site.btaArt4Diplomacy Project Adds Bus Stop with Romanian Landmark

An image of the Romanian Athenaeum, a concert hall in the centre of Bucharest, now decorates a bus stop in front of the University of St. Kliment Ohridski in central Sofia. The image was placed there as part of the Art4Diplomacy project, and was unveiled Friday. The Romanian Athenaeum was built in 1888 as the first building specifically for concerts, and everyone donated a leu for its construction. It is currently the home of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Romania.

I started ART4DIPLOMACY or "Art for Diplomacy" initiative in 2019, Petya Ilieva, PhD, an artist and PhD in arts and cultural diplomacy, told BTA. She has asked embassies that have a mission in Sofia to send one image of a signature building for the initiative: a significant, characteristic building that has a special meaning for local people, and at the same time one that is little known in Bulgaria so that people here can learn new things.

I am very happy that the Romanian Embassy is part of this project, Romanian Ambassador Brandusa Ioana Predescu told BTA. "We chose an iconic photo of an iconic building in Bucharest - the Atheneum," said the Ambassador adding that the building hosts one of the most important international music festivals, the George Enescu Festival.

The event was also attended by the Mayor of Sofia's Slatina borough, Georgi Iliev.

Eleven photos of landscapes and landmarks were exhibited on Sofia bus stops in August, selected by the diplomatic missions of Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Finland, Georgia, Denmark, Romania, Czechia, Israel and Malta. Each image offers brief information in Bulgarian and English about the depicted object. Some also have a QR code for more information. In the second stage, in September, another 11 diplomatic missions in Bulgaria will be asked to join in.