How Euro 2024 helped revive a Bulgarian village square

published on 6/26/24 1:20 PM

facebook.com/groups/mursalevo

Photo: facebook.com/groups/mursalevo

"It takes very little effort to create the right conditions to bring the community together". The words belong to a young man - Stanislav Grozdanov - who became the driving force for the " livening up " of a Bulgarian village at the height of the football summer on the Old Continent. Just 68 kilometres west of the capital, in the Kyustendil district, there is a small village called Mursalevo.

According to official figures from this year, it has a population of 355. Among them are Stanislav, his wife and their young child. The family is part of a new generation of Bulgarians who are choosing a peaceful life in the countryside over the adrenaline of the urban jungle. They moved to Mursalevo a few years ago.

"I inherited a house there and that is why we moved to the village. First of all, we wanted to fix up my grandfather's property, to breathe new life into it, because it was abandoned. People in the countryside are different, more relaxed and laid-back than the working man in the city. The climate is also good for bringing up small children. It is close to the river. We have more opportunities for leisure, for rest, for reading books, for gardening, which relieves us after a long day's work," Stanislav Grozdanov told Rosinka Prodanova of BNR-Blagoevgrad.

This is how he describes the place: "A picturesque, empowering and peaceful village".

Young families are still a rare sight in Mursalevo. "Personally, I can think of three families, but I believe that this is a trend that will continue in the future," he says. Though the local school and kindergarten have ceased to function in recent years, there is a special bus for children from the village to attend those in nearby Kocherinovo. Jobs are also hard to come by locally, but the village is close to the larger towns of Dupnitsa, Blagoevgrad and the capital, Sofia, with a well-developed rail and road infrastructure providing opportunities for workers.

And since 14 June, in the evenings, after a long day's work, the village square also offers a sense of community amidst the excitement of football. In the spirit of the testament of the apostle of freedom, Vasil Levski - "deeds are needed, not words" - Stanislav and his fellow villagers decided to erect an 8-metre screen in the centre of Mursalevo so that everyone could enjoy the football together.

"I started with the idea that it would be nice to have events in the village during the summer. We have a village fair, but it is only once a year, and that is the only time people gather in the square. That was my main motive - to bring people together, to talk, to communicate, to be in one place.

With funds donated by the people and equipment from the local community centre, benches, chairs and tables are set up each evening in anticipation of watching the games and sharing a few words, smiles and footballing emotions. Nearly 70 people attended the first evening ten days ago," said Stanislav Grozdanov proudly. He hopes that as the tournament progresses more people will join them to watch the later matches and, why not, the final.

" It is not only men who come to watch the championship. Women and children also come every night, because this idea of ours is not just a European Championship thing. It will continue with a summer cinema initiative.

Don't ask Stanislav who will win the trophy in Germany. It is not the goal that is important, but the way to get there. And the road to a new life for the village of Mursalevo includes a summer language school in English and computer skills for children aged 7 to 12. The classes started right after the end of the school year and Stanislav is, of course, one of the main teachers.

While the little ones are being educated and making friends, the adults are preparing for the traditional Mursalevo Festival, which this year takes place on the 2nd and 3rd of August.