After four whole years of preparatory work, artifacts of the ancient civilization of the Thracians discovered in the Bulgarian lands will be put on display at the Louvre in Paris this spring.

The exposition The Epic of the Thracian Kings, on from 14 April until 20 July 2015, showcases the latest archaeological finds from the tomb of the Thracian King Seuthus III. “This is perhaps Bulgaria’s most important exposition in France since the Paris World Fair in 1900,” France’s ambassador to Bulgaria Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes told journalists.

The biggest museum in the world, the Louvre is proud to show the world the civilization of the Thracians, he added. As an illustration of how important this exposition is, the French ambassador pointed to the fact that out of the dozen exhibitions planned by the museum’s previous director for this year, his heir Jean-Luc Martinez will only put through two – one of them being the exhibition of Thracian treasures.

According to France’s cultural attaché David Weizmann, archaeologists have unearthed no more than 10 percent of the ancient Thracians’ secrets buried in our lands:

“For some years archaeologists have been studying the relations between ancient Egypt and the ancient Thracians, and yes, such relations did exist,” said Mr. Weizmann. “In our day satellites are used to study the Thracian mounds and we know that 90 percent of the sites are yet to be excavated and the significance of their contents - revealed. One of the major sites where excavations will continue is the ancient Appollonia near Sozopol.”

The Louvre is reciprocating with two exhibitions in Bulgaria.

“The ancient Roman treasure of Boscoreale will be presented in Sofia,” the French ambassador says. “Art exhibits from ancient Egypt will be put on display in Plovdiv. But the “icing on the cake” will be the exhibition Le Satyricon featuring etchings by André Derain. It will tour the museums in Kazanluk, Vratsa, Bourgas, Varna which have provided their own exhibits for the Thracian exposition in the Louvre.”

On the sidelines of the Thracian treasures exhibition in Paris, a Bulgarian culture season will be organized featuring exhibitions, concerts and a film festival. March will also see a seminar of Louvre experts on the novelties in restoration and conservation; in June there will be an international colloquium on Thracian studies, dedicated to the archaeological discoveries made in Bulgaria. We shall take the opportunity to organize a business meeting in Paris between Bulgarian and French enterprises, Ambassador Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes says further.

But to make all this happen will take some EUR 900,000 of which the French side has provided two thirds. The rest – around EUR 300,000 needed for the restoration of the exhibits - is expected to be raised by private companies and individuals. For the purpose, a designated website has been created – http://restavriramezaedno.bg  The poster of the fund-raising campaign features the magnificent gilded silver cnémide from the museum in Vratsa, one of the priceless 1,628 antiquities that will be put on display at the Louvre. 220 large posters will be put up in the Paris  subway. In the words of the French ambassador to this country this is an excellent opportunity for the Bulgarian authorities to organize a campaign to popularize Bulgarian cultural tourism. “Bulgaria is not well known in France, but it has so much to show,” Ambassador de Cabanes says in conclusion.

English version: Milena Daynova