Plovdiv Together

People kept saying, “Let’s build bridges!” As URI entered its 15th year we imagined 15 famous bridges, celebrations in 15 cities, myriad ways we might honor and take benefit from this strategic area of Europe - both historically and geographically - a bridge between West and East. URI as a bridge-building organization bringing enthusiastic “bridge-builders” from all over Europe together had come to a great place!

The URI Europe Assembly April 22-26, 2015 located in Plovdiv, Bulgaria became a human bridge between East and Western Europe, and between the past and future. Why Plovdiv? What was the significance of meeting here in this small city that welcomed us, people of diverse cultures, countries and religions, who came together as part of the URI Europe community. 

Over 65 CC activists gathered for 3 days from countries as far flung as Spain, Finland, Siberia, Turkey, Russia, Tajikistan, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, and Macedonia. Fr. Petar Gramatikov, Hierdeacon in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, busy civil servant, life-citizen of Plovdiv, and URI Global Council trustee for Europe jumped in to host the event and generously offered countless hours of planning assisted by the Assembly logistics managers, Angelina Vladikova and Lejla Hasandedic. 

In 2019 Plovdiv will officially celebrate itself as a “European Capital of Culture” - signifying it as a crossroads of religions and cultures. In the course of history it has been inhabited by: Thracians, Greeks, Romans, Armenians, Turks, Bulgars, Slavs, and Romas. They have followed different religious beliefs: Paganism, Manichean, Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Islam, Jewish, Roma, Evangelical, as well as having religious practices severely limited under Soviet rule. People of Plovdiv take pride in the fact that Patriarch Cyril of Bulgaria personally prevented 50,000 Bulgarian Jews, Romas and other minorities from being sent to Nazi death camps. Today, city organizers say that their slogan, “Together,” means… together in cultural diversity, ready to safeguard fundamental rights and values of all people in their city and in Europe. They believe that the history of Plovdiv will be unfinished without the continuous influence of diverse groups of people.

Being in a city open for cooperation was a perfect match for URI. We were embraced by its history of tolerance and we contributed to preserving its commitment to social harmony. URI participants engaged one another across cultural, national and religious differences in spirited conversations about their Cooperation Circles’ work. Groups deliberated about how best to enrich benefits of URI’s network; shared interfaith ceremonies; pursued particular interests in Open Space sessions; and, working in country groups, strategized unique ways to celebrate URI’s 15th anniversary. Together, we celebrated Bulgarian culture in food, music, dance, laughter and bolstered one another as bridge builders.

URI CC members throughout the world create different impacts given the context of place and the political and social issues they face. URI Europe members brought with them the particular tensions and needs in their own countries. In Plovdiv, we were reminded of the city’s significant past as well as the aspirations of modern day Plovdiv. Through our presence and interactions, we made present-day history. Standing squarely within the reality of tensions and hostilities in many countries, URI Europe bridge builders connected - we were encouraged by the spirit of Plovdiv and we helped one another create bridges to a better future.

See more Facebook photos and Picasa photos from the URI Europe Assembly.