For a quarter of a century, the fortress was studied by Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov. For Radio ‎Bulgaria, the archaeologist specified that not only Perperikon will be presented in Brussels. ‎Understandably, with its nearly 7,000 years of history, this ancient city will be at the center of ‎the exhibition. Over 40 photographs show iconic places from the past of the Eastern ‎Rhodopes, such as the temple of Orpheus near the village of Tatul, as well as later monuments ‎from antiquity and the Middle Ages. 

The presentation of ancient sights on the territory of the Eastern Rhodopes is far from being ‎the first initiative of Prof. Ovcharov in the direction of popularizing Bulgaria’s cultural and ‎historical heritage. Some time ago he also launched the idea ‎that Bulgaria and Greece should ‎jointly present the heritage of Orpheus in the Rhodopes as a common tourist product. This is a ‎project that is rather implemented at the local municipal level on both sides of the border,  ‎Prof. Ovcharov told Radio Bulgaria: ‎

‎"We’d better be honest about it, in the Balkans these things are not easy to happen. You know ‎very well our dispute with the Greeks about Orpheus, which is a pointless dispute. He has a ‎place both with Bulgarians and Greeks. He is a Thracian hero, who later, based on Greek ‎mythology, on the development of the Alexandrian school, became one of the main heroes of ‎ancient Greek mythology and, naturally, of ancient Greek literature. So there is nothing to ‎argue about, things are clear. You see what is happening with North Macedonia. These are the ‎Balkans. So at the state level, it's hard for me to imagine that it will happen anytime soon. But ‎we do it at our level, through joint programs with municipalities from Northern Greece. 

Our ‎tour guides already develop and operate such itineraries that include sites on the territory of ‎Bulgaria and Greece. We have a route that is very popular among tourists, which starts from ‎Perperikon, includes 9 sites from Kardzhali, and then reaches Dimotika (Didymoteicho), which is about 30 km ‎away from our border in Northern Greece. A unique city that the Greeks themselves have ‎largely forgotten, although it was once the capital of the Byzantine Empire, with unique ‎fortresses, etc. Our tourists get there, guided by Anastasios Gouridis, a friend of ours from ‎Dimotika, a doctor of history and an archaeologist", says Nikolay Ovcharov.‎

Despite the unclear financial situation in Bulgaria, Prof. Ovcharov expects that this ‎archaeological season will also include more studies of Perperikon, at least with the help and ‎money of the Kardzhali municipality. ‎

‎"The bad thing is that at the moment in Bulgaria you don't know who to turn to, due to the ‎lack of a normal regular government. But I have called on the Bulgarian politicians to return to ‎the financing carried out in 2021. This is not just about Perperikon, but about the whole of ‎Bulgaria. There are 6 priority sites: Ratiaria near Vidin - the unique Roman provincial capital; ‎Heraclea Sintica near Rupite, a unique ancient city; Perperikon; Missionis near Targovishte - a ‎late antique and medieval town; Provadia salt‏ ‏mines, which is a magnificent archaeological ‎site. In order to have tourism, we must have funds concentrated in several sites, so that they ‎can be done according to all the rules. Because discovering a city and turning it into an object ‎of cultural tourism is not a one-day or one-year job", says Prof. Ovcharov, adding:

"Perperikon has been explored and studied ‎for nearly 25 years, we have 3-4 years left, we have calculated it so that it can be fully ‎completed. With all these tens of millions that have been invested in European programs for ‎conservation and restoration and infrastructure, Perperikon in a few years could really be one ‎of the pearls not only of Bulgaria, I say without any sense of exaggeration, but also of the ‎world tourism".

‎*"The New European Bauhaus" is a project uniting the cultural and creative dimension with ‎the European Green Pact, aiming to show how sustainable innovations offer tangible, positive ‎experiences in our everyday life.‎