On May 29, 2026, the conference "Government and Society in the Northwest - Institutions and Associations from the End of the 19th Century to the Present" was held in the city of Montana, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the April Uprising and organized by the branch of the Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) in cooperation with the local Regional Academic Center and in partnership with the Municipality of Montana and the Regional Historical Museum (RHM-Montana).

The forum was opened by Corresponding Member Prof. Dr. Alexander Kostov (IBSCT-BAS). The participants were welcomed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Borislav Velikov, Chairman of the 39th National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria and the mayor of the city Mr. Zlatko Zhivkov. Greetings were also expressed by the coordinator of the RAC-Montana Eng. Valeri Georgiev.

In his opening speech, Corresponding Member Al. Kostov spoke about the significance of the April Uprising, its place in the national liberation struggles of the Bulgarian people and its role in the liberation from centuries-old foreign oppression. He also drew a parallel with the history of neighboring Balkan countries.

The conference, which is held every year, is the eighth in a row. It was attended by researchers from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, historians from the Regional Historical Museums in Oryahovo and Montana, from the State Archives in Vidin and Montana, and local historians from the region.

This year, the conference focused on the relationship between society and power and the role of various associations from the end of the 19th century to the present day. An extremely interesting report was delivered by Acad. Yachko Ivanov (BAS), who presented the role of local authorities in the development of community centers in the Northwest. Senior Assistant Professor Dr. Margarita Dobreva (IBSCT-BAS) introduced the audience to Bulgarian religious life in Northwest Bulgaria in the 1840s - 1870s according to documents stored in the Ottoman Archives in Istanbul. In his report, Vladimir Paunovski (IBSCT-BAS) drew attention to the activities of the Maccabi societies in Northwest Bulgaria. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lyudmila Mindova (IBSCT-BAS) spoke about the reflection of the correlation between power and society in the novels of Yana Yazova and Vladimir Zarev. The exposé by Dr. Evgeniya Naydenova (RHM-Oryahovo) was dedicated to the first mayor of Oryahovo, Tseko Valchev. Yordan Gerasimov spoke about the progress of the Montana municipality during the first term of mayor Zlatko Zhivkov (1999–2003).

In her presentation, Svetlana Krasteva (State Archives–Vidin) presented the public and political activities of Naicho Tsanov, and staurophorian butler Yordan V. Vassilev spoke about the past, activities and the most prominent members of the Vidin and Vratsa dioceses who were members of the Union of Priests in Bulgaria. Interest was aroused by the new facts and interpretations that Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vanya Ivanova presented regarding the establishment of the Museum of the September Uprising in 1951–1953.

Other collaborators of RHM–Montana also participated with messages. Marius Georgiev presented the organization of the Bulgarian-Serbian festivals between Negotin and Bregovo after World War II, and Daniel Yordanov spoke about a shroud kept in the RIM-Montana collection and the ritual practices of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church after World War II. Gergana Georgieva gave a report on the Torla folklore festival, which is held in the municipality of Chuprene.

Teodora Kancheva (State Archives-Montana) presented the personalities from the Ferdinand and Lom districts who were members of the Society of Knights of the Order of Bravery.

Dr. Dimitar Damyanov from the Research Center for Creative Activities in Munich spoke about amateurism in the Northwest from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day in view of psychoanalytic mechanisms and the relationship between power and society.

The presented reports, as well as the discussions on them, not only aroused the interest of the local audience, but also once again confirmed the contribution to the scientific research of the region of the already traditional joint conferences between the Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology, the Regional Academic Center - Montana and RHM-Montana. The scholarly forum held is another proof of the successful cooperation, which we hope will continue in the future.