The year 2009 is the Year of Bulgaria in Russia. The purpose behind this initiative is to promote Bulgarian business, and above all – the Bulgarian tourism in Russia. After the fall of the communism in Bulgaria and the government-contracted Soviet groups of blue collar workers crawling the Bulgarian beaches, the organized visits to the “sister” cities and all kind of other propaganda-in-mind designed tours, the Russian tourists forgot about Bulgaria. Now they are more interested in visiting the prohibited for them before 1990 resorts and cities in Turkey, France, Switzerland and Egypt. This lost for Bulgaria is calculated in millions of dollars, which are very hard to compensate with the budget travelers from UK, Germany and Sweden, counting their dimes to the next welfare check.
It is clear that the wealthy Russians cannot be attracted back to the already ruined Bulgarian beach resorts, to the concrete of Golden Sands, the crowded discos in Sunny Beach and the run-down hotels from communist times Albena. They will continue to relax on the French Riviera, to ski in the Swiss Alps, or to go shopping in the US malls.
Bulgaria hopes although, that both wealthy and curious intellectuals, might return to the country to see the remains of 7 civilizations, which left precious artifacts and impressive buildings across the country. At least, this is the idea of promoting the cultural tourism with the events and exhibitions during the Year of Bulgaria in Russia.
One of these events is the opening today exhibition in the State Museum of the East “Rescued treasures of Ancient Thrace from the Vassil Bojkov collection”. In the most expensive city in the world, few things can impress the local petroleum oligarchs and the visitors from around the world to the ancient capital of Russia. A feast for the eye, the exhibition is featuring treasures of gold, silver, marble and bronze, which visualize mystic rites and secret Orphic rituals. I believe this is the right way to promote cultural tourism among the affluent and well-educated Russians.
For those who don’t read Russian, I have prepared a brief article in English about the exhibition in the context of the history of Thracian Civilization.
Note: All pictures are from the website of the State Museum of the East, Moscow and from the Bojkov Collection catalog. Copyright belongs to “Thrace Foundation” and photographs are published with the kind permission of Mr. Bojkov.
