Exhibition ‘The Lion – Bulgaria’s National Symbol during the Renaissance’

The travelling exhibition ‘The Lion – Bulgaria’s National Symbol during the Renaissance’ will be on display in Riga from 28 February to 28 March 2026 at NVO nams (Ieriķu iela 43A, Riga). The exhibition has been produced by the “Ivan Vazov” National Library in Plovdiv, curated by Assoc. Prof. Dr Alexander Gyoshev, and is being hosted in the Latvian capital to mark the Day of Bulgaria’s Liberation from Ottoman rule – 3 March.
The exhibition covers key stages in the development of the lion as a national symbol of the Bulgarians in various spheres during the Middle Ages and the National Revival, including: heraldic practice, printmaking, the visual arts, revolutionary activity, the struggle for independence, literature and book distribution.
The exhibition is based on Bulgarian and foreign sources and artefacts held at the ‘Ivan Vazov’ National Library in Plovdiv, the St Saints Cyril and Methodius National Library in Sofia, libraries in Prague, Berlin, Munich, Zagreb and elsewhere, as well as the Plovdiv Regional History Museum, the Panagyurishte History Museum, the National Art Gallery in Sofia, the Plovdiv Art Gallery and others.
The curator of the exhibition, Associate Professor Dr Alexander Gyoshev, is a graduate of the National Academy of Arts, holds a PhD in Art History and Fine Arts, and is a lecturer and Head of the Department of Design at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv.