From October 15 to 17, 2025, the Regional Library "Dora Gabe" in the city of Dobrich hosted the anniversary philatelic exhibition "Dobrich Filex 2025". The event was dedicated to two significant anniversaries: 85 years since the return of Southern Dobrudzha to Bulgaria and 155 years since the founding of the "Yordan Yovkov - 1870" National Community Center.The exhibition was organized by the Union of Bulgarian Philatelists and Bulgarian Posts EAD, with the assistance of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. It was held under the patronage of His Majesty Tsar Simeon II, Honorary Chairman of the Union of Bulgarian Philatelists, who also presented part of his personal philatelic collection.
The official opening of the exhibition took place on October 15, 2025 at 11:45 a.m. with the performance of the artistic composition "Dobrudzha" performed by students Velislav Stambolov, Georgi Georgiev, Ivan Petrov and Victoria Ivanova under the guidance of Mariana Uzunova in the building of the Regional Library "Dora Gabe". After opening remarks, a special postcard dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the accession of Southern Dobrudzha to Bulgaria was validated. The author of the artistic project is Assoc. Prof. Nenko Atanasov, and the postage stamp on the card depicts a portrait of Tsar Boris III - the Unifier. The validation was carried out by Krasimir Nikolov - Chairman of the Municipal Council - Dobrich, Elena Belcheva, Head of Regional Department at "Bulgarian Posts" and Velimira Prodanova - Principal of "Dimitar Talev" Secondary School - Dobrich.
From 1:00 p.m. at the Regional Library "Dora Gabe", a postal edition on the theme "Illustrations of Bulgarian Folk Tales" was validated. The edition is a postal block with one stamp with a face value of 3.75 leva, accompanied by a special postage stamp. The theme is inspired by classic Bulgarian folk tales, and the artwork is the work of Deya Valcheva - an established author in the field of children's and philatelic illustration. The stamp is part of the series "Children's Tales", which aims to popularize the folklore heritage of Bulgaria through the means of visual communication. The official validation was carried out by Zhivko Zhelyazkov, regional governor of Dobrich, Silvia Dimitrova, director of the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", and Elena Belcheva, head of the regional department at "Bulgarian Posts". The event was attended by students from the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", who greeted the guests with a short artistic program inspired by Bulgarian fairy tales.Children's drawing competition:
Within the framework of the anniversary philatelic exhibition "Dobrich Filex 2025", the organizers - "Bulgarian Posts" EAD, the Union of Bulgarian Philatelists and the Regional Library "Dora Gabe" - held a special children's drawing competition, inspired by the themes "Heroes from Bulgarian Folk Tales" and "Football - a Game of Millions" . The initiative was aimed at students from Dobrich schools and kindergarten children, with the aim of encouraging creative thinking and visual interpretation of folklore and football culture.
The works were evaluated by a jury composed of: Chairperson – Ms. Rumyana Stoyanova , Head of the School of Fine Arts at the “Yordan Yovkov – 1870” Community Center, Dobrich; Ms. Teodora Denkova , Director of the “Dora Gabe” Regional Library, Dobrich; Ms. Pepa Markova , Chief Expert in the Postal Services and Logistics Directorate of “Bulgarian Posts” EAD; and Mr. Mihail Petrov , Representative of the Union of Bulgarian Philatelists.
Over 200 children participated in the competition, who presented their own original drawings inspired by classic fairy tales such as "Kose Bose", "The Golden Girl", "The Boy and the Wind", "The Wheat Bread", "The Sick One Wears a Healthy One" and others, as well as works dedicated to King Football and his legends.
On the topic "Heroes from Bulgarian Folk Tales", first place went to Yoana Stoyanova , 13, with her drawing "The Boy and the Girl". Second place went to Raya Ilieva , 5, with "Grandfather and the Turnip", and third place went to Monika Mileva , 6, with "The Golden Girl". Due to the large participation, the jury also awarded an incentive prize to Maxim Pavlov , 6, for his drawing "King Marko".
On the topic "Football - a game of millions", first place was won by Kristiyan Atanasov , 12 years old, with "The World is Football". Second place was awarded to Georgi Toshev , 12 years old, for "Gundy - the blue legend", and third place was awarded to Teodor Panchev , 7 years old, with "Penalties". The jury's incentive prize was awarded to Yozi Nedjatin , 8 years old, for the drawing "Bulgaria Champion - 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP".
October 16On 16.10.2025 at 10:30 in the "Zornitsa" hall (Foyer) at the "Yordan Yovkov-1870" Community Center - town of Dobrich, a postal publication "Jubilee Philatelic Exhibition "Dobrich Filex 2025" was validated. "Yordan Yovkov - 1870" Community Center - illustrated postcard with a standard price sign for the postal service and a special postage stamp. The validation was carried out by Bozhanka Vutsova, chairwoman of the community center, Silvia Tacheva, director of the "Slanchitse" Public Service Center and Eng. Svetoslav Gochev, head of the Regional Post Office - Dobrich.
On the same day at 1:30 p.m., at the Regional Library "Dora Gabe" - Dobrich, Mr. Nikolay Dyakov - Director of the Sports School "Georgi Stoykov Rakovski" in Dobrich and Mr. Georgi Dechev - Deputy Chairman of the Bulgarian Football Federation, a postage stamp dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Bulgarian football player Manol Manolov - Simoliata was validated. The issue is part of the "Bulgarian Football Legends" series and includes one stamp with a face value of 3.75 leva, printed in a block, measuring 39 × 28.5 mm, frame perforation, digital printing on white paper. The circulation is 5,100 pieces, with 600 of them having a consecutive needle numbering. The artist of the project is Lalo Nikolov. The event was also attended by students from the Maria Montessori Private Primary School and the Georgi Stoykov Rakovski Sports School - Dobrich, as well as citizens and philatelists, which gave the validation a solemn and public character.
October 17On October 17, 2025, at 8:30 a.m., in the building of the Regional Library "Dora Gabe" - Dobrich, a new philatelic edition on the theme "Fauna. Eurasian Beaver" was put into use. The edition includes one postage stamp in a block, accompanied by a special postage stamp. The edition is printed with and without perforation. The thematic series "Fauna" of "Bulgarian Posts" EAD aims to popularize the importance of the Eurasian beaver as a restored species in Bulgarian nature. The artistic project presents the animal in its natural environment - near water bodies, with its characteristic behavioral traits such as building dams and hollows. The publication was validated by Mr. Georgi Dechev - Deputy Chairman of the Bulgarian Library Federation, Ms. Teodora Denkova - Director of the Regional Library "Dora Gabe" in Dobrich and Eng. Svetoslav Gochev - Head of the Regional Post Office - Dobrich.
Within the framework of the philatelic exhibition "Dobrich Philex 2025", children from Dobrich schools and kindergartens took an active part in the accompanying cultural program through songs, dances, recitals and artistic performances. They not only attended as spectators, but also contributed with their own artistic performances, which enriched the atmosphere of the event.
Students from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" greeted the guests with a short musical and poetic program during the validation of the postal block "Bulgarian Folk Tales" on October 15. The children presented skits inspired by classical folklore motifs, as well as choral performances related to the theme of the publication.
On October 16, during the validation of the postcard dedicated to the community center "Yordan Yovkov - 1870", children from the kindergarten "Slanchitse" participated with dance and musical performances dedicated to the work of Yordan Yovkov and the Dobrudja spirit. The little participants were dressed in thematic costumes and received applause from the audience and the organizers.
These artistic manifestations showed the commitment of the educational and cultural institutions in Dobrich to the preservation of national memory and education through art. Children's participation was not only a decorative element, but an essential part of the spirit of "Dobrich Filex 2025".
Within the framework of "Dobrich Filex 2025", a seminar on Maximaphilia was also held with lecturers Nikolay Penev - Chairman of the Varna Philatelic Society, Sergey Magdichev - Chairman of the Maximaphilia Club of the Union of Bulgarian Philatelists and Vladimir Kurtev - Member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Bulgarian Philatelists. Moderator - Mihail Petrov. The lecturers explained the latest rules and trends in maximaphilia and invaluable personal experience was shared.
The exhibition "Dobrich Philex 2025" presented some of the most valuable and thematically selected philatelic exhibits from the national archive and private collections. Among them, the special exhibition of H.V. Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha , entitled "Research on the regular issues from the period 1940–1943" , which included original stamps from the time of Tsar Boris III, related to Southern Dobrudja and the diplomatic history of the region, stood out.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications provided an archival collection of original designs for postage stamps from the period 1964–1984. These exhibits showed the process of creating a stamp – from artistic concept to approval and printing – and included topics such as culture, sports, science and international events.
Exhibits were also presented by Spas Panchev - Chairman of the Union of Bulgarian Philatelists, Mihail Mikov (theme "Postal and Philatelic Materials of the UN"), Nikolay Nikolov (theme "Boris Angelushev"), Guido Kraveri (theme "Little Lion"), Sashko Dimitrov (theme "Airmail - Bulgaria"), Totyo Karastoykov (themes "Michelangelo Buonarroti", "The Great Geographical Discoveries" and "Green Pharmacy"), Atanas Simeonov (theme "Philatelic History of Rotary"), Vasil Elenkov , Orlin Todorov (themes "Bulgaria, "Rural Post" 1889-1957" and "Postal Use of the "Sanatorium Fund" Stamps 1925-1950"), Lyubomir Mladenov (theme "Bears"), Vladimir Kurtev (theme "Protection of Nature... reflected in Bulgarian Stamp Issuance"), Stoyan Yovchev (theme "Tennis Court - History, Development, Tournaments and Champions"), Nikola Nikolov (themes "The Tiger", "The Artist-Concentration Camp Inmate Ivan Boyadzhiev", "Vincent van Gogh" and "Albrecht Dürer"), Tsolo Nikov (themes "Banknotes in Postage Stamps" and "Banknotes Around the World"), Nikolay Mladenov (theme "Machine Processing of Correspondence..."), Stefan Stefanov (themes "The First World War: The Red Cross and the Post Office" and "Red Cross - Humanism, Neutrality, Universality"), Dimitar Chernev (themes "Civil Censorship Stamps" and "Trains"), Georgi R. Stefanov (theme "The Magical World of Butterflies"), Tsvetelina Nikolova (theme "Chinese New Year of the Rooster"), Krasimir Lilov (theme "Maximaphilia is Joking") and Nikolay Boyadzhiev in the wonderful exhibit "Locomotives and Trains - a Journey Through Time: The power of steam."
The anniversary philatelic exhibition "Dobrich Philex 2025" has established itself as an event of national importance, combining cultural memory, historical depth and creative inspiration. Dedicated to 85 years since the return of Southern Dobrudja to Bulgaria and 155 years since the founding of the "Yordan Yovkov - 1870" National Community Center, the exhibition brought together philatelists, cultural figures, students and citizens in a space of shared values and respect for history.
The exhibition program went beyond traditional philately. In addition to the presentation of valuable exhibits from national and private collections, the event included validation of new issues, maximaphilia seminars, artistic performances by children, educational initiatives and a drawing competition. Each element of the program was carefully selected to highlight the connection between postal history and the cultural identity of the region.
"Dobrich Filex 2025" showed that philately is not just a stamp collection, but a living testament to national memory, diplomatic gestures and creative expression. The event left a lasting mark on the city's cultural calendar and opened doors for future initiatives that will continue the tradition of combining art, history and education.
Special thanks go to Eng. Svetoslav Gochev – Head of the Regional Post Office – Dobrich and Ms. Teodora Denkova – Director of the Regional Library “Dora Gabe” in Dobrich. With professionalism, dedication and heart they contributed to the high level of organization and the atmosphere of “Dobrich Filex 2025”. Thanks to their support and commitment, the exhibition has become not only a cultural event, but also a living testament to the power of partnership between institutions, tradition and community.