Sozopol Summer School
Welcome to the section concerning the 10th Summer School in Urban Anthropology
"Heritrage as Imagination, as Resource, as Conflict"
(19-30 June, Sozopol, Black sea)
During Sozopol Summer School 2012 we wanted to analyse the different uses and abuses of heritage
Then we went to classes:
We asked people to tell us about Sozopol:
We studied and studied:
We worked day and night (the most important questions being discussed during sunrise):
Until we became like vampires:
Luckily we had a pool, Aloha Bar and Villa 4 to save us from academic despair:
And pancakes with fig jam!
Time collapsed :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgGBpL7Z1Uc&feature=plcp
But the people did not!
photo by Hannah O'Mahoney
We tried to escape from field work going to a lonely island:
But the boat man refused to leave us there so we had to go back and make our final presentations:
That's us before the last night:
And that's us after the last night:
photo by Daniela Koleva
And that's the key which we can't use anymore:
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photo by Tsvetomir Tsenkov
Workers of the world, unite in Sozopol!
We wanted to explore the cultural heritage of Sozopol not as some fossilized past, but as a juxtaposition of representations, interests and politics.
The student presentations address topics such as: the commercialization of the socialist past, the transformations of Greek identity, the night labor of season workers, the distinctions between private and public and the ways youth subcultures and the town's authenticity are used as touristic attractions. Special attention is paid also to the architecture of the city and its inner divisions, including the new VIP villages, products of major Bulgarian and foreign Investments. The title of of the Greek team's presentation pinpoints the most relevant question of the school: "Whose is this town?"
"Movements of Sozopol": Hannah O'Mahoney and Rumi Iotova's great short video from Sozopol Summer School in Urban Anthropology, 2012
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Heritage as Imagination, as Resource, as Conflict
International Summer School in Urban Anthropology, Sozopol, Bulgaria
19-30 June 2012
The tenth edition of the summer school of urban anthropology organized by Sofia University will take place in Sozopol, on the Black sea coast, a town known for its rich cultural history, as well as the dubious developments of tourist industry after ’89. This year’s summer school will focus on the uses and abuses of heritage in the globalized world.
The international team is composed of Bulgarian (Ivaylo Ditchev and colleagues from the MA in Cultural Anthropology, Sofia University), French (Michel Rautenberg, Corine Vedrine), British (Bella Dicks, Ger Duijzings), Italian (Philippo Zerelli and Pietro Saitta) and German (Schamma Schahadat) colleagues, who work on the city from an anthropological perspective.
The summer school of urban anthropology will approach the contemporary city through the lens of cultural heritage perceived not as some fossilized past, but as a juxtaposition of representations, interests and politics.
On one hand, the turbulent age of transition in Eastern Europe brings about permanent reinterpretations of culture, estranges generations, and produces competing media images. On the other, cities ever more actively try to sell their emblems on the global marketplace of identities. Clashes based on ethnicity, religion or political bias grow ever stronger, for conflicts that formerly were expressed in political or social terms now tend to acquire a cultural aura.
The topics of the summer school will be site-specific and will be linked to postcommunism, the imaginary of the nouveau-riches, national, ethnic and touristic appropriations of heritage, etc. After presenting a final paper the students will be granted credits according to the rules of their university.
The summer school is organized by Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" in partnership with:
- The Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Greece
- Jean Monnet University, France
- Cardiff University, UK
- University College London, UK
- University of Cagliari, Italy
- University of Messina, Italy
On the 23rd of June students will be able to attend the international workshop
Globalization through heritage/globalization of heritage?
Field trips will be organized to heritage sites in southern Bulgaria (Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, Perperikon, etc)
We look forward to welcoming you!
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100 thousand people are praying for good health to St. John in Sozopol
31.08.2010
Source: 100 хиляди се помолиха за здраве на Св. Йоан в Созопол
Translation by Madlen Nikolova
A miracle! The tourists in the southern coastline exchanged their cocktails with candles. And istead going to the beach, there have been lining up for two days in front of the Sozopol’s “St. George” church. The reason - the miraculous relics of St. John the Baptist can be found there. And they are miraculous indeed. Amazing news are travelling all around the Bourgas area - one mute Russian tourist started speaking with the help of the relics. Yesterday everyone from Nesebar, Sunny beach, Pomorie and Primorsko visited the temple. In only two days 100 000 came to worship the relics of St. John the Baptist.
Blind and mute. Sick and crippled. Young and old. Irish and Romanian. Poor and millionaires. Pop stars and ambassadors. Everyone, with their heads bowed, lining up with a candle in their hands. Yesterday Sozopol was too small for the believers who came to worship the Relics of St. John the Baptist in the tiny church of “St. George”. “We cannot turn anyone back, that is why the church will be open all day long”, promised father Ivan, who is serving the church for 33 years. He shared that the huge queues have lead the orthodox authorities to consider the church being open overtime - till 20:00.
