrupt model of state governance. In case he does not take measures to preserve the immovable cultural heritage of Bulgaria, we demand his resignation.