AN EXHIBITION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THRACIAN TREASURES DISCOVERED IN BULGARIA WILL BE OPENED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NORWAY

The exhibition “Legends in Gold. Thracian Treasures from Bulgaria” financed by the Bilateral Fund under the programme BG 08 “Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Arts” under the EEA Financial Mechanism and the programme BG 11 “Capacity Building and Institutional Cooperation” under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism will be officially opened on 1 September 2017 in Bergen, Kingdom of Norway.

The exhibition that presents for the first time to the Norwegian audience the rich cultural heritage of the ancient inhabitants of Bulgaria in the town of Bergen - the medieval capital of Norway and second largest town, will be displayed until 10 December 2017.

The organization of the exhibition is a result of the efforts of several institutions – the Ministry of Culture as a Lead Project Partner and Programme Operator under programme BG 08, the Bulgarian National History Museum and the Bergen City Museum as partners and the “Good Governance” Directorate in the Council of Ministers as a Programme Operator under the programme BG 11.

A special contribution to the realization of the exhibition shall be given to the National Focal Point (“Central Coordination Unit” Directorate in the Council of Ministers”) as the main initiator of the exhibition ensuring the necessary coordination and support for the successful implementation of the planned activities.

Chronologically the exhibition encompasses the period between the second millennium BC to the 4^th century AD. It will present 603 exhibits including some of the most famous treasures of the Thracians (Panagyrishte, Borovo, Letnitsa treasures) that are considered emblematic for the Thracian heritage. Along with them there are also exhibits, which will be presented for the first time abroad – the rich funerals gifts form the Ruler’s tomb in Dalakova Mound near the village of Topolchane (Sliven Region), the chariot applications from the village of Svirachi, Ivaylovgrad, the bronze head of the Emperor of Nove (town of Svishtov) and others.

The movable cultural heritage is part of the collections of the National History Museum in Sofia and 11 regional museums.

The concept includes innovative exposition solutions and aims to provoke in an attractive way the interest of the audience, to popularize Bulgaria as a touristic destination, to strengthen the bilateral cooperation and the knowledge about its past and present as well as the economic ties between the two countries.

The exhibition is a logical continuation of the good cooperation in the field of culture between Bulgaria and Norway realized under the EEA Financial Mechanism 2007-2009 and 2009-2014. Visible results have been achieved on the territory of the whole country in the area of revitalization of cultural heritage, development of new exhibitions of contemporary arts and digitalization of objects of cultural heritage. The launch of the calls for proposals for the new programming period 2014-2021 is expected in the beginning of 2018.