Standart News

Bulgaria is making vast investments in preserving its historical heritage with the hope to make it profitable, CNN informed in a two-minute report from Sofia. CNN Correspondent Fred Pleitgen visited St. Sophia church and the excavations under Sofia downtown Largo (the area enclosed between the Council of Ministers building, the presidency and Sheraton Hotel and the former Communist Party House) to tell about the work Bulgaria is doing to turn its archaeological sites into tourist attraction. Sofia mayoress Yordanka Fandakova took him to the unearthing under St. Sofia church to show him the tomb of a priest, who lived in III century. Bulgaria spends millions to create an underground museum of ancient art to benefit from this country's past, points the reporter. The number of historical sites, hiding under Sofia streets and buildings could be compared to the ones in Rome or Jerusalem, Fred Pleintgen assures. On CNN report Bulgaria's Finance Minister Simeon Djankov says that just a few people know about the unique artifacts lying on the trace of Sofia underground and the media notes that the plans of the underground were changed because of the archaeological works. During the construction of Sofia underground was found well preserved street and estate with very beautiful mosaics dating back to the Roman times.  
At the launching of Bulgaria's Wonders 2 campaign, organized by The Standart daily, the president of Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association Blagoy Ragin made proposal journalists from CNN, Reuters, National Geographic and Discovery to be invited to Bulgaria so the world could learn about Bulgaria's history, culture and nature. Professor Nikolay Ovcharov supported his idea and added it would be a pleasure to Bulgarian archaeologists to be guides to the foreign reporters.  

Panayot Angarev