Interregional study visits focused on good practice cases in Bratsigovo

Interregional study visits focused on good practice cases, part of Coop4RuralGov project, was held between 19.02.24 and 22.02.24 in Bratsigovo, Bulgaria. Representatives of all partner organisations from Spain, Ireland, Estonia and Bulgaria attended the event. On the first day, the event was opened by the Mayor of Bratsigovo Municipality – Mrs. Nadezhda Kazakova, who welcomed all guests and briefly introduced them to interesting historical and economic facts about the town. After her speech, a number of good practices and projects taking place on the territory of Bratsigovo were presented to the guests. They learned about the programs for renovation of residential buildings, the renovation of the city stadium, a number of social projects, etc. In the afternoon, the hosts had organized a tourist city tour, where, with the help of local guides, the sights of Bratsigovo and its history were presented.

On 21 February, the guests visited the village of Chavdar – an example of a municipality with a successful policy in the preparation and implementation of a number of projects funded by the EU and the national budget. One of the core activities in the region is related to the local mining industry, but few years ago the municipality decided to transform Chavdar into a popular touristic site and started to work on that strategy in order to ensure a sustainable development of this rural region in a long-term period. The amount of investments made in recent years per capita ranks Chavdar among the leading municipalities in the country. It is located in Sofia region in the Zlatishko-Pirdop valley. There they were welcomed by the mayor of the village as well as by the chairwoman of the municipal council. After the welcoming speeches, a tour of the village followed – the partners had the opportunity to get acquainted with the local lifestyle and culture, to taste traditional dishes, as well as to get acquainted with ongoing and already implemented projects of the municipality. Some of the attractions they visited were the folklore centre, the St. Petka area, and the Topolnitsa archaeological park.