On the initiative of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, a large-scale information campaign is held every year on 29 June to mark Danube Day, dedicated to one of the largest river systems in Europe, whose delta is included in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. On this date in 1994, in Sofia, the Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Use of the Danube River was signed.
Fourteen countries, united in their care for the river, celebrate Danube Day under the motto “Get active!”. The aim of the campaign is to raise public awareness regarding the preservation of the waters of the Danube River so that future generations can also enjoy this natural wealth.
The Danube River Basin Directorate, the Executive Environment Agency and the Regional Inspectorates of Environment and Water in Montana, Vratsa, Pleven, Veliko Tarnovo and Ruse organize, participate in and support the implementation of initiatives under the Danube Day campaign.
In Vidin, an applied arts workshop will open, with a focus on drawing with coloured sand. In Lom, the traditional environmental action for cleaning the riverbank, a culinary exhibition and an art workshop on the shore will be held. In Kozloduy, on the occasion of Danube Day, there will be educational initiatives during a trip with “Radetzky”. In Oryahovo, children will create art on river stones. A Danube River festival will once again be organized in the village of Baikal, Dolna Mitropoliya Municipality. For the first time this year, a Danube Festival is being organized in Belene, featuring many concerts, culinary competitions and art contests. On the occasion of 29 June, young ecologists will visit the wastewater treatment plant in Svishtov. A regatta, a culinary festival and an award ceremony for the winners of the multimedia