Vladimir Mitev
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- Dimitar Popov played a crucial role in the joint exhibition on the 1877-1878 Russian-Turkish war, which opened on October 18, 2017 in Craiova.
- The exhibition highlights the different perspectives on the war, emphasizing its significance for both nations.
- Exhibits include archival materials depicting the reasons for the war, participation of soldiers, and the impact on civilians.
- Initial reactions from the Romanian public indicate strong interest, with plans for the exhibition to travel to other cities in both countries.
- Future collaborations between state archives in Romania and Bulgaria aim to explore shared historical topics and strengthen their partnership.
Introduction
Dimitar Popov is a senior expert in the “Public Relations and International Cooperation” department of the “Archives Publication” department of the State Agency “Archives” in Bulgaria. He has experience in the field of archives in Bulgaria and the United Kingdom, where he worked in the archive and local research center in Hertfordshire. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in European Integration from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” In preparing the exhibition “Romanians and Bulgarians in the War of 1877-1878,” Popov was the contact person for his colleagues in Romania. He was also responsible for selecting the exhibits from the Bulgarian side of the exhibition organizers, digitizing them, annotating them, and sending them to Romania. Popov was not the only employee of the Bulgarian State Archives involved in preparing the exhibition, which was a joint effort between experts from the National Archives of Romania, the Oltenia Museum in Craiova, and the State Agency “Archives” in Bulgaria.
The Romanian-Bulgarian exhibition on the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 – overview
Mr. Popov, this year and next year mark the 140th anniversary of the war that led to Romania’s independence and the revival of the Bulgarian state. How did the Romanian and Bulgarian co-organizers come up with the idea of creating an exhibition on the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, which opened on October 18 at the Oltenia Museum in Craiova with the support of the Bulgarian State Agency “Archives” and the National Archives of Romania?
The joint exhibition clearly showed a special feature. This war is an extremely important event in the modern history of our peoples, but at the same time it represents something different for each of them. We call this war “liberating.” For our northern neighbors, it is the war of independence, which Romania declared in parliament in May 1877 and obtained international recognition the following year by virtue of the Treaty of Berlin.
This is why our colleagues at the National Archives of Romania chose the year 1877 to commemorate this important anniversary—140 years since the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878). In their capacity as the main organizer, they contacted us with a proposal for a joint exhibition. After several months of planning, searching for and selecting exhibits, digitizing and annotating them, this exhibition opened on October 18, 2017, at the Oltenia Museum in Craiova.
For us, the choice of Craiova as the venue for the opening of the exhibition was interesting. Mr. Florin Ridiche, director of the Oltenia Museum, told us that Craiova was (to use a modern term) the “logistical center” of the Romanian army during the war. Thus, the opening location of the exhibition becomes important from a symbolic point of view.
As for our preparation to participate in a joint exhibition, for us it is a fortunate opportunity to join forces and archive documents to commemorate an important historical event. We see the collaboration with our Romanian colleagues as a good opportunity to see what possibilities for joint activities we have in the future.
Exhibition content
What exhibits does the exhibition contain? How were they selected? What image of the war and the joint activities of the Romanian army and Bulgarian volunteers is conveyed by the exhibition?
The exhibition focuses on several important themes, including the reasons for the outbreak of war and the important figures in the preparations for war; Bulgarian volunteers and the participation of the people in military actions; the Romanian army and the battles in which it participated; the opposing Turkish army; heroes and veterans; and the memory of the war.
Each of the chosen themes is presented through various materials from the archives, such as engravings and articles in the foreign press, works of art, photographs, and official documents. The selection of documents from the archives aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the course of the war and its effect on the civilian population.
Our desire was to present the war through its various manifestations – from heroism to despair, from bloodshed to hope for a new beginning. I hope we have also succeeded in showing our respect for the memory of the victims of this war.
Reactions from the Romanian public
What are the initial reactions of the Romanian public after the opening of the exhibition in Craiova? In which other cities in Romania and Bulgaria will it be shown?
The interest of specialists, researchers, students, and interested citizens was evident from the opening of the exhibition, which was also attended by representatives of the media. The fact that the exhibition will remain open to visitors at the Oltenia Museum until February 2018 is also significant for the special role of the exhibition in the program of this important cultural institution.
We hope that the exhibition will also be shown to the Bulgarian community in Bucharest.
Of course, we will be happy to show the exhibition in Bulgaria as well. The exact locations for its presentation in 2018 are still being specified. But our wish is that these locations have a direct connection to the war.
Future collaborations between the state archives in Romania and Bulgaria
In the article about the opening of the exhibition on the website of the State Agency “Archives,” it says that the Bulgarian archives will continue to collaborate with the National Archives of Romania in the future. What specific activities between the two institutions are being discussed and could be implemented in the coming years?
As I said earlier, this exhibition is a good opportunity to continue our good working relations and strengthen our successful collaboration with our Romanian partners for the future. The State Agency “Archives” and the National Archives of Romania signed a cooperation agreement in 2006. This exhibition is part of a series of events that we are organizing together, and we will be happy if we can continue to work well together in the future. During our visit, we discussed several potential topics, such as archival evidence of the life of the Bulgarian population in Romania and the Romanian population in Bulgaria. Let us not forget the important role that Romania played as the center of the revolutionary movement and the Bulgarian press before Bulgaria’s liberation.
Fortunately for us, the state archives where our national archives are kept are an inexhaustible source of inspiration. We have no doubt that we will easily find topics that are of interest to the Bulgarian and Romanian public; in fact, we are convinced that such topics will be found without much difficulty.
Photo: Dimitar Popov (source: Dimitar Popov)
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