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Bozhentsi
Summer Scriptwriting Base “To Die Laughing” will take place in the village of Bozhentsi in central northern Bulgaria. Bozhensti was established after the incursion of Ottoman Turks in Veliko Tarnovo, the former capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, in the 16th century. Many residents of the capital then fled to settle in remote and secure parts of the mountains. According to the legend, among them was the young female noble Bozhana, who chose to hide in the area where the village today is, and gave it its name. The noble's sons engaged in trade and the village gradually grew to become an important trade junction during the National Revival towards the middle of the 18th century. The main production consisted of leather, wool, beeswax and honey. The peak of the history of Bozhentsi was in 18th and 19th century. Bozhentsi lies 15 km east of the city of Gabrovo and it is noted for its well-preserved Bulgarian National Revival architecture and history, and is thus a well-known tourist destination in the area. It was proclaimed an architectural and historical reserve in 1964. Due to this, there is a ban on the construction of any buildings that do not fit with the village's style. Today, the permanent population of Bozhentsi is only 41 people. As the settlers during the Ottoman rule were mostly wealthy people, many of the houses have two storeys, the first being used as a cattle-shed and the second being inhabited by the owners. Characteristic features of the Bozhentsi architecture are the verandas, the stone-plate roofs, the corner fireplaces and the ceiling woodcarvings. The pavement of the streets in the village is only cobblestone. The participants will be housed in traditional 19th century beautiful houses. For those of the participants who want to be closer to the nature, there will be possibility for pitching tents in the houses’ yards. The workshops from the program of the Summer Scriptwriting Base “To Die Laughing” will take place in the former class school which was constructed in 1872 and was situated in an imposing building near the entrance to the village. A Roman bridge lies east of the village and a forest path leading to Tryavna, another traditional town in the region, begins on the other side (2-hour walk). A walking distance from the village there is an outdoor swimming pool, which can be used for small entrance fee. |
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Buzludzha
Buzludzha is a mountain peak not far from Bozhentsi and Gabrovo. The now world famous House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party (or informally, the Buzludzha Monument) was built on the peak by the Bulgarian communist regime. The monument is often voted number one among the weirdest and the most surreal abandoned places in the world. The building exemplifies the brutalist architectural style common to many state constructed communist buildings. No longer maintained by the Bulgarian government after 1989 however, it has since fallen into disuse. Currently the monument stands abandoned and vandalized. The roof of the building is heavily damaged, and due to the danger of collapsing metal tiles the main entrance of the building has been closed to the public. There will be an organized trip to Buzludzha for the participants as part of the conception of the Summer Scriptwriting Base “To Die Laughing”. |
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Gabrovo
Gabrovo is a city in central northern Bulgaria. It is situated at the foot of the central Balkan Mountains, in the valley of the Yantra River, and is known as an international capital of humour and satire as well as noted for its Bulgarian National Revival architecture. The lectures of the program of the Summer Scriptwriting Base “To Die Laughing” will have place at the House of Humor and Satire in the city. |
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Sofia
The capital of Bulgaria and it's biggest city with about 1.7 million citizens. Today, Sofia is a dynamic Eastern European capital, distinguished by its unique combination of European and Communist-style architecture as well as many beautiful orthodox churches. Furthermore, it claims to be one of the few European capitals with beautiful scenery and a developed ski-resort so close to it - the Vitosha mountain. This is where the inauguration and the first lecture will take place. 
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