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President Radev in Krakow: As a Direct Heir of the Work of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, Bulgaria Has a Duty to Preserve and Develop Their Cultural Heritage

The Head of State inaugurates an exhibition on the Glagolitic alphabet at the Jagiellonian Library

Bulgarians, as direct heirs of the work of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, proclaimed by Pope John Paul II as co-patrons of Europe, are obliged to preserve and develop this heritage. We highly appreciate that we are together with Poland in this noble mission. This is what President Rumen Radev said at the opening of the exhibition "Stories from Glagolitic Times" at the Jagiellonian Library in the Polish city of Krakow. Noting the deep historical and cultural ties between Bulgaria and Poland, the Head of State thanked the Polish researchers for their contribution to the promotion of Bulgaria's role in the formation of Slavic culture and world cultural heritage.

The exposition was prepared by a team of Associate Prof Dr Yavor Miltenov from the Bulgarian Language Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and presents little-known facts about the oldest Slavic alphabet and Bulgaria's role in its preservation. For the first time, valuable original manuscripts in Glagolitic and Cyrillic, which are in the Jagiellonian Library, are also displayed. The opening of the exhibition in the library of the oldest Polish university, Jagiellonian University, was attended by its director, Prof Remigiusz Sapa and the rector of the university, prof. Piotr Jedynak. The opening ceremony brought together at the Jagiellonian Library students of Bulgarian studies, representatives of the Bulgarian community, and scholars from the Institute of Slavonic Philology at Jagiellonian University.

Thanks to his written word more than a millennium ago, Bulgaria took the path of spirituality and established itself as one of the cultural centres of Europe, Rumen Radev said in his address. The Head of State pointed out that this year marks the 1161st anniversary of the creation of the Glagolitic alphabet, which, together with the Cyrillic alphabet, is deeply inscribed in the cultural development and spirituality of the Bulgarian people and state and has made an indisputable contribution to the development of the Slavic cultural space. We have a duty to continue to develop this wealth, the Head of State said, highlighting the role of the Bulgarian studies students in Krakow. In the President's words, the deepening of economic contacts between Bulgaria and Poland will also contribute to increasing the interest of young people from both countries in the culture of their countries.  

This exhibition gives us the opportunity to show how important is the place of Bulgaria as a country where extremely valuable monuments of culture and writing were created, said the Director of the Jagiellonian Library Prof Sapa. Rector Jedynak noted at the opening of the exhibition that Slavic Studies is about 200 years old at Jagiellonian University, while Bulgarian Studies is about 100 years old and has been taught as a separate science and specialty for 80 years.

During a meeting of the Bulgarian President with the management of the university and the library, which took place before the opening, the intensive scientific exchange between Bulgaria and Poland was discussed, as well as the prospects for the development of future partnerships.

Earlier in the day, Head of State Rumen Radev awarded the Honorary Consul of Bulgaria in Krakow, Wieslaw Nowak, with a Presidential Badge of Honour for his support for the dissemination of the Bulgarian language and culture and his overall contribution to the development of bilateral relations. Among the initiatives supported by the Honorary Consul is the opening of the Dora Gabe branch of the Bulgarian Sunday School in Krakow. The premises for the school, provided free of charge by Wies?aw Nowak, are also the main meeting place for the Bulgarian diaspora throughout the region. As Honorary Consul of Bulgaria, Nowak has implemented a number of activities to promote the Bulgarian language and culture in Poland, as well as to promote bilateral economic cooperation between Bulgaria and Poland.

President Radev hosted a meeting with the honorary consuls of Bulgaria in Poland. In the course of the talks, the prospects for joint activities between Poland and Bulgaria were discussed. In addition to the honorary consul in Krakow, honorary consuls Witold Karczewski (based in Bialystok), Janusz Zaton (based in Katowice) and Jan Stravinski (based in Gdansk) also participated. President Rumen Radev highly appreciated the commitment and dedication of our honorary consuls in Poland, whose activities have made an important contribution to the implementation of projects in the fields of economy, education, culture, tourism, regional cooperation, as well as to the overall development of bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Poland.