A new edition was released on April 3, named The Incredible Stories of Bulgaria’s Treasures. It is aimed at kids and is, of course, beautifully illustrated. The book saw the world a few days before the opening of the big exhibition at the Louvre – The Saga of The Thracian Kings: Archaeological Discoveries in Bulgaria.

To find a treasure sometimes means a coincidence, fun, or it can be even a somewhat sad story. That is for instance the story of the 13 golden objects with an overall weight of more than 12 kg, found near the village of Valchitran /north Bulgaria/ back in 1924. That is how the story starts in the small book: “Once upon a time there was this pig that used to eat from a massive, 3,600 years old golden bowl in the course of a year…” However, piggy did a good job as it glossed it from one side while champing, thus revealing the gold. At the same time several objects from the treasure got hurt – with parts chopped off with the idea to be sold by the piece. Still, this treasure is one of the most magnificent ever, with no analogue worldwide.

“Each kid could find it a curious story to learn,” says for Radio Bulgaria artist Stanka Zheleva, daughter of late Bulgarian President Zhelyu Zhelev and chair of the Easyart foundation. Stanka, Nadya Todorova and Anelia Pashova are the authors of the text and the illustrations. The book presents the stories of some of the treasures, visiting Paris and its luxurious French edition will be distributed across the Louvre. “My children for instance were so excited and wanted to see each next treasure online so much – that provoked their interest and great excitement by the fact that Bulgaria had so many interesting things in their museums,” Stanka Zheleva points out.

The book tells the stories of 20 treasures and cultural monuments. The Kazanlak Thracian Tomb, enlisted by UNESCO can be found there. Furthermore: the Varna Necropolis with the oldest processed gold in the world, the treasures of Panagyurishte, Rogozen, Khotnitsa, Letnitsa, Sinemorets etc. What are the projects of the Easyart foundation, related to kids?

“We have been working for 4 years. We started with the Art for Kids in Museums project,” Mrs. Zheleva says. “It goes on each Saturday with free painting workshops for children at the National Art Gallery, sometimes at the Sofia Art Gallery, depending on the exhibition exposed at the moment. These events are free, including the tools, we also have students that help the kids to draw. We also hold one of the largest cultural and education children’s festivals in Bulgaria. It kicked off in Sofia, then we visited the towns of Blagoevgrad, Ruse, Stara Zagora, Burgas and Varna. We hope to reach as many children as possible. There is a huge interest. We also have a program, called History of Art at School, where students from the National Academy of Art enter the third grade classes and teach the global history of art. There is a summer school at the museums with their experts. Thus the children will have the opportunity to get to know Sofia’s museums. We have a traveling museum on wheels, touring around Bulgaria. Our entire activities are related to educational and cultural programs. We do think that culture and art contribute best to the emotional and creative growth and development of kids,” Stanka Zheleva says in conclusion.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev