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European Network of Places of Peace is holding its general meeting in Bulgaria
Friday 27 October 2023 04:10
Friday, 27 October 2023, 04:10
PHOTO Kaynardzha Municipality
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The municipality of Kaynardzha, located in northeastern Bulgaria as part of the Silistrа region, is hosting the next general meeting of the European Network of Places of Peace (ENPP) (October 27, 2023). It unites 14 settlements from 10 European countries in which peace treaties have been signed. Its activity is aimed at preserving the historical and architectural heritage in these settlements and promoting the culture of peace nowadays.
"Our goals are to spread the idea of a peaceful life and that everything can be achieved through diplomacy. We are horrified by what is happening in Ukraine, in Israel, and in every part of the planet where such a fire is burning," says Bonka Yordanova, deputy mayor of Kaynardzha.
PHOTO Kaynardzha Municipality
In 2015, Kaynardzha became the first Bulgarian administrative center to join the European "Places of Peace". The invitation to the Bulgarian settlement is not accidental. In 1774, the Kyuchuk Kaynardzha Peace Treaty between Russia and the Ottoman Empire was signed there.
"At this place (on July 21, 1774, at the end of the fifth Russo-Turkish war in a row - note ed.) the good finale of a long war, which lasted from 1768 to 1774 with the signing of the Kyuchuk Kaynardzha peace treaty, was put", recalls the deputy mayor of Kaynardzha Municipality, Bonka Yordanova. -"In 1773, the Russian army won a victory over the Ottoman army precisely at Kaynardzha. Then fierce military actions developed, the population of Kaynardzha also suffered a lot from these battles. It is no coincidence that many Bulgarians emigrated from our territories at that time and settled in the lands of today's Ukraine and Moldova. After the victory of the Russian army, peace talks were proposed, which lasted from the beginning of January until the middle of July 21, when the peace treaty between the two empires was concluded".
The treaty provided for the cession of Kerch and several other Black Sea ports on the Crimean Peninsula to Russia, and the rest of the Crimean Khanate was declared independent. Russian merchant ships received permission to sail in Turkish waters. The principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were restored under the sultan's suzerainty, but Russia acquired the right to intervene in the Sublime Porte (the court of the sultan) on their behalf.
The agreement facilitated Russia's annexation of Crimea in 1783 and was the basis for Russia's later claims as protector of Christians and Christianity in the Ottoman Empire.
At the place where the contract was signed, today a fountain stands, around which a 32-acre nature park and a tourist center have been built.
At the place where the contract was signed, today a fountain stands, around which a 32-acre nature park and a tourist center have been built.
The historic fountain built in 1892
PHOTO Kaynardzha Municipality
"The fountain was built in 1892. In 1973, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the signing of the peace treaty, the Municipal Council of Kaynardzha decided to turn the place into a park. In 2014, as part of a rural development program project, we managed to build and equip a tourist center with an exhibition and conference hall for events with up to 50 participants.
Tourist Information Centre in Kaynardzha
PHOTO Община Кайнарджа
A permanent exhibition in the center tells about the peace treaty signed here, about the protected natural areas in the area and about the lifestyle of local people.
Photos: Kaynardzha Municipality, Silistra Municipality
Compiled by Joan Kolev (based on an interview of Aishe Lyatish from BNR's Radio Shumen)
Translated and published by Rositsa Petkova
This publication was created by: БНР екип