A Burgas school will plant a learning garden in its yard, and its pupils will get their own guidebook to the Strandzha mountains and four educational tourist routes. St Prince Boris I Primary School is a partner in EXPAND STRANDJA, a cross-border project between Bulgaria and Turkey.
The aim is for children to learn first-hand about the nature, herbs and cultural heritage of Strandzha.
The project was presented at its opening press conference on Tuesday, 20 October, in the cinema and video club of the Otets Paisiy – 1896 chitalishte (community cultural centre) in Sozopol. Speakers covered its goals, funding and planned investment work. The school's head teacher, Aleksandar Ivanov, attended.
The full name of the project is EXPAND STRANDJA, "Expanding Strandzha. Advancing the capacity for cross-border cultural heritage interaction". The municipality of Vize in Turkey leads it. The other partners are the Burgas school, the municipalities of Sozopol and Kaynardzha, the association "Calm City Vize" and the Nesebar 2000 municipal sailing club. Counting the lead municipality, there are six partners in all.
The money comes from the INTERREG VI-A IPA Bulgaria-Turkey 2021-2027 programme. The project runs for 24 months and started on 3 February 2026.
The partners say its main goal is sustainable tourism and a stronger local economy, by promoting the shared cultural and natural heritage of the region on both sides of the border. They hope local communities and schools will start to work together, and that young people will help protect and present Strandzha's natural and cultural riches.
Pupils will build business skills and creative thinking. They will also study the nature of the mountain and the options for sustainable tourism. Lessons will go beyond the classroom: in a real setting, the children will get to know local plants and traditions and look for ideas for tourist products.
The school says its part in the project links education with the protection of natural heritage and stirs young people's interest in the sustainable development of the region.
The garden, the guidebook and the four routes must be ready by 2 February 2028.