The 17^th edition of the European Night of Museums will provide free access to more than 40 art galleries and museums in Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia. The cultural routes will start in the late afternoon of July 3^rdand end at midnight. A series of exhibitions, concerts, workshops and various outdoor and indoor art events await visitors.

The European initiative originated in 2005 in France, and since 2006 has established itself as a tradition in the cultural life of Bulgaria. The organizer is the French Institute in Sofia with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sofia Municipality. This year's Night of Museums also includes branches of art galleries and museums from 21 districts in the country.

Here are some highlights from the forthcoming events in Sofia:

If you walk on the Bridge of Lovers in the capital on July 3, you will get acquainted with the exhibition "France eMotia - Journey animation". Through photography and digital animation, the authors offer a journey through the remarkable richness of the French cultural heritage. They have toured all over France and photographed 35 unique cultural monuments. And to bring the photos to life, their colleagues Julie Chheng and Thomas Pons have invented an animated character - he moves and transforms into photos with the help of a mobile application in augmented reality.

Art Gallery Europe, together with Da!Organic - a space for art and natural food, present "Marine states of the soul" - an exhibition of paintings by the famous mariner Vladimir Kyurchev. The Bulgarian artist from Ukraine is inspired by the great Aivazovsky and is a graduate of the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. Visitors will also enjoy the concert "Gentle Summer Night" with Stanimira Teneva (Mir) and Denis Mehmed (Den). She plays the guitar and sings, and he is a percussionist. She writes the songs and lyrics to them, and he complements them with the rhythm of his instruments.

Great interest is expected in "The Unknown Photographer" - under this title Synthesis Gallery presents an exhibition of photographs by Georg Wolz (1863 - 1917) - one of the most significant names in Bulgarian photography of the early 20^thcentury. Visitors will also see undisplayed photographs from Old Sofia, the Balkan Wars, portraits of Tsar Ferdinand I and aerial photographs of Bulgaria.

Jewellery, church utensils and other products of applied goldsmithing from the 16^th to the beginning of the 20^th century, handicraft tools from a goldsmith's workshop and exquisite works of contemporary masters are just a small part of the exhibits that await us in the Regional Historical Museum - Sofia.

A whole galaxy of cultural events await Sofia residents and guests of the city on the European Night of Museums.

And for July 3, weather forecasters predict a cool summer night with a cloudless starry sky ...

Compiled by Veneta Nikolova

English version Rositsa Petkova