site.btaIskra Museum Deputy Director Petkov: Electrical and Climate Upgrade Planned for Kazanlak Thracian Tomb

A project to replace the electrical installation and renew the climate-control system of the Kazanlak Thracian Tomb is being drafted, Iskra Historical Museum Deputy Director Radoslav Petkov said at the launch of the July edition of LIK, which focuses on the theme Bulgaria in UNESCO.

He added that while increasing visitor access is important, safeguarding the monument remains a priority and the forthcoming scheme will support both aims.

Petkov explained that preservation and visitor-access efforts began immediately after the tomb’s discovery in 1944. The following year a report set out the steps the State should take, and a protective shell with stone foundations, masonry walls and a circular metal-domed roof on a wooden frame was constructed.

Although the tomb was opened to visitors, its survival depends on a strictly regulated environment, constant monitoring and thorough record-keeping, Petkov said. A dedicated climate-control system was therefore installed, and in 1966 a UNESCO panel chaired by Harold Plenderleith adopted a long-term conservation strategy. The present protective building, equipped with then-advanced climate technology, dates from that period, while an exact replica built nearby in 1974 further reduced pressure on the original chamber.

The museum team modernized the climate system in 2013. The new project will completely replace the ageing electrical installation and upgrade the HVAC plant, extending the life of the murals. Work in this area is ongoing, Petkov said.

The 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee runs until July 16 at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris under the presidency of Bulgaria. As part of the session, Bulgaria will present elements of its cultural and natural heritage. The July issue of LIK magazine, dedicated to Bulgaria and UNESCO, was also officially presented at UNESCO.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on November 16, 1945. Bulgaria became a member on May 17, 1956, the same year its National Commission for UNESCO was established. The Commission coordinates activities between Bulgarian institutions and UNESCO.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee is one of the two governing bodies responsible for implementing the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. It is composed of representatives from 21 countries elected from among the 196 States Parties to the Convention.