site.btaPresident Radev to Visit Archaeological Institute for Heraclea Sintica Statue Exhibition

President Rumen Radev will visit the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences on Monday to view a temporary exhibition featuring the second statue discovered in Heraclea Sintica, the President’s press secretariat said on Sunday.

The exhibition features the second statue discovered in the ancient city near the village of Rupite, uncovered during excavations led by Professor Lyudmil Vagalinski in 2024. In recent months, conservators from the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and sculptors from the National Academy of Arts completed a complex process to stabilize, clean, and restore the marble artifact, which had been buried for more than 1,600 years.

Radev will also visit a temporary exhibition showcasing artifacts from a Thracian burial discovered near the village of Kapitan Petko Voyvoda in Topolovgrad municipality.

The restored second statue from Heraclea Sintica was first exhibited at the National Archaeological Institute with Museum in early August, following its discovery during excavations at the ancient site. The statue will stay in Sofia until October, after which it will be transferred to the city museum in Petrich.

Heraclea Sintica, an ancient city in the Struma valley, has experienced a significant increase in tourism following extensive restoration, attracting over 60,000 visitors in the past year and drawing international attention. Reopened in May 2024 after major upgrades funded by the Operational Programme Regions in Growth, the site now offers improved infrastructure, including a visitor centre and improved access. Important archaeological discoveries, such as a city inscription resolving debates about the city’s identification, underscore its historical significance dating back to the late fourth century BC. Additional restoration phases are planned to further advance the site's preservation and strengthen its position as a prominent tourism and cultural landmark.