Belene boasts the first monument to Pope John Paul II in Bulgaria; the ruins of the an- cient Dimum castrum fortress; two catholic churches, one of which is a cultural monu- ment housing the sanctuary of Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II; and the Dimum neighborhood, with hundreds of abandoned apartments built for the workers of the never-constructed Belene nuclear power plant. The town hosts an annual summer school on memory of the recent past for students, run by nonprofit Sofia Platform. The organization also developed Belene.Camp, a platform offering virtual conversations with communist labor camp survivors and a virtual tour of the town and former camp sites. In the past few years, Belene Island has seen a rise in the Dalmatian pelican population after the birds had nearly disappeared. Due to the hard work of several organizations, there are now three colonies of the Dalmatian pelican nesting in the country. The Dalmatian Pelican Festival, held in July, celebrates the return of the pelicans to Belene Island. Pelicans are far from the only birds nesting in the area. The Belene Islands Complex is a protected wetland area of international impor- tance that is home to hundreds of rare birds and plants. As such, the region is a paradise for birdwatchers and nature lovers.
13
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs