Life in Bulgaria is gradually going back to normality. After the long period of isolation, people use the good weather to spend more time outside. And from May 15 to June 15, they will be able to combine a pleasant walk in the central part of Sofia with participation in a game entitled "Search for the Treasure". Its purpose is to promote places, personalities and events related to the history of Bulgaria, as well as orders and medals as a way of public appreciation of deserving people. The 20 "treasures" to be found by enthusiasts are containers of awards established in the period between 1945 and 1991.

"The reason why we chose this period is that then most orders and medals were created and distributed”, explains Evgeniy Ivanov from the organizers. “Among the orders are "Cyril and Methodius", "People's Republic of Bulgaria", which was one of the highest, "Medal for Motherhood", which was given out to mothers who gave birth, raised or educated 3 or more children. This order is not present in the modern reward system. A wide range of orders, awarded to people with various merits, is also included and we hope that the game will stimulate the understanding of the Bulgarian system of distinctions”.

The container also contains information when the award was established and revoked, who is its author and a brief description of what merits it was awarded for. The first 25 participants with thehighest number of discovered treasures will receive a catalog entitled "Honorary titles, orders and medals of Bulgaria (1944 - 2020)", as well as an order or medal established in the period from 1945 to 1985.

"The catalog sheds new light on the Bulgarian prize system, the prerequisites for its emergence and development, and there are samples not shown so far. And most importantly: it explains why each order, honorary title or medal was awarded. Information is even included about the metal composition - something that is not present in any catalog so far”, says Evgeniy Ivanov and hints that the awards will be hidden around places significant for Bulgarian history. “The Order of Cyril and Methodius will be next to places related to Bulgarian culture. Military orders and medals - close to national monuments. We promote these places and we want people to know what the orders and medals are for and what merits they are awarded for.”

Do Bulgarians know their history or should the most important places, personalities and events be constantly brought to the public attention?

"I am afraid that Bulgarian history is interpreted from the point of view of politics," said Evgeniy Ivanov. „History should not be perceived unequivocally. There are events at every stage that we can be proud of. And we are trying to show just that: that there are people who have deserved and been awarded state prizes. We must know them, they must serve as an example. It is necessary for society to more actively recognize the people who deserve to be given awards. This is the aim of the EU project within the framework of which the game takes place: to give citizens a wider opportunity to nominate people for orders and medals. There are deficits in the modern reward system and our task is to point out the possible solutions. ”

Pre-registration for the game is required. All conditions can be found on the game's Facebook page.