DONATION MATTERS

On 6 September 2023 we celebrate the 138th anniversary of the Unification of Bulgaria! On this occasion, the Regional History Museum – Plovdiv will present the temporary exhibition ‘Donation Matters’, arranged in the exhibition ‘Unification of Bulgaria of 1885’, located at 1 Saedinenie Square.

On the festive day, citizens and guests of Plovdiv will be able to view the exhibition from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. with free admission. After 2:00 p.m., access to Saedinenie Square will be restricted due to the official celebrations, which traditionally begin after 7:00 p.m.

For every museum, for society as a whole, for our national and cultural memory!

This is precisely why the team of the Regional History Museum – Plovdiv continues to uphold and promote the value of donation, because it is one of the fundamental pillars on which our work rests. The wealth of collections and cultural held by every museum always includes a significant percentage of donations — sometimes more than half and very often among them are the most emblematic pieces.

This exhibition presents only a small selection — a curated sample of donors and donations from various periods, reaching both deep into the past and as recent as the last days. This is our way of saying a big ‘THANK YOU!’ to our donors. A reminder to everyone else that they exist, that museums exist, that cultural policy and cultural heritage exist. In today’s fast-paced daily life, filled with existential challenges of an existential nature, neither museums nor the act of donating to them are in the public focus. But there is hope — all the people and institutions represented in the halls and showcases is a clear evidence of that.

The exhibition includes:

  • family belongings of Dr. Konstantin Stoilov, donated by his granddaughter Hristina Jidrova;
  • family belongings of Bozhidar Zdravkov, donated by his son Anton Zdravkov and by Bistra Zdravkova;
  • family belongings of the family of Ivan Atanasov Arabadzhiyata, donated by his great-granddaughter Bogdana Nikolova;
  • photographs of Colonel Tsvetan Mumdzhiev, donated by his grandson, architect Tsvetan Mumdzhiev;
  • items belonging to Captain Nikola Andreev, donated by Maria and Stefan Tusunovi;
  • items of Colonel Tsvetan Rashkov, donated by the family of the National Artist Dimitar Panov;
  • belongings of Nikola Shterev – ‘The Old Man’, donated by his grandchildren Miroslava Katsarova and Nikola Solakov;
  • family belongings of the Banyaliev family, donated by Ivanka Banyalieva;
  • previously unseen traditional folk costumes from the Strandzha region, donated by Maria Peneva;
  • traditional Japanese garments, musical instruments, and dolls, donated through the initiative of Yuko Nakajima from the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers;
  • as well as gifts, awards and insignia received by the Municipality of Plovdiv and transferred to the collections of the Regional History Museum – Plovdiv.

We call on all people with a heightened sense of history and memory — donate to museums, libraries and archives! What may seem insignificant today may turn out to be an invaluable testimony to the past tomorrow! Donation matters…