For the 140th anniversary of the declaration of Sofia as the capital of Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Development Bank organized a campaign dedicated to the preservation of its architectural and historical heritage.

The attitude towards this heritage should be nurtured as early as in school years, so that it can be appreciated and preserved by future generations. For this reason, the initiative was aimed at high school students and included open lessons and historical tours dedicated to the construction of the new Bulgarian capital after the Liberation of Bulgaria.

In 2018, BDB conducted a How Sofia became a European City campaign to commemorate the contribution of the first architect of the new capital – Antonin Kolar, which provoked great public interest.

The new initiative was a sort of continuation of it. With the efforts and enthusiasm of the first builders, Sofia turned from an oriental village into a European city in a few decades. Despite the historical twists and turns of the 20th century, many architectural and cultural monuments of this era can still be seen today. Their historical value was presented in a program especially prepared for the young people by the Regional History Museum of Sofia.

Experts from the said Museum also developed a special module for the art school students, which made it possible at the end of the campaign to organize an exhibition with their drawings on the topic.