Sofia, Plovdiv to light the sky on Night of the Museums
Sofia and Plovdiv, the two cities considered as front-runners to win Bulgaria’s nomination for the 2019 European Capital of Culture, will display their credentials with a wide range of events planned for the Night of the Museums on May 18.
In Sofia, one of the main attractions will be the Paper Art Fest, spread over 18 locations, including the National Art Gallery and the National History Museum. The former will display examples of paper art from different parts of the world, while the latter will feature an entire “street” of paper art.
Visitors will be able to reach the National History Museum in Boyana by taking a free bus from the National Art Gallery or the Museum of Socialist Art at 6pm.
The Museum of Socialist Art will host an exhibition of agitprop posters from between 1945 and 1953 from all over the former communist bloc, in addition to the museum’s permanent collection.
The National Archaeological Museum will build a 3D model of Ulpia Serdica, the ancient Roman town on the site of modern-day Sofia. Visitors will also be treated to culinary delights cooked using authentic Roman recipes.
The National Polytechnic Museum aims to attract aficionados of another kind of ancient history, hosting an exhibition of old (working) computers, in addition to scientific demonstrations.
Plovdiv, for its part, will be participating in the Night of the Museums for the first time – traditionally, the city has held such events in autumn, rather than spring.
A total of five museums and 12 private galleries in the city will join the initiative with their permanent exhibitions, but these do not appear to have prepared the same kind of one-off events as their counterparts in Sofia.
One of the highlights of the Night of the Museums in Plovdiv will be the exhibition of the ancient forum of Philippopolis at the Archaeological Museum.
(Ancient Roman Stadium, Plovdiv. Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)