A solidly shaped building in keeping with its surroundings strengthens the Bulgarian minority in the country

The Horváth Építőmester Construction Zrt. (HÉP) and Possibuild Építőipari és Szolgáltató Kft., Dr. Tamás Sulyok, President of Hungary, and Rumen Radev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria, attended the handover ceremony in May at the Bulgarian Cultural Centre in Budapest's 9th district.

Inaugurated by two Heads of State

We have reported several times reported on the construction of the Bulgarian Educational and Cultural Centre next to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church of St. Cyril and St. Methodius on Vágóhíd Street in the capital. The three-storey building, formed from interlocking brick blocks and loosened up by randomly placed, diagonally drawn window and door frames, represents the vitality and will to live of the Bulgarian community in Hungary. Its structural uniqueness – as revealed in a previous article – is the ground floor slab, which is partly monolithic and partly made of prefabricated elements. As regards the building's connection to the past, President Tamás Sulyok also emphasised in his ceremonial speech:

"The Bulgarians in Hungary have a lot to draw from, their culture includes both the world of accumulated knowledge and traditions."

It is not only the common Central European history, which has many similarities, or the flowing waters of the Danube River that binds Hungarians and Bulgarians together, but even more importantly friendship, community of values and appreciation of each other's culture, and the importance of this is reinforced by this inauguration ceremony - MTI quoted the President of the Republic as saying.

The largest centre ever built

"The relationship between Bulgarians and Hungarians is about friendship and appreciation"

- confirmed Rumen Radev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria, stressing that by joining forces we are following the spirit of the Europe of values, i.e. we consider it a basic norm that nations and nationalities carry culture, knowledge and value.

Construction could start in March 2022. The new complex, built on schedule in around two years, despite several difficulties (such as extra work due to high groundwater) and costing around three billion forints, provided a high-quality, modern building and a playground for the Bulgarian national community in HÉP and Possibuild. This is the biggest investment of the Bulgarian nation in Hungary. The centre, which also demonstrates the cooperation between the two nations, will strengthen church and nationality relations and contribute to the strengthening of historical, linguistic and cultural traditions, as well as to the development of tourism. The long-term goal of the facility is not only to serve the Bulgarians living here, but also to become a European educational and training centre.