UNESCO cultural heritage and the importance of the Danube Limes

Mr. Milen Dulev, President of the Management Board of the Association of Danube River Municipalities “Danube” and Mayor of Belene Municipality, attended the round table “UNESCO Cultural Heritage”, held on May 16 as part of the Day of the Mosaics at the Bishop’s Basilica of Philippopolis. The forum brought together representatives of public institutions, the cultural sector, and international organizations, including the Bulgarian Minister of Culture Evtim Miloshev and Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO from 2009 to 2017.

The event, marking the 5th anniversary of the opening of the Bishop’s Basilica of Philippopolis and 70 years of Bulgaria’s membership in UNESCO, was organized by the America for Bulgaria Foundation, the Old Plovdiv Municipal Institute, and the Municipality of Plovdiv, under the patronage of the National Commission of the Republic of Bulgaria for UNESCO.

The round table highlighted the role of cultural heritage as a strategic resource for regional development and for strengthening Bulgaria’s international profile. For ADRM, the nomination of the Danube Limes for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List remains a key priority, given its importance for promoting the Danube Region and advancing cultural tourism.

The Danube Limes is part of Europe’s shared historical heritage and has the potential to bring together the countries along the Danube through joint policies for preservation, sustainable development, and cultural connectivity. Realizing this potential through the inscription of the Danube Limes on the UNESCO World Heritage List and the certification of a thematic cultural route by the Council of Europe is the main objective of the ROMAN LEGACY project, implemented with the participation of ADRM and Belene Municipality.