Until 20 years ago, there were just 6 children in the Bulgarian school Danube in Linz, Salzburg and Wels in Austria, whereas today there are 7 teachers and 140 children attending its three branches. As with other Bulgarian schools around the world, the Danube school relies on support by one of the churches in the town:

“For 15 years our school has been housed by the St. Francis church. We have classrooms there, and every class, including pre-school has a room of their own. We also have a hall where the children can play different games, and another room where we organize celebrations, put on plays and welcome official guests,” says one of the teachers at the school Snejana Schpelingwimmer and adds: “We feel at home in this building even though it is not ours and we only rent it.”

The school has a well-stocked library with more than 1,000 Bulgarian books. The school is celebrating its 20^th anniversary over two days – 10 and 11 May – with the participation of many guests and representatives of different government institutions, including the Ministry of Education and Science, the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, the Bulgarian embassy in Vienna.

“The celebration will begin at the church with our students and teachers from Salzburg and Wels. The programme includes a school play, as well as an exhibition jointly with the Lomonosov National Vocational High School of Precision Engineering and Optics in Sofia, which will display paintings and texts under the motto “Hate speech”. Then comes the official part when the guests will be welcomed, followed by the school play, lunch and a walk around Linz. In the evening we shall get together at a local restaurant where we will be able to talk about the past and the future of Bulgarian education outside the country.”

This exhibition is part of a project called “Untold stories. Overcoming hate speech”, approved by the headmistress of the school Darina Tonkova. A book “Hate speech” is to be published as part of the project, and there will be a round table with discussions on the subject. 

The celebrations will continue on the following day when all students and teachers, as well as the guests from the Lomonosov school, will attend a ceremony at the Mauthausen Memorial site dedicated to the victims of the Nazi regime.

At the memorial complex, located not far from Linz, all countries whose citizens have been killed in the former Nazi concentration camp have memorial plaques. 20 of the inmates killed there are Bulgarian. To honour their memory, sculptor Lyubomir Dalchev created a monument erected on site in 1975. Every year, on the second Sunday of May, honour is paid there to the memory of all people killed in the Nazi death camp which existed from 1938 until 1945.

Snejana admits it is difficult to highlight specific important moments in the 20-year long history of the school, but she says she believes that:

“The best thig of all is that it still exists and has been growing, which means we are doing a good job. The best moments are when you see the eyes of the children light up, when you see how eager they are to come to the school, to speak their native language, when they recite a poem by Ivan Vazov, or by Dora Gabe.”

Granny Petya is an important member of the staff – every week she makes tasty snacks for the children like pancakes, French toast etc., and the delicious smell transports the children back to their country - keeping the bond with Bulgaria alive.

Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
Photos: Bulgarian school Danube, Linz