Will Sozopol become Jerusalem II? Absolutely, according to the locals. A fact - ingenious entrepreneurs in the tourist sector already include visits of the Relics in their tours. Sozopol is flooded by tourists. Buses full of believers from all over the country have occupied the center. Foreigners are also coming in crowds. “It is unprecedented that we see French people here”, say the locals joyfully. The town is being attacked by the pilgrims also by water - flocks of rich people’s yachts are blocking the bay, as they also want to worship the Baptist. The “new Bulgarians” are also in Sozopol. Irish families, who bought flats near Budzhaka, are also lining up with a candle in their hands. Nevertheless, most of the tourists are Romanians and Russians, who come to pray for health and good luck. “What is most important is to have faith when we visit the Relics. I haven’t seen the miracle with my own eyes, but, as we read in the Holy Scriptures, if have a seed of true faith I can move mountains.”, convincingly argues father Ivan.
There is no single citizen from Sozopol that hasn’t not already worshiped the Baptist, says the priest. The locals say that perhaps it could have been even better if the relics remained in St. Ivan island, because their strength is way higher there. “The relics shouldn’t have come to us, we should have gone to the relics. The idea behind pilgrimage is the travel itself. One needs to be alone with himself, to be humble and to repent for their sins. The relics should not become tourist attraction”, says Katia Nedelcheva. She is one of the young mothers waiting in the line. She came to worship the relics with her 4-months daughter. “I was not sure if the relics were authentic, but when they said that the box has St. John’s name on it, I said to myself - there is hope for Bulgaria”, admits Hristina Ivanova, who is also waiting in the line. “If one has faith, even if one lights a lighter, they will think they have found the Light”, the elder women in front of the temple commented. One thing is certain, all the local people know - the relics are authentic and are capable of healing.
Side by side with the commoners, three ambassadors came to worship too. In less than a month the small church in Sozopol welcomed the ambassadors from Norway - mrs. Tove Skarstein; Cuba - mrs. Ana-Gloria Bousa; and the US - mr. James Warlick. “Sozopol will have a splendid future” stated the US ambassador, before leaving the town. “Such an ancient, beautiful town with its unique history, and now even the relics of St. John! Sozopol is destined to have glorious days to come!”, thinks James Warlick. At the same time, the archaeological team of prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov continues its work at the island of “Saint Ivan”. According to the archaeologist, who found the relics of st. John the Baptist, the small island surely hides much more secrets.
Source: Standart
Local authorities and businesses back up minister Bojidar Dimitrov regarding the issue with the relics of St. John the Baptist
30.08.2010
Source: Местната власт и бизнесът зад Божидар Димитров за мощите на Йоан Предтеча
Translation by Madlen Nikolova
The ministry’s cabinet announced that Bozhidar Dimitrov’s position on the relics has received support from representatives of the local authorities.
Panayot Reizi – mayor of Sozopol, Nikolai Dimitrov— mayor of Nesebar, Blagoy Filipov – head of Nesebar city council, Ivan Nikolov - mayor of Sveti Vlas and Elena Ivanova - head of the Owner’s union from the Sunny beach resort have sent a letter to the Minister without portfolio prof. Bozhidar Dimitrov, stating that:
“Recently there has been a lot of polemics, questioning the authenticity of the archeaological discovery of the relics of St. John the Baptist. The debates involved authorative names and scientists, some of them doubting the genuinity of the relics and requesting further research. There has been a public denouncement of scientists who said that Sozopol and the Black sea coastline is the Second Jerusulem.
We urge all the participants in the argument to understand that this debate is completely meaningless and in fact hurts Bulgarian tourism and is against the state in general. There have been reports about Bulgaria by the international press and major TV channels, such as CNN, BBC and EuroNews for example, after the archeological finds. Bulgaria is attracting more and more interest - tourists and travel agencies are directing their attention toward the country. All the preconditions for a rapid increase in the number of tourists are present.
These are precisely the reasons why we support all the efforts of those Bulgarian scholars, lead by the historian Bozhidar Dimitrov, who are trying to make our country a first class destination for cultural and historical tourism. Bulgaria has no less historical sights than Greece and Italy - let’s allow the world to see them.
We are asking all the relevant authorities to be more determined in their support of such efforts, as this works in favour of Bulgaria by popularizing its historical and cultural heritage, and, moreover, by attracting tourists. The more tourists come - the more money will come to the state treasury. That is useful for us all.”
Source: actualno.com
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The idea of the summer school is to link the topics of the lectures to observation and fieldwork. Thus students are supposed to listen to 4 h of lectures in the mornings, then to conduct field research during the afternoons. For the field research they are expected to choose topics and form teams under the supervision of the faculty staff. Bulgarian students will help for the translation during interviews. Professors and students will discuss their findings and exchange information and ideas at regular meetings.
