Cultural Center

Cultural Center in Dimitrovgrad is a cultural institution established by the local government of Dimitrovgrad municipality. The National Council of the Bulgarian National Minority declared the Cultural Center an institution of special importance for the preservation of the culture and tradition of the Bulgarian minority in Serbia. The Cultural Center is the holder of the complete cultural program of the municipality and the area where the Bulgarian national minority is inhabited. Cultural Center in Dimitrovgrad consists of 3 organizational units:

• Theater "Hristo Botev",
which was founded in 1888, is the oldest cultural institution in the city and is one of the oldest theaters in Serbia, and plays its plays in Serbian and Bulgarian in parallel.
• Cultural-artistic association "Caribrod",
which gathers members in 7 ensembles and has over 250 members of all ages, from children to adults and has several sections that cultivate culture and traditions characteristic for the area.
• Gallery "Metodi - Meta Petrov",
which organizes exhibitions of artists and associations through the entire year exhibition program and through the international painting colony "Poganovski monastery" gathers eminent artists from all over the world and which, under its auspices, preserves an imposing fund of 500 works of art painters, sculptors and graphic artists.

The work of the Cultural Center is focused on how to preserve tradition and promote culture on the one hand, thus includes program activities directed towards education and promotion of local potentials, especially those aimed at the young population, their education and active participation in some programs of the Center.

The Community centre "G.S. Rakovski - 1928"

The Community centre "G.S. Rakovski - 1928" in the village of Dragovishtitsa, Municipality of Kostinbrod was established in the distant 1928. The Community centre in Dragovishtitsa, with its organizational units: a musical and singing school "Irkapei", Dance school "Emidance" and library has a continued responsibility and obligation to work on the development, conservation, and dissemination of the rich cultural heritage and traditions and at the same time to diversify the cultural life of the population with new and contemporary cultural events by investing all its capacities, resources and creative potential.

As part of its activities the Community Centre brings together the young people (aged 8 to 29 years), participating actively in the preparation and implementation of numerous initiatives and actions like literature and poetry readings, designing of 'martenitsa' a tipical Bulgarian souvenir and other craftsmen works. The largest number of young people involved in the cultural and artistic associations work on the preservation of cultural traditions and the presentation of customs, dances and songs from the area. The dance and musical ensembles are constantly invloved in participation in various festivals, concerts, celebrations, and other local, regional and national cultural events. The community centre plays a very important role as an educational center as well by supporting the puipils from "Otets Payisii" school in English language learning. It also works together with the kids from the kindegarden "Detelina", with educational purposes.

In essence the Community centre is vital for the local population not just for ensuring the cultural life, and preserving and distributing the cultural traditions and heritage but also for keeping the cultural identity of the population and at the same time establishing the European values, promoting diversity and intercultural differences that are essential for all EU countries.