Municipalities today

More than a millennium after his death, Tsar Samuil is returning to Bulgaria. Tomorrow, 3 October, the Bulgarian ruler’s remains will be officially handed over to Bulgaria at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, following an agreement between Bulgaria and Greece. Later that day, they will be received at a state ceremony in Sofia’s Knyaz Alexander I Square.

The event holds particular significance for Petrich and the surrounding region. Some of the key sites associated with the final years of Tsar Samuil’s reign are located here, and the local community has long been actively involved in preserving the memory of the ruler and his era.

“Petrich is among the places in Bulgaria most closely associated with the memory of Tsar Samuil and the events surrounding the final years of the First Bulgarian Empire,” Dimitar Cholev, Director of the Education and Culture Directorate at Petrich Municipality, told the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).

Petrich Municipality is therefore providing free transport to Sofia for residents wishing to attend the historic homecoming. The buses will depart from the municipal administration building tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. Two groups have been organised, with two buses provided.

The state ceremony in the capital begins at 12:30 p.m. Upon entering Bulgarian airspace, the Spartan military transport aircraft carrying the remains will be escorted by two pairs of fighter jets — MiG-29s and F-16s. The formation will fly over Knyaz Alexander I Square, and following the arrival of the remains, Bulgarian military personnel will carry them to the square. A 21-gun salute will accompany the national anthem. After the official ceremony, a procession will proceed to Saint Sophia Church, where members of the public will be able to pay their respects to Tsar Samuil.

Petrich’s participation in this historic event continues the local community’s commitment to the return of the ruler’s remains. More than five years ago, Petrich Municipality and the Petrich History Museum supported the national campaign, with a petition organised at the municipal building.

Katya Stoyanova, Director of the History Museum, describes the return of the remains as an event awaited for decades. Petrich’s connection with the ruler is particularly strong because of the Samuil’s Fortress National Park-Museum and the area around the village of Klyuch — sites that preserve tangible traces of the dramatic events of 1014.

Just one day after the state ceremony, this connection will once again bring hundreds of people together. On 4 October, more than 850 children and adults will take part in the 13th edition of the national hiking event “In the Footsteps of Samuil’s Warriors”. They will follow the five-kilometre historical route from the Samuil’s Fortress National Park-Museum towards the village of Klyuch, passing through the area of the former defensive wall and the fighting between the Bulgarian and Byzantine armies. The initiative is organised by the Young Mountaineer Association with the support of the Petrich History Museum and Petrich Municipality.

“It is wonderful that children are coming for the 13th consecutive year, and that their numbers grow every year,” says Katya Stoyanova. She stresses the importance of passing historical memory down through the generations.

The programme will continue on 6 October, the anniversary of Tsar Samuil’s death, when an exhibition dedicated to the ruler and the legends surrounding him will open at the park-museum. Another exhibition, “Samuil in Art”, is scheduled for the end of the month. Alongside the tragic events of 1014, the museum team aims to present a fuller picture of Samuil as a ruler and of Bulgaria during his reign.

The Samuil’s Fortress National Park-Museum is also set to undergo improvements. The Petrich History Museum is launching a joint project with the museum in Sandanski and partners from the Republic of North Macedonia, providing for a new visual identity and an enhanced exhibition area.

Meanwhile, Petrich Municipality is preparing a project to restore and conserve the dugout shelter in the military camp associated with Tsar Samuil’s stay there. Over the next two years, the aim is to preserve and present the site in a way that tells the story of the ruler and his warriors more fully.