Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo Announce Joint Bid for European Capital of Culture 2032

Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo today, August 5, officially launched a joint bid to become the European Capital of Culture 2032. The mayors of the two municipalities, Tanya Hristova and Daniel Panov, met halfway between the two cities in Dryanovo, where they signed a memorandum of partnership for the preparation of Gabrovo's bid, with Veliko Tarnovo joining as its regional strategic partner.

The idea of a joint bid by Veliko Tarnovo and Gabrovo for the European Capital of Culture 2032 title was first announced a year ago during the 48 Hours Varusha South festival.

Margarita Dorovska, Director of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Centre – Gabrovo: "Our colleagues from Veliko Tarnovo and I have been working together for many years. When we realised that we might find ourselves competing against one another, we also realised that this was not something we wanted."

Today, on Master Kolyo Ficheto's Bridge in Dryanovo—symbolically located between the two cities—Mayors Tanya Hristova and Daniel Panov formally signed the memorandum making Veliko Tarnovo a strategic partner in Gabrovo's bid.

Daniel Panov, Mayor of Veliko Tarnovo Municipality: "This bridge was built in 1871, and there is symbolism in the numbers as well. We will work for two years on the European Capital of Culture bid. The sum of the digits of the year in which Kolyo Ficheto built the bridge is 16; multiplied by two, it becomes 32. That brings us to the year 2032."

Tanya Hristova, Mayor of Gabrovo Municipality: "What we are demonstrating to Bulgaria today—and sending as a strong message to Europe—is the principle of partnership. Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo are standing together to demonstrate the importance of working together."

According to those behind some of the region's most successful cultural initiatives, the joint bid presents an opportunity for Central Northern Bulgaria to establish itself as a single, shared cultural region.

Galin Popov, Founder of the 48 Hours Varusha South Festival: "When we talk about decentralising culture, smaller cities inevitably need to find ways of connecting with one another in order to create the scale required to stand alongside the country's other major cultural centres."

The joint bid will build on well-established cultural projects as well as new initiatives, with the ambition of involving smaller municipalities to showcase the full cultural potential of the region to Europe and the wider world.