From “Reading rooms” to “The National Palace of Culture” / The evolution and transformation of the cultural centers in Bulgaria and their impact on the development of civic society

The dissertation will examine how important the cultural structures are that had been developed in the public space in Bulgaria seen from a representational and functional perspective and how they were and are still shaping the life of the citizens. The study will explore three main aspects of how cultural buildings arose in the 19th century until their formation today.

The dissertation will examine how important the cultural structures are that had been developed in the public space in Bulgaria seen from a representational and functional perspective and how they were and are still shaping the life of the citizens. The study will explore three main aspects of how cultural buildings arose in the 19th century until their formation today.

Firstly, how did they become unique centers for self-education and modernization of the society; secondly, how did they turn into state instruments for social engineering; thirdly, how did they become places of controversial management in the last years. The research focuses on the political, social, and educational influence that public cultural centers have on the civic society by following the development of the first and still existing network of Community Cultural Centers – the „Chitalishte“ to the formation of the most representative one: The National Palace of Culture. The aim of the project is to concentrate on several existing cultural centers and narrate the stories they accumulated during the years in order to understand how they adapted to the political changes in Bulgaria. By exploring the current state of the cultural centers, the research will examine and question the importance of the fact that the Chitalishte centers were listed in 2017 by UNESCO as unique parts of the immaterial cultural heritage that aims to safeguard the customs and traditions of the local communities.

The study will look at the historical development and will try to answer and clarify the following questions: Which cultural and social practices hosted in cultural buildings were inherited and which were lost during the shift between different political systems? Which of them cannot be revived now due to the abandonment and reconstruction of the given buildings? What is the impact of the current transformation of cultural public buildings on the city environment and people's public life?

Team

Mariya Tsaneva