Култура

Over 25 residents responded to the idea launched by Eng. Cvetko Kanchev for the creation of a Natural History Museum in our city. The first extended meeting was held on January 31 in the municipal meeting room. Among the initiators are almost all directors of the system of state forestry, local experts from the Regional Forest Management in Pazardzhik, the director and lecturers at the Hristo Botev CBC, members of the Society for the Protection of Nature, the Center for Business and Information, the Literary Club, etc. Also present were the mayor of the municipality Dr. Tsvetan Dafov and municipal councilors.

Mr. Kanchev detailed the idea of creating a Natural History Museum right in Velingrad - a municipality in which the forest fund occupies 83% of the territory; where 465 of the 760 medicinal plants and herbs known in Bulgaria grow; where 33 species of protected plants are found and where the combination of forests and mineral springs defines the development of the city as a resort, and each resort needs more attractions. Eng. Kanchev described the future 4 sections of the museum, which will present the plants, animals, geology and insects in the Chepin valley. The Velingrad Museum of Natural History has the chance to be the first regional museum (rather than museum collection) in the country. The most sick and paramount problem for a museum is the provision of a room, which is relied on to help the municipality. If no room is provided, there will be no museum, Mr. Kanchev believes. The other problem is the funding that will be sought by winning a project, through assistance from the municipality, local businessmen, the Ministry of Environment.
Mayor Dr. Dafov welcomed the idea of the museum, but offered opportunities to combine it with already driven projects of the municipality. He explained the new project for Ethnobotanical Garden (see box) and recalled that funding is expected under the project for an Ethnographic Open-Air Museum in Chepino. According to Dr. Dafov, one can think in the direction of uniting these ideas. He undertook to submit to the Municipal Council a proposal for giving a suitable municipal space for a Natural History Museum, if such is indicated and approved by the initiators. However, the mayor stressed that the municipality could not help with direct funding. Many speeches were made, all in support of the future museum. Very useful was the opinion of Mrs. Aneta Shopova, a long-time museum worker. According to her, the idea is seductive, but not easily doable. The reasons: there is no suitable building for a museum in Velingrad; fund repositories must be provided, meeting specific conditions; the procedure of opening a new museum is very difficult. Mrs. Shopova suggested to the idea to be included Rakitovo municipality as well, because the paleontological locality to Dorkovo could be one of the most interesting attractions of the museum.
The initiators decided not to register a new association and the work on the creation of the museum to be run by the Society for the Protection of Nature. A working group was elected, which included Geno Peev, Stefan Shulev, Musa Hoxha, Nikola Mirchev, Lyubka Baylova and Pavel Neshev. Together with Tsvetko Kanchev, they will continue a difficult but useful undertaking for Velingrad.
Elena Baeva