The topics suggested so far are:
- The virtualization of the urban space, Ivaylo Ditchev (20-29 June)
- Night laboratory. The city at night, Ger Duizings (20-29 June), see: http://nightlaboratory.wordpress.com/
- Doing ethnography in/of extra-legal urban spaces and practices, Filippo Zerilli (21-29 June)
- The role of the informal economy in producing social advancement, Pietro Saitta (27-29 June)
- Waste and The City, Velislava Petrova (20-29 June)
- Urban consumption practices, Milla Mineva (20-29 June)
- Youth Subcultures, Valentina Gueorguieva (20-29 June)
- Observations of Sozopol's 'memoryscapes' and their possible subversions, Daniela Koleva (20-29 June)
- Nostalgia for socialist living, Schamma Schahadat (26-29 June)
- Visual methods in studying heritage, display and the city, Bella Dicks. (20-23 June)
- Heritage practices, Michel Rautenberg and Corine Vedrine (23-25 June)
Students are free to choose more than one topic. Some of the topics might change in the process of working. Students will work in teams supervised by the faculty members.
For the successful completion of the school students are expected to:
- deliver a visual archive (pictures, video materials), fieldwork diaries and interviews;
- in the last day of the school every group shall present the results of their research by making a poster or by presenting a short movie, made during the time of the project;
- students are supposed to deliver a paper/essay 2 weeks after the end of the summer school in order to get credits (8 ECTS). The best students’ papers will be published on the website of the electronic magazine Seminar-BG (www.seminar-bg.eu).
The successful completion of the summer school corresponds to 8 ECTS. (For the students from the MA programmes of Cultural Anthropology and Urban Studies in Sofia University these credits are included within their academic programmes).
All participants will receive a certificate of attendance.
All lectures, presentations and discussions will be delivered in English.
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The town has been chosen because it poses different problems with respect to heritage:
- This was a Greek town that became bulgarized between the wars due to exchange of populations. A recent quarrel over the statue of Apollo (Sozopol was called Apollonia) re-actualized the problem; the Orthodox church was against such a pagan effigy, whereas its supporters argued that it was good for tourism
- They recently found relics, supposedly of St. John the Baptist, which again produced debates as to heritage, tourism and faith
- The town has become a center of nouveau-riche construction activity, destroying the traditional outlook and introducing dubious urban standards. The near-by Nessebar has been menaced for the same reason to lose its label of UNESCO heritage site.
- Souvenirs, commercial art and kitsch will be a topic of discussion.
- Sozopol is a center of festivals and various cultural activities. Even if those take generally place in the autumn, they present another topic discussion as to how culture participates to the construction of urbanity.
The town is an very old Greek colony, the former name was Apolonia Pontica, founded according to legends in 611 BC by settlers from Millet and Fokea. Sozopolis (= the city of salvation) was its Christian name from the 4th century on. It was of importance in Byzantium, then under the Ottomans as a port and ship-provider; it declined in the 19th century to become a fishing place. Hardly any ethnic Bulgarians lived there until the 20th century as the latter were not practicing fishing or sea trade. In WW1, in the 1920 populations were exchanged between Greece and Bulgaria. The exiled Greeks founded Sozopoli (in Halkidiki), whereas the Black sea dwelling was peopled by ethnic Bulgarians mainly from the inland of Thrace (Greek and Turkish). The trauma of this painful process was cautiously covered up by the communist ideology. It is after 1989 that the remaining Greeks became again visible. In 1974 the old city is declared “architectural reservation” and state-furthered tourism flourished. The new town outside of the peninsula grew during communist times, whan some industries were also developed here. After 1989 Sozopol expanded even further, this time due to easy money and deregulation. Besides bad taste of the nouveaux riches, hurting the child memories of many Bulgarians, it is known for the cultural festival of arts “Apolonia” (since the 84s, held in September), the painters and souvenir-producers, the churches and archeological sites, as well as the much promoted by the authorities relics of St. John the Baptist, found on an island near-by, of which quite recently a particle has been stolen. The municipality is dominated by the ruling party GERB.
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100 thousand people are praying for good health to St. John in Sozopol
31.08.2010
Source: 100 хиляди се помолиха за здраве на Св. Йоан в Созопол
Translation by Madlen Nikolova
A miracle! The tourists in the southern coastline exchanged their cocktails with candles. And istead going to the beach, there have been lining up for two days in front of the Sozopol’s “St. George” church. The reason - the miraculous relics of St. John the Baptist can be found there. And they are miraculous indeed. Amazing news are travelling all around the Bourgas area - one mute Russian tourist started speaking with the help of the relics. Yesterday everyone from Nesebar, Sunny beach, Pomorie and Primorsko visited the temple. In only two days 100 000 came to worship the relics of St. John the Baptist.
Blind and mute. Sick and crippled. Young and old. Irish and Romanian. Poor and millionaires. Pop stars and ambassadors. Everyone, with their heads bowed, lining up with a candle in their hands. Yesterday Sozopol was too small for the believers who came to worship the Relics of St. John the Baptist in the tiny church of “St. George”. “We cannot turn anyone back, that is why the church will be open all day long”, promised father Ivan, who is serving the church for 33 years. He shared that the huge queues have lead the orthodox authorities to consider the church being open overtime - till 20:00.
Will Sozopol become Jerusalem II? Absolutely, according to the locals. A fact - ingenious entrepreneurs in the tourist sector already include visits of the Relics in their tours. Sozopol is flooded by tourists. Buses full of believers from all over the country have occupied the center. Foreigners are also coming in crowds. “It is unprecedented that we see French people here”, say the locals joyfully. The town is being attacked by the pilgrims also by water - flocks of rich people’s yachts are blocking the bay, as they also want to worship the Baptist. The “new Bulgarians” are also in Sozopol. Irish families, who bought flats near Budzhaka, are also lining up with a candle in their hands. Nevertheless, most of the tourists are Romanians and Russians, who come to pray for health and good luck. “What is most important is to have faith when we visit the Relics. I haven’t seen the miracle with my own eyes, but, as we read in the Holy Scriptures, if have a seed of true faith I can move mountains.”, convincingly argues father Ivan.
There is no single citizen from Sozopol that hasn’t not already worshiped the Baptist, says the priest. The locals say that perhaps it could have been even better if the relics remained in St. Ivan island, because their strength is way higher there. “The relics shouldn’t have come to us, we should have gone to the relics. The idea behind pilgrimage is the travel itself. One needs to be alone with himself, to be humble and to repent for their sins. The relics should not become tourist attraction”, says Katia Nedelcheva. She is one of the young mothers waiting in the line. She came to worship the relics with her 4-months daughter. “I was not sure if the relics were authentic, but when they said that the box has St. John’s name on it, I said to myself - there is hope for Bulgaria”, admits Hristina Ivanova, who is also waiting in the line. “If one has faith, even if one lights a lighter, they will think they have found the Light”, the elder women in front of the temple commented. One thing is certain, all the local people know - the relics are authentic and are capable of healing.
Side by side with the commoners, three ambassadors came to worship too. In less than a month the small church in Sozopol welcomed the ambassadors from Norway - mrs. Tove Skarstein; Cuba - mrs. Ana-Gloria Bousa; and the US - mr. James Warlick. “Sozopol will have a splendid future” stated the US ambassador, before leaving the town. “Such an ancient, beautiful town with its unique history, and now even the relics of St. John! Sozopol is destined to have glorious days to come!”, thinks James Warlick. At the same time, the archaeological team of prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov continues its work at the island of “Saint Ivan”. According to the archaeologist, who found the relics of st. John the Baptist, the small island surely hides much more secrets.
Source: Standart
Local authorities and businesses back up minister Bojidar Dimitrov regarding the issue with the relics of St. John the Baptist
30.08.2010
Source: Местната власт и бизнесът зад Божидар Димитров за мощите на Йоан Предтеча
Translation by Madlen Nikolova
The Ministry's cabinet announced that Bozhidar Dimitrov’s position on the relics has received support from representatives of the local authorities.
Panayot Reizi – mayor of Sozopol, Nikolai Dimitrov— mayor of Nesebar, Blagoy Filipov – head of Nesebar city council, Ivan Nikolov - mayor of Sveti Vlas and Elena Ivanova - head of the Owner’s union from the Sunny beach resort have sent a letter to the Minister without portfolio prof. Bozhidar Dimitrov, stating that:
“Recently there has been a lot of polemics, questioning the authenticity of the archeaological discovery of the relics of St. John the Baptist. The debates involved authorative names and scientists, some of them doubting the genuinity of the relics and requesting further research. There has been a public denouncement of scientists who said that Sozopol and the Black sea coastline is the Second Jerusulem.
We urge all the participants in the argument to understand that this debate is completely meaningless and in fact hurts Bulgarian tourism and is against the state in general. There have been reports about Bulgaria by the international press and major TV channels, such as CNN, BBC and EuroNews for example, after the archeological finds. Bulgaria is attracting more and more interest - tourists and travel agencies are directing their attention toward the country. All the preconditions for a rapid increase in the number of tourists are present.
These are precisely the reasons why we support all the efforts of those Bulgarian scholars, lead by the historian Bozhidar Dimitrov, who are trying to make our country a first class destination for cultural and historical tourism. Bulgaria has no less historical sights than Greece and Italy - let’s allow the world to see them.
We are asking all the relevant authorities to be more determined in their support of such efforts, as this works in favour of Bulgaria by popularizing its historical and cultural heritage, and, moreover, by attracting tourists. The more tourists come - the more money will come to the state treasury. That is useful for us all.”
Source: actualno.com
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ICOMOS expresses concern about the protection of architectural heritage in Sozopol
12.02.2012
Source: ИКОМОС е обезпокоен за опазването на архитектурата в Созопол
Translation by Madlen Nikolova
Citizens have sent a letter to the Bulgarian National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites(ICOMOS). In the letter they have asked about the current state of the archaeological and architectural heritage of Sozopol. Experts in the Bulgarian branch of ICOMOS have found rather disturbing problems during their fieldwork in the city. The situation of the protection of authentic local heritage is troubling. The norms and principles, that guide the work of ICOMOS, are breached in the following sites
· Late ancient and medieval fortress wall
· The Revival church of “Saints Cyril and Methodius”
· Ancient necropolis of Apolonia nar Kalafata
· Medieval church complex near Budzhaka ( Sulinaria)
· Medieval monastery “St. Ivan” on the “St Ivan” island
· Medieval church near Skamni
· Medieval church near “St. Georgi” church in the center of the historical part of the town.
Тhe infringements can be grouped in the following four major categories:
1. Substitution of architectural authenticity via rebuilding from scratch. This is violation of the Venice Charter (preamble, article 6, 9, 12 and 13), the Nara Document on Authenticity (article 3, 10, Appendix I, article 1 and 2) and the International Cultural Tourism Charter (article 2.4 and article 6.2)
Examples: The fortress wall, the church “Saint Cyril and Methodius”, the church next to “St. Georgi” church, as well as the new projects near “Sveti Ivan Monastery” and Skamni.
2. The context of the monuments is also substituted, the original environment is being substantially changed and integrated within contemporary structures. This violates with Venice Charter (article 7) and The Charter for the Preservation and Management of the Archaeological Heritage (article 6).
Examples: architectural details from the monastery on “Sveti Ivan” island are integrated in the walls of the estate on “Milev” str. number 50.
3. A disproportionate focus on certain monuments (fortress wall) at the expense of others. What this creates is that some sites are being converted to landfills (e.g. the Ancient necropolis and the complex in the Budzhaka region). This contradicts the Charter for the Preservation of the Archaeological Heritage (article 6) as well as the national legislation.
4. The seacoast is being destroyed by:
· construction of concrete platforms on the shores beneath the Fortress wall;
· stones from the beaches are being used in the reconstruction of the Fortress wall;
· sand from the beaches is used in the reconstruction of the Fortress wall and in some of the infrastructural projects.
This contradicts the International Cultural Tourism Charter (article 1.3), according to which all programs for cultural tourism have to be subjected to the principle of the long-term preservation of both the cultural and the natural heritage, respecting its ecological features.
The conclusion of the National Committee in ICOMOS is that in Sozopol there are severe legal violations that lead to the substitution of the authenticity of the cultural heritage and lead to defacement of the cultural landscape of the town. Due to the fact of their concern, they have sent two letters to the Ministry of Culture, to the director of the National Institute for Immovable Cultural Heritage and other relevant institutions. They have been informed about the listed issues.
What this campaign aims is to prevent the worst effects of the mismanagement of the cultural heritage of the town, as well as to prevent the future repetition of identical mistakes. Moreover, a hope has been expressed that these concerns will be taken into account and the the rules will be followed better in the sites that are still being renovated.
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“Discovery” wants to make a film about the castle near Ravadinovo
23.08.2011
Source: Екип от „Дискавъри“ поиска да заснеме замъка край Равадиново
Translation by Madlen Nikolova
The businessman from the village of millionaires called Polenitza, near Sandanski, Georgi Toumpalov has built a giant, strange, romantic and glorious building near the village of Ravadinovo. From above it looks like a cross, from the lake - as a fairy tale. The owner of the unique construction - Georgi Toumpalov, is perhaps the only Bulgarian who can boast that he has built a real castle.
He started 13 years ago and it was almost like a joke in the beginning. He travelled around the world, he observed, read and learned. Despite the fact that he worked with architects, he invented and decided everything alone. His inspiration is Antonio Gaudi, but he feels that the line between fine arts and kitsch can be easily crossed.
“I don’t want it to be over the top - and it won’t be like that”, says Georgi.
Despite the fact that the building is not fully finished, each summer hundreds of tourists are coming to see it. Four towers, arcs, swimming pools, lake with swans, walls and ceilings decorated with over 16 000 tons of stones. Some of the towers are already built.
The building is decorated with brass ornaments, that send us back to the legendary times of the knights. They are covered all over by ivy, which was planted on day one of the construction. The towers are decorated with copper and brass.
“In fact the architecture is extremely simplified, I drew everything myself with the shovel in the sand when I started everything 13 years ago. Since then every single stone had gone through my hands” tells Toumpalov and explains where he took the stones from. They are from the Strandzha mountain, near the border with Turkey. He educates himself with the construction - he has calculated every single detail, he has drawn it thousands of times; he walks and checks every little stone, he meets anyone who wants to see his creation.
He also explains that “the stone is not like humans as it has only one face... You need to find its face and lay it in a way that it points outside, to be able to look.”
The arc of the cellar’s entry is 12 meters under the ground. It was built by a technology used in Melnik and it is decorated with brass. In the heart of the cellar one finds dripstone (casted in the workshop) that has actual water dripping over it.
Georgi states that it is “here where wine will be sold, but not just any wine! Only wine from Melnik, mavrud from Asenovgrad and some local sorts. This is a good wine”
All over the garden there are statues, huge wooden lights with beautiful carvings, stone birds, and mermaids. One can enter the estate via a huge stone gate and then take a walk inside the unique castle. What follows is a beautiful arc, reproduction of the Hadrian arc in Istanbul. Behind it, there is a fairy lake with a two white and four black swans swimming in it. The swans create a unique atmosphere in the aristocratic setting.
There are even ostriches in the castle. The largest eats from his hand. Further on one can find deer. In the yard there is an impressive church, built also from Strandzha’s stones. It is called “Saint George”. Between the stones there are pieces of ancient amphoras that were found in the sea near Sozopol. The amazing sight near Ravadinovo is famous even beyond our national borders. Bulgarian and foreign businessmen, politicians and artists have come to visit it. The owner of the unique estate admits that he does not really know what to do with the castle once it is fully finished.
Most probably it will become a tourist resort with spa, swimming pools, possibilities for fishing and a myriad more “aristocratic” amusements. Georgi says that he already has had many offers from large companies so that he can finish the construction faster. Last summer a rich French woman directly asked how much does it cost to buy it. But Toumpalov is not willing to sell even one centimeter from his estate.
Recently a team of “Discovery” wanted to make a film about the unique building, but the owner declined, as it is not fully finished. In the same time Toumpalov wants all the country to know that anyone can come and visit the castle at any time. He states that he “did it in Bulgaria, because we are born here and we will die here, but the castle will stay…”
* * *
А vampire was found in Sozopol
03.06.2012
Source: Изровиха вампир в Созопол
Translation by Madlen Nikolova
A medieval vampire was discovered by archeologists in Sozopol. That is the most recent success in the long list of sensational archaeological finds in the historical part of the town. The unusual discovery was made yesterday, during excavation of the “Sveti Nikolai Chudotvorec” monastery. The discovery was made by the director of the city museum - Dimitar Nedev. Bozhidar Dimitrov, the director of the National Historical Museum, personally examined the artefacts.
Our native Count Dracula was found in a necropol next to the semi-round part of the building. It is clear that the well known ritual against vampirization has been applied. The chest of the body was stuck with a metal pole. Once that practice was used by people who feared the undead. The vampire was probably a noble, because he was found near the church. That is where, according to the medieval christian tradition, only the nobles were been buried. The team of experts was amazed by the unprecedented archaeological discovery, as this is the first buried vampire discovered in the region.
Near the vampire’s grave there are few other coffins, but they are not yet fully examined. One of the graves is substantially smaller, perhaps a child is lying there. At the same time the archaeological team has found a IV century church. It is in the layer beneath a medieval monastery that dates from the X century. According to Bozhidar Dimitrov, an ancient temple is hidden beneath the church. The unusual find provoked, once again, the government’s interest. Sozopol’s mayor, Panayot Reizi, announced that Simeon Dyankov, the financial minister, promised to give 270 000 BGN to continue with the excavation. The money will go not only for the work in the vicinity of the “Sveti Nikolai Chudotvorec” monastery, but also to start excavations near the northern tower of Sozpol, as well as in the area of Akin and Chervenka.
* * *
Ancient erotic images were found in Sozopol
23.04.2012
Source: В Созопол откриха антични еротични рисунки
Translation by Madlen Nikolova
A Greek vase with erotic motives was discovered by archeologists during excavations near a fortress wall in Sozopol.
Bozhidar Dimitrov, the director of the national museum, stated “on the fragments of this vase one can observe a particularly strong erotic scene - a group of nude young men and women having nontraditional sex.” He also explained that “it is the first finding of similar images in Bulgaria.”
In Greece such scenes are quite common. The ancient greeks believed that sexuality is a free gift from nature. “What is wrong and what not has been imposed later by Christianity” - adds the historian.
The Church imposed total limitations, only one position between a man and a woman was allowed. It is not accidental that its name is monastery position. Everything else was banned as a perversion.
Dimitar Nedev, a director of the Sozopol Archaeological museum in Sozopol, explained in an interview, that the fragments of the vase date back to VI century B.C. According to initial analysis, the author is probably a famous artist that used a technique that is associated with eastern Greek ceramics, which the scientists attribute to the first inhabitants of ancient Apolonia.
The archaeologist Nedev said also that: “The painting includes seven figures, the scene is strongly erotic, with a very good command of technique and expressivity. The scene itself is very rare. I work in the field of images precisely from this epoch. There are erotic scenes generally, but not as big and not as expressive from and such a talented artist”
The vases that are found in the region of Sozopol usually have images associated with the mythology or with everyday life. Nedev also explains that “this piece can be found only in Apolonia, in the region we usually call Pontian Tracia, and more precisely - in its western part. This is not typical for Nesebar, Varna or the other large city-states. This is understandable because Apolonia is the most ancient city within the borders of contemporary Bulgaria. Its establishment is linked with the spread of urban culture throughout ancient Tracia”.
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Summer School in Urban Anthropology:
Cultural Heritage as Imagination, as Resource, as Conflict.
Programme
18.06 and 19.06
Arrivals
For the people departing from Sofia to Sozopol on the 19th: Stop at the Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak and The Valey of Roses.
We'll meet on the 19th, at 8am, in front of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in order to take the bus to Sozopol.
20.06
9.00-9:30 Welcoming address, practical information, Julia Rone
9.30-10.00 Presentation of the summer school, topics, methods, Ivaylo Ditchev
10:15-12:30 Cities post-imperial, post-socialist, post-national, Ivaylo Ditchev
14.00 – 18.00 Tour around Sozopol, presentation of heritage sites.
18.30-19.30 Discussion of the individual preferences of the students for field work
20:00 Welcoming dinner
21.06
9.00-12.30 Heritage, place, class and memory: the politics of display, Bella Dicks
14.00 – 18.00 Fieldwork
18.30 Discussion of the field observations
22.06
9.00-10.45 Industrial production of nostalgia, Milla Mineva
11.15-13.00 Post-socialist liminal spaces. Waste, garbage and cities, Velislava Petrova
14.00 – 18.00 Fieldwork
18.30 Discussion of the field observations
23.06
9.00-14.00 Globalization through heritage/globalization of heritage?, Workshop for all the participants, 15 minutes statements, discussion
15.00 – 18:00 Fieldwork
18.30 Discussion of the field observations
24.06
9:00 – 12: 30 Social imagination and heritagisation, Michel Rotenberg and Corine Vedrine
14.00 – 18.00 Fieldwork
18.30 Discussion of the field observations
25.06
9.00-12.30 Public and private heritage, Ger Duizings
14.00 – 18.00 Fieldwork
18.30 Discussion of the field observations
20.30 FILM NIGHT Presentation of the films "Who's that city?" and "Late Home" by the director Maria Averina. The films are produced by Martichka Bozhilova, AGITPROP (Bulgaria)
26.06
9.00-12.30 Corruption as a Cultural Heritage: Postsocialist Balkans Societies and the Globalising Anti-Corruption Industry, Filippo Zerilli
14.00 – 18.00 Fieldwork
18.30 Discussion of the field observations
27.06
9.00-10.45 Living in the West - living in the East, Schamma Schahadat
11.15-13.00 Remixes and Appropriations of Socialist Past Online, Valentina Gueorguieva
14.00 – 18.00 Fieldwork
18.30 Discussion of the field observations
28.06
9.00-10.45 Whose city: changing urban memory scapes and their changing uses, Daniela Koleva
11.15 - 13.00 Developing the South: What Remains of an Industrial Dream (a Sicilian Case), Pietro Saitta
14.00 – 18.00 Fieldwork
18.30 Discussion of the field observations
29.06
9.00-15.30 Presentation of the results of students’ field work: presentations and video films. Final discussion.
30.06
10.00 Departure to Sofia
Stop at the heritage site Perperikon
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(alphabetically upon first name)
Bella Dicks, Cardiff University, U.K.
Corine Védrine, Jean Monnet Université, Saint Etienne, France
Daniela Koleva, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Bulgaria
Filippo Zerilli, Cagliari University, Italy
Ger Duizings, University College London, U.K.
Ivaylo Ditchev, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Bulgaria
Michel Rautenberg, Jean Monnet Université, Saint Etienne, France
Milla Mineva, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Bulgaria
Pietro Saitta, University of Messina, Italy
Schamma Schahadat, University of Tübingen, Germany
Valentina Gueorguieva, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Bulgaria
Velislava Petrova, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Bulgaria
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WHO’S that city?
Documentary, 26 min., 2012
Written by Alexander Manuiloff
Director of Photography Martin Chichov
Edited by Zornitsa Blyangova
Music by Filip S. Filipov
Directed by Maria Averina
Produced by Martichka Bozhilova, AGITPROP (Bulgaria)
With the support of Sofia Municipality and National Culture Fund – Bulgaria
More than 45 shooting days. More than 30 hours of film footage. More than 5 000 ”close-ups” to the town. One hundred interviews with citizens and guests of the capital. Thirty-six months preliminary research by the scriptwriter.
All this collected in less than 30 minutes.
This is the biggest cinematic document, dedicated entirely to Sofia and its people, anyone has ever made during the last 7000 years since the town exists.
LATE HOME
Documentary, 29 min., 2010
Written and directed by Maria Averina
Director of Photography Ivaylo Donchev
Edited by A Bros Production
Music by Filip S. Filipov
Produced by Martichka Bozhilova, AGITPROP (Bulgaria)
With the support of Sofia Municipality
With the support of the National Culture Fund – Bulgaria
Bulgarian Film Academy 2010 Award for Directorial Debut
Nomination Jameson Short Film Award – Sofia IFF 2010
Late Home is a film about two women who live in a home for elderly people and who, against all circumstances of hardship and loneliness, have kept in their souls the good spirit and strive for life. One of the first shopping malls in Sofia could be seen through the windows of the Home, which is situated in the former elite quarter from socialist times Zone B-5. In the dynamic and lustrous space of the mall hardly anyone seems to care that only few steps away some people are living the winters of their lives.
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http://www.sozopolfest.bg/; https://www.facebook.com/Sozopol.Fest
Sozopol Fiction Seminar, May 2012
http://www.ekf.bg/sozopol/; https://www.facebook.com/sozopol.seminars
Festival of Arts Apolonia, 30 Aug - 08 Sept 2012
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This section is to provide practical and useful information in order to facilitate your stay during the Summer School.
ACCOMMODATION IN SOFIA
The students arriving in Sofia on June 18th will be accommodated in Art Hostel (21A, Angel Kanchev str.) The hostel is located in the centre of the city, accommodation is reseved upon the names of the participants and is paid for by the Summer School.
TRAVELLING AROUND SOFIA
- If you arrive at the Sofia airport, you can take bus number 84 which will drive you directly to the city centre in approximately 20 mins (depending on the traffic). The airport has got two terminals, bus No 84 goes through both of them. Sofia University (the main building) is its last stop.
- If you arrive at the central bus station or the central railway station, you are on a 20-30 minutes walking distance from the city centre.
For more details about the route network of public transportation in Sofia, please see the website of the Urban Mobility Centre.
How to buy tickets for the public transportation?
There are several types of tickets and cards. The price for the single trip ticket is 1 BGN (app. equal to 0.50 EUR). There are also 5-trips tickets on the price of 4.50 BGN (app. 2.25 EUR) and 10-trip tickets for which you have to pay 8 BGN (app. 4 EUR). For more information please see here.
There are also daily cards on the price of 4 BGN (app. 2 EUR) which give you the right to travel during the day in all the different types of public transportation.
Please note that you need to buy tickets or travelling card in advance. On most of the stations there are small kiosks where tickets and cards for the public transportation are being sold. If you are not able to find such a kiosk, the bus driver is supposed to have tickets for selling too. A new on-board ticket vending machine system is being implemented so in some vehicles you may see grey machines from which you can also buy your ticket.
Once you enter the vehicle you have to perforate your ticket in the small perforators inside. A ticket which is not perforated in the particular vehicle is not considered for a valid one.
Please be aware that you may be asked by the controlling authorities to show your ticket/card. If it is not a valid one, you will be asked to pay a penalty fee on the amount of 20 BGN (10 EUR), for which you will receive a ticket to continue your trip in the particular bus.
It is important to know that due to underground construction, some parts of the central part of the town are closed for public transportation and people move by walking.
Travelling by taxi
The taxi cars are a comfortable way for travelling around the city and they are not very expensive. The price from the airport to the centre should be around 10 BGN (5 EUR).
All the taxi cars have got a price list on the window so you can see the price before you get in. The average price per kilometer is around 0.60 BGN during the days and 0.70 BGN/km. – during the night.
ACCOMMODATION IN SOZOPOL
All participants in the summer school will stay in Hotel Vip Zone Sozpol. The hotel is located in the heart of Sozopol, between the old and the new town, accommodation is reseved upon the names of the participants and is paid for by the Summer School.
TRAVELLING AROUND BURGAS
- If you arrive at Burgas airport, you can take bus number 15 to its last stop at Burgas Bus Station South. There are buses from there to Sozpol every 30 minutes from 6 am to 7:30 pm. The cost of the bus from Burgas to Sozopol is 4 BGN (approximately 2 EUR). You can find more information about Burgas on this web site: http://wikitravel.org/en/Burgas#By_plane
BUYING CURRENCY
The official currency in the state is Bulgarian lev (BGN). 1BGN is equal approximately to 1.96 EUR. You can buy it from the banks (working Mon-Fri) or from the change offices (working all days).
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The 10th Summer School in Urban Anthropology, Sozopol 2012 is funded by:
Co-funding is provided by:
Faculty of Philosophy, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"
Cultural Anthropology MA Programme, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"
* The European Commision, the National Agency and Sofia University are not responsible for the content of any publication on this blog nor for any use that may be made of the information contained therin.
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The school is organized by:
Department of Cultural Studies, Faculty of Philosophy, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"
Director of the project: Prof. Ivaylo Ditchev,
Coordinator of the project: Julia Rone,
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