Representatives of 15 foresters' organizations in Europe will arrive in Ruse on September 11, when the 21st Congress of the Union of European Foresters will begin. The event, which will last until September 14, will be held under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev. The forum is organized by the Union of Foresters in Bulgaria with the assistance of the Municipality of Ruse and the University of Ruse "Angel Kanchev" and other institutions.

Details of the congress program were specified at a working meeting between Deputy Mayor Nikola Lazarov, Prof. Dr. Eng. Ivan Paligorov - Chairman of the Union of Foresters in Bulgaria, the landscape architect of the Municipality of Ruse Tsvetanka Nikolova and Galin Gospodinov - Head of ME "Parkstroy".

"Hosting this prestigious forum will give us the opportunity to showcase to European experts our achievements in urban greening, park management and our efforts to restore river ecosystems along the Danube. We hope that the visiting leading foresters from Europe will share good practices for addressing contemporary challenges facing forest ecosystems – from climate change to biodiversity," said Deputy Mayor Lazarov.

"The Congress is a very good opportunity for the Municipality of Ruse to demonstrate its traditions and potential as one of the most beautiful cities in Bulgaria," said Prof. Paligorov.

The opening of the congress is expected to be attended by Tomasz Markiewicz – President of the Union of European Foresters, the Minister and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Georgi Tahov and Eng. Stoyan Toshev, Asen Markov – Executive Director of the Executive Forestry Agency, Dr. Eng. Anna Petrakieva – Deputy Executive Director and Vice President of the Union of European Foresters. Representatives of foresters from 12 countries in Europe will participate in the discussions.

On September 11, at 3:00 p.m., a scientific and practical conference on the topic "Ludogorie and Dobrudzha - Challenges for the Protection of Biodiversity in the Conditions of Climate Change" will be held in the Siemens Hall of the University of Ruse. Attendees will be able to familiarize themselves with several presentations, including "Forests and Forestry in Bulgaria - Brief History and Traditions" by Eng. Stoyan Toshev; "Hunting in Bulgaria - achievements and priorities for development" by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hristo Mihaylov - Rector of the University of Forestry; "Challenges to the restoration of forests in Northeastern Bulgaria in the conditions of climate change" by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Georgi Kostov from the University of Forestry and others.

The first information event for the renovation of the Otets Paisii Primary School was held in the Ruse Municipality building. The meeting was led by the project manager – Deputy Mayor Encho Enchev, and was attended by the Head of the RDE – Ruse Dr. Rositsa Georgieva, team members, the school principal Bilyana Aleksieva and a representative of the contractor company.

“This school has a long history and has left a mark on the lives of several generations of Ruse residents. Our goal is to give it a new life – with brighter and cozier classrooms, an energy-efficient building and an accessible environment for all children,” said the Deputy Mayor. In his words, the renovation is a change that will be felt every day in the learning process. “When children enter a tidy and modern building, they come with a desire to learn and develop. I believe that after the completion of the project, the “Otets Paisii” Primary School will be an example of what a modern school in Ruse looks like,” added Enchev.

The participants in the meeting emphasized the activities planned for implementation and the results achieved to date. The project envisages a major renovation of the school and is directly aimed at improving the material base. It is planned to implement energy efficiency measures and ensure an accessible environment. The site has a valid building permit, and the construction is being carried out according to a linear schedule, without deviations from the planned.

Dr. Rositsa Georgieva thanked the school team and the director for the good coordination of the activities, emphasizing that the material base is of essential importance for the educational process. “The way an educational institution looks also educates,” said Dr. Georgieva. She assured the parents of the graduates of "Otets Paisii" that the renovation will not affect the educational process and that the best conditions will be provided for the students.

The head of the RDE also said that from the 2025/2026 academic year, the students of the "Hristo Botev" Secondary School will be trained in a single-shift regime. The educational institution is the next one that will provide its graduates with the organization of the educational process according to the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science.

The project is fully financed under the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan and amounts to 2 million and 900 thousand leva. Its total duration is until May 31, 2026.

The activities are carried out under project No. BG-RRP-1.007-0029-C01 "Creating conditions for a quality educational environment through construction and repair activities, implementation of energy efficiency measures, construction of an accessible environment and separation of STEM spaces in ''Otets Paisii'' Primary School - Ruse under the procedure "Modernization of the educational environment BG-RRP-1.007".

Children from Ruse, attending the Sunday School in the city, joined their parents in a pilgrimage trip and visited significant Christian shrines in Bulgaria. The initiative was organized by the Theosis Association of the Holy Metropolis of Ruse and was implemented with the financial support of the Ruse Municipality.
The program included the German Monastery "St. John of Rila" near Sofia, the Ruen Monastery "St. John of Rila" in the village of Skrino and the Rila Monastery. The children visited the grave and cave of St. John, where he spent the last 12 years of his life in fasting and prayer. The trip continued to Sandanski, where on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord the participants attended a service. They also visited the cave "Saeva Dupka", which is not by chance called the "Pearl of the Caves".
The initiative is aimed at introducing children to Christian churches and monasteries in Bulgaria, which preserve the Orthodox faith and testify to the spiritual strength of the Bulgarian people. During the trip, the children had the opportunity to hear talks from priests and monks about the history of the churches and monasteries and the faith.
The Sunday school in Ruse has existed since 2015 and is a place where dozens of children get acquainted with the Orthodox faith, study biblical stories, church history, Christian virtues and traditions in the church "St. Nicholas the Wonderworker". Through interactive lessons, creative workshops and charitable initiatives, the school encourages the active participation of children in spiritual and social life.

The charity tournament "Don't Get Angry, Man" will be held on August 23 (Sunday) at 9 a.m. in the Youth Park, Prista Alley. The event is organized by the Napred Association with the support of the Ruse Municipality and the Ruse - City of the Free Spirit Foundation.

The main goal of the event is to assist families in need in preparing their children for first grade. Donation boxes will be placed on site, and all funds collected will be entirely directed towards the purchase of backpacks, shoes and school supplies for first graders from socially vulnerable families.

In 2024, the Napred Association managed to collect over 3,000 leva, which was transferred to the treatment of little Krasi. Over 80 people of different ages participated in the first edition of the tournament, turning the event into a true celebration of solidarity and mutual assistance.

The organizers have prepared a rich program that makes the tournament suitable for the whole family. For the youngest, there will be an outdoor creative workshop, in partnership with the Municipal Youth Center - with face painting with safe paints and coloring objects.

Eight-year-old Pavel Lozanov from Ruse is the new European champion in solving chess problems. The graduate of the Pristis Chess Club at the Municipal Youth Center in Ruse participated from August 5 to 7 in the European Championships in rapid chess, blitz and solving chess problems. Representatives of the age groups from 8 to 18 years old took part in the competition, which was held in Thessaloniki.

The chess players also competed in the discipline of "solving problems" - a special test of speed and accuracy of thought. Pavel is a vice-state champion and gold medalist in the qualifications for European and world championships. In the rapid chess discipline, he collected 5 points and took 16th place out of 50 participants - more than 10 positions higher than his starting number. In the fastest control, Pavel finished in 14th place.

The Pristis Chess Club was represented by another talent - 8-year-old Yana Lozanova. She placed 11th in rapid chess and 10th in blitz among 16 competitors in her group.

Both young chess players are debutants in such a prestigious international forum. Pavel faces a new challenge in September when he will represent Bulgaria at the World Classical Chess Championship in Kazakhstan.