REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA

MINISTERY OF CULTURE

Dear Ladies and Gentelmen,

It gives me great pleasure to congratulate you for conducting the 22nd International Limes Congress. It is an honor for Bulgaria to welcome many experts and scientists from different parts of the world devoted their work to studying roman history and more specifically – the studying of the limes.

I am convinced that Bulgaria deserves to host this event because this congress is dedicated to the borders of the Roman Empire and 417 km of them are on Bulgarian territory today. The importance of the Danube riverside as a roman border for six centuries has to be taken into consideration. All of this makes us tightly connected with this part of the ancient history. Moreover, with the numerous findings and with the experience of the Bulgarian archeologists and scientists we can proudly present the richness of our historical heritage.

The importance of such forums is to give the opportunity to exchange good practices in the field of research, preserving and popularizing the cultural heritage and presenting it in front of a broader audience. Apart from the purely scientific value of the event, another aspect is important as well – popularizing the opportunities for tourism in the former roman territories in Bulgaria which on other hand leads to new projects.

I wish to congratulate the representatives of NIAM-BAS and the hosts – Rousse municipality, who with their enthusiasm, initiative and ability to preserve and present the models of cultural heritage in Bulgaria made possible the realization of this major international event.

VEZHDI RASHIDOV

MINISTER OF CULTURE