site.btaUPDATED Culture Ministry Presents Archaeological Findings Returned to Bulgaria from Switzerland, Germany

The Ministry of Culture hosted an official ceremony here on Wednesday for the presentation of archaeological valuables returned to Bulgaria with the support of international partners from Switzerland and Germany. An antique bronze gladiator's helmet from the 1st century, returned with the assistance of Swiss institutions, including the Federal Office for Culture of the Federal Department of Home Affairs in Bern, was exhibited at Bulgaria's Ministry of Culture.

The exhibits also included 872 ancient and medieval coins, a bronze vase and a fibula, which were returned from Germany following successful police action by the Bavarian Criminal Police Office, Germany's Federal Government Commission for Culture and Media, and in cooperation with the ministries of foreign affairs and of the interior, Bulgaria's General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime at the Interior Ministry, among others.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Culture Marian Bachev expressed Bulgaria's gratitude to Switzerland and Germany for their responsibility, expertise and cooperation. “In recent years, archaeological cultural property has been returned to Bulgaria from Germany, the USA, Italy, Norway, Canada, Spain, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and for the first time from Switzerland,” he reported.

Bachev noted that illegal trafficking and trade in cultural property has been a major problem since antiquity and continues to harm science to this day, but increasing public and institutional sensitivity to this problem gives hope for its gradual reduction.

The event was also attended by Deputy Culture Minister Todor Chobanov, representatives of the Inspectorate General for Cultural Heritage Protection of the Ministry of Culture, Swiss Ambassador to Bulgaria Raymund Furrer, Deputy Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bulgaria Stefan Roecken, Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Permanent Secretary Ivan Kondov, representatives of the National Customs Agency, the prosecution service, General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Todor Chobanov said that the helmet is a priceless record of what was going on in the second half of the 1st century AD in what was to become Bulgaria. He added: "Of course, [the helmet] also has a huge market value, which should not be underestimated. Its market valuation is EUR 3 million." He pointed to the image of Medusa visible on the helmet, which may require work from conservators, as well as to the shape of a griffin, which strongly suggests that the headgear was worn by a Thracian warrior.

The Deputy Minister said that the item will be exhibited at the National Museum of History in Sofia.

Raymund Furrer said that returning archaeological artefacts to their countries of origin is an important act for both Bulgaria and Switzerland, as it exemplifies the excellent relations between the two countries based on shared values and friendship.

Stefan Roecken spoke about the 500,000 Bulgarians living in Germany and compared them to a bridge that connects his country to Bulgaria. He reported that combating the illegal trade in cultural property is a crucial part of German government policy. The Deputy Ambassador said: "This is not just a fight against organized crime involved in trafficking human beings and cultural property. In fact, it is also an attack on Germany's history. Because we have also been an empire, we have also been a totalitarian state, and that was not so long ago. What empires do is conquer neighbouring peoples, plunder them, belittle them and say that their own culture is the most important and the most valuable in the world. At the moment, we are part of the European Union, and we are trying to right the wrongs done in the past, and what you see here is the result of our efforts. This is an example of the way in which we cooperate within the European Union and with friendly countries that are outside it, such as Switzerland."

Roecken spoke about the importance of cultural heritage to Bulgaria, as the country used to be a part of the Ottoman Empire and fought for its independence, and made an association with the current times, when "a hundred kilometres from here, the Russian Empire is trying to conquer a country, to destroy its culture and its people".