Plovdiv wins 740 000 euro project to digitise cultural heritage
Plovdiv municipality has been awarded 740 000 euro by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area to digitise close to 50 000 sites and items of the heritage of the city, the municipality said on March 10.
Plovdiv – chosen last year as the Bulgarian city to be European Capital of Culture in 2019 – will create an electronic database of monuments, archaeological sites, books, sculptures, clothing and various other artifacts.
All this will contribute to the conservation and revitalisation of cultural heritage and promoting diversity in culture and the arts, as well as preserving it for future generations, the municipality said.
It will ensure broad public accessibility and cultural dialogue to highlight the European identity and promote cultural diversity, the statement said.
The digitisation will be carried out at two centres and four digital mobile stations, and through a unique ethnographic expedition.
The project is for a period of 13 months and will be implemented in partnership between the Municipality of Plovdiv, the Ivan Vazov National Library, the Regional History Museum in Plovdiv, the Regional Historical Museum, Regional Archaeological Museum, the “Old Town” Municipal Institute and the City Art Gallery of Plovdiv.
The statement said that a staff of 14 experts would be appointed for the project. The target groups defined in the proposal are researchers, students, scientists and museum; cultural and scientific institutions in Plovdiv; people interested in cultural heritage; and long-term unemployed young people will be trained to carry out digitization.
As required by the financing body, 10 per cent of them will be Roma people.
The project will also be directed to the citizens of Plovdiv to become better acquainted with its cultural history, the statement said.
This is the first time that digitisation of movable and immovable cultural heritage on this scale is being undertaken in Plovdiv.
The project is part of the strategy of the Municipality of Plovdiv towards the city’s development as a leading destination for cultural, historical and event tourism, the statement said.
The same financial mechanism financed the first phase of the reconstruction of the Roman Stadium, which was opened to the public in 2012.
