Baba Vida Castle - A Gate to Millenniums

1. Basic Information
1.1 Desiree Number:
  • (only available after Financing Proposal has been habilitated - so leave blank in first draft)
1.2 Title: "Baba Vida Castle - A Gate to Millenniums"

1.3 Sector: [for Phare country co-ordinator to complete]

  • if twinning is involved, create codes following the same system as used on 1998 twinning projects)
    1.4 Location:
  • Bulgaria, Vidin District, Vidin Municipality

 


2. Objectives

2.1 Overall Objective(s):

  • Optimal use of cultural, historical and emotional potential of "Baba Vida Castle" for local, national and international tourism development.
2.2 Project purpose:
  • Conservation, restoration and exhibition of Baba Vida Castle
2.3 Accession Partnership and NPAA priority
  • Tourism development.
  • Cross-border cooperation development.

2.4 Contribution to National Development Plan

  • Program 3 of NPRD - Opening the national space and solving problems in regional and local development through cross-border cooperation.

2.5 Cross Border Impact

  • Cultural exchange cooperation within the frame of the Euroregion:
  • R Romania, R Yugoslavia,, R Bulgaria.

 

 

3. Description

3.1 Background and justification:

  • The project originates in the year 2000 as a public initiative aimed at reviving cultural life when a group of cultural activists, taking into consideration the high historical value of the monument, proposed an idea project for its restoration.
  • At the time of the idea origination the members of the Bulgarian Artists Union contributed to the identification of the cultural activities and programs.


3.2 Linked activities:

  • There is no similar project, since the present one is related to European cultural heritage, which is unique for the region.
3.3 Results:
  • Final conservation of the Castle.
  • Exhibiting archaeological heritage, lapidariums/ stone monuments/, church-chapel and works of nationally and internationally acknowledged artists and other museum exhibitions/arms, ceramics, ornaments/
  • Equipping the summer theatre and conference hall.
  • Utilizing the castle potential and untraditional sites in and around it: artists' studios, work shop, advertising and information centre.
  • Expanding domestic and international contacts and cultural tourism.
  • Creating new employment in the sphere of international and national cultural cooperation and tourism.
  • Utilizing the potential of the castle and untraditional sites in and around it: artistic- photo exhibition and black and white drawing - history of the Castle.
  • Thorough change of the Castle appearance.
3.4 Activities:
  • Drawing up the technical restoration and architectural projects.
  • Draining the upper terraces of the Castle.
  • Carrying out archaeological drills/ clarifying the town plan and architectural links between the two epochs Middle Ages and Antiquity/.
  • Conservation of the brick walls of the upper terrace.
  • Vertical planning and hydro isolation of the upper terraces.
  • Strengthening the cracked wall from the side of the Danube River.
  • Arranging the museum displays, exhibition halls, studios, and workshops for children, advertisement-information centre inside and around the Castle.
  • Drawing the year-round programs of: the summer theatre, theatrical company for reproduction of historical scenes and events, the group for literary reading and artistic dialogues "Word" and the group for cultural contacts with Europe and Euroregion countries
  • A Look through the Ages
  • Means:
  • Creating 30 permanent jobs.
  • Opening 60 jobs, including experts, specialists, and technical staff.



3.5 Lessons learned:

  • We build the present project on the previous work of specialists - architects, technical designers, historians and museum specialists.

 

 

4. Institutional Framework
Other partners in the project- Ministry of Culture, National Institute for preservation of Cultural Monuments, Vidin District government and NGOs from the region.
The project will not lead to the institutional framework..
According to the Bulgarian legislation the Contarctor is determined after competition procedure, nomination of a company- contractor by an international tender. The financing body is The Contracting authority The property is public state property, managed by the State in the face of the District government.
For investment projects, clearly describe: (a) who will be appointed as the "Engineer" or how this will be done; (b) who will be the "Employer" and (c) who will be or become owner of the asset after project completion. For the latter, describe whether private or public ownership and, if relevant, composition of ownership.


5. Detailed Budget

6. Implementation Arrangements

6.1 Implementing Agency
- Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works /MRDPW/
- Address: 1202 Sofia, 17-19 "St.St.Cyril and Methodius"st.

6.2 Twinning
- Specify implementation arrangements, beneficiary institution and contact person.

6.3 Non-standard aspects
- The DIS Manual and the documentation organization and tendering procedures will be strictly followed. Twinning arrangement is not expected for this project.

6.4 Contracts
- Contracts for constriction work, monitoring and ect.


7. Implementation Schedule

7.1 Start of tendering/call for proposals
- Start date of the designing competition - May 2002
- The technical specifications will be ready by September 2002.

7.2 Start of project activity
- expected date of commencement of first contract/grant scheme - November 2002

7.3 Project Completion
- Expected date of last payment under last contract/grant - November 2004.

8. Equal Opportunity

The preliminary competition terms will indicate the number of men and women who will be employed in equal quotas. The same applies for the positions of organizers too.

9. Environment
Evaluation of the impact on the environment is provided for.

10. Rates of return
Financial independence and self-support is expected from activities held, rents, tickets, paid consultants.

11. Investment criteria
(to be completed for all investment support projects)
11.1 Catalytic effect:
- The project will catalyse cultural and historical knowledge. All activities will aim at bringing the Balkan nations closer and presenting them to Europe.

11.2 Cofinancing:
- Other Funds will be provided by the National, Municipality and Private businesses' resources.

11.3 Additionality:
- Private sector is not interested in funding the present project because of the property statute. The site is announced architectural and constructional monument of culture with National significance in States Newspaper, issue 85, 1964 and is under juridical protection against privatisation or concession.

11.4 Project readiness and Size:
-The project will be ready for financing by Phare by the end of November 2002 when the competitions for Company - contractor will be completed..

11.5 Sustainability:
- Stability.
- Social and economy development.
- Tourism.
11.6 Contribution to National Development Plan
- The Ministry of culture signed an agreement for cultural cooperation with the countries along the Danube River, two of them are EU members.
- Euroregion "Danube 21" for cross-border cooperation between Bulgaria, Romania and Yugoslavia was established.

12. Conditionality and sequencing
There is no conditionality for completion of project phases. All activities are entirely feasible.
Increase of the hard household wastes quantities I expected in result of increased passengers traffic. This effect is recognized in relation to the biggest infrastructure project Danube Bri8dge - Vidin-Kalafat in the Report of French

Development Agency. The report is available in the office of the EU Delegation in Bulgaria.