The first Bulgarian community center

The community centers are institutions that have contributed greatly to the cultural and spiritual life of Bulgaria, particularly in years when the Bulgarian nationality was endangered. The first Bulgarian community center was opened on January 30, 1856 in the Danubian town of Svishtov. This initiated the community centers’ activity in Bulgaria. Today’s community center Elenka and Kiril D. Avramovi was also the first to establish a museum collection, again in 1856. Today the community center’s library is one of Svishtov’s symbols. Its over 101,000 items make it part of the town’s cultural memory. The library is proud of the books stored there, as it has 12 manuscripts and over 600 old printed books. The initial literary fund was formed by the 800 book, granted by the teacher Emanuil Vaskidovich. As the years passed the library enriched its fund with unique Old Slavonic printed books and manuscripts.