Cultural inclusion in the country is fragmented, with the capital and major cities offering more opportunities for participation to its citizens compared to smaller cities and villages.
Chitalishte is one of the most widespread forms of socio-cultural centres in the country. They provide various activities and opportunities for activity and recreation, including music and dance, clubs, sports and group activities.
By the end of 2017, there were 3 321 socio-cultural centres registered in the country. In the same year, they organised 21 267 festive celebrations, 7 130 book presentations, 24 334 festivals, 3 762 gatherings, 1 001 museum gatherings, 4 245 cinema screenings and 12 531 other cultural and creative activities. They are also an appropriate space for teachers or instructors to pursue private activity and provide paid lessons.
The socio-cultural centres (chitalishta) can raise funds from membership fees, cultural and other activities, rents, donations, and more. However, the main source of funding is the state subsidy, which is provided through the respective municipal budget.
According to data from the National Statistics Institute, there were 47 libraries in the country in 2018 with a stock of more than 200 000 units (documents, books, periodicals, etc.). Most of them are in the southwestern region of the country, of which Sofia is also part. A total of 239 000 readers are registered for the year of 2018, which is 3.6% less than in 2017. However, visits have increased by 6.7% on an annual basis.
In big cities there are other forms of cultural centres. In Sofia, for example, in 2015, the project „читАлнЯта“ (The Reading Room) was launched, which is being implemented by the City Reading Association together with the municipal enterprise Tourism of the Sofia Municipality.
Comments are closed.