Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Sofia scupltures adorned with gifts on Christmas

Photo: Ivan Shishiev - Sketches of Sofia

For the fifth consecutive year, the Sketches of Sofia initiative have delighted Sofia's residents with gifts placed at the city's statues. Every year, photographer Ivan Shishiev and his wife buy books for Sofia residents, wrap them up and place them at the statues in the city. The sculptures of Aleko Konstantinov, Pencho and Petko Slaveykov, Yan Bibiyan and the devil Fut, etc. dawned with books. 

This year, Shishiev surprised the capital's residents with 30 books by Charles Dickens, Terry Pratchett, Peyo Yavorov, etc. 

"We believe that a book gives meaning and has the power to create a future. And there is no better gift than the future," says the photographer.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Peaceful protest in front of the courthouse in Novi Sad, August 21, 2025

Balkan developments

Peaceful protests were held in Serbia against the detention of demonstrators Students and citizens staged a peaceful protest in front of the court building and the prosecutor’s office in Novi Sad, calling for the release of all arrested..

published on 8/22/25 12:25 PM

“Rescue Clubs for the Future” successfully assist in responding to various types of disasters

According to statistics from the Executive Forest Agency, between 2010 and 2024, there were 7,115 forest fires in Bulgaria , affecting 92,694 hectares of land. Data for the current year is not yet available. Over 90% of all fires are caused by human..

published on 8/21/25 1:37 PM
Dr. Lyuba Atanasova

Lyuba Atanasova has been teaching Bulgarian to Chinese students for 13 years

“Learn with an open mind; Serve a great cause” - this is the motto that guides the Beijing Foreign Studies University in the Chinese capital. The higher education institution, founded in 1941, today teaches 101 foreign languages,..

published on 8/20/25 8:38 PM