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The ECR Party is organising a “European Culture Weekend“, which will take place in Sofia (Bulgaria) from 12 to 14 of May.
The venue is the modern Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia, the second tallest building in the capital of Bulgaria, with its 32 floors overlooking the city with breath-taking sights.
On the first afternoon of the event, the agenda includes a historic and cultural tour for participants. They will visit the Memorial to the victims of the communist regime. There, they will listen to a speech by Dr. Milen Mihov, associate professor of Bulgarian history, former assistant rector of the St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, and former national representative in the 43rd and 44th National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Afterwards, the tour goes onto the Sveta Nedelya Cathedral, a temple originally dating back to the 10th century but rebuilt in the 19th century. The relics of the Serbian king Stefan Uroš II Milutin are kept in the Cathedral. In 1925, communist terrorists supported by Russian agents bombed the Cathedral’s doom during a religious ceremony. No government officials were killed, but the attack caused the death to 150 innocent people, including women and children, plus 500 injured, both civil and military.
ECR Party attendees will then move to the so-called Triangle of Power: The building of the National Assembly, the Presidency, and the Council of Ministers building. This is one of the Communist-era buildings in the country, perhaps the most representative of all, and ranks among the best known socialist architecture examples in Eastern Europe. It was inaugurated in the 1950s, on a freshly-flattened area due to World War II bombings.
Only five minutes away, visitors will admire the church of Saint George, built on a 4th century Roman bath with medieval frescoes inside of its central dome. Next to it, the Ancient Serdika Complex displays part of the city occupying the area in Roman times, with remains of an early Christian basilica.
On the other side of the City Garden, attendees will finalise their visit with the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, erected at the beginning of the 20th century in neoclassical style. Ivan Vazov is considered as the patriarch of Bulgarian literature. The day will finish with a dinner back at the hotel.
On Saturday, the ECR Party mission members will commute to the National Palace of Culture for various lectures, starting with European Conservatives defining a platform for challenges and opportunities to come. Before lunch, they will deal with disinformation and misinformation as a political tool in the hands of the “woke” ideologists.
In the afternoon, three panels will take place successively: Localism as a conservative ideal, European culture and identity as a political priority, and a plan for the European Union’s long-term support for Ukraine in connection with the Eastern European perspective on future EU-Russia relations.
On a more leisurely note and before a folkloric dinner, attendees will go on a retro tram trip to the Lozenetz Residence, a multifunctional building with an astounding silhouette situated in the highest neighbourhood of the city, opposing the Borisova Gradina Park. The exterior features serigraphy of ancient Bulgarian ornaments. The front facade is from transparent serigraphed glass, depicting the oldest Bulgarian ornament – the Elbetica. The outer structure contributes to a high-performance thermal and noise insulation. During the summer period, natural ventilation is assured with the upper and lower ventilation shafts being opened; whereas during the winter months, shafts are shut, thus creating an insulating air mass. Natural stone and exquisite glass facades are implemented in the design. The contrast between the solid stone elements and the transparent glass contributes to the monumental image.
Source of the image: Viator.com