Sozopol will renovate its open-air amphitheatre in front of the Culture House under EXPAND STRANDJA, a project the town council runs with partners from Bulgaria and Turkey. It is one of the main investments in Sozopol under the project. The council said the project was presented at an opening press conference on Tuesday, 20 October, in the cinema and video club of the "Otets Paisiy – 1896" chitalishte (community cultural centre).
The amphitheatre will have up to 854 seats, 7 of them for people with disabilities. The council will replace the seats and install new stands, modern stage lighting and a new sound system.
Dressing rooms and toilets will be fitted out for performers. The plan also covers safety and access control at the site.
The project costs €923,212.25 in total. The European Union provides €784,730.40, and Sozopol council's budget is €413,261.32. The money comes from the INTERREG VI-A IPA Bulgaria – Turkey 2021–2027 programme.
The project number is BGTR0200085. Its full name is "Expanding Strandja – Advancing the Capacity for Interaction of the Cross-Border Cultural Heritage". More details are on the Sozopol council website, in the "EXPAND STRANDJA Project" section.
There are six partners, three from Bulgaria and three from Turkey. Besides Sozopol, the Bulgarian partners are the "Nesebar 2000" municipal sailing club from Nesebar, whose project coordinator is Yana Markova, and the "St. Prince Boris I" primary school in Burgas, headed by Alexander Ivanov.
The Turkish partners are the municipalities of Kaynarca and Vize, and the "Calm City Vize" association. At the press conference, Kaynarca was represented by mayor Neşe Çevikbaş, and the association by its deputy chair Belgin Urlu.
The partners want to protect and promote cultural heritage and develop tourism in the cross-border region. They say the renovated sites will give better conditions for cultural events and boost sustainable tourism and cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkey.
The project must be finished by 2 February 2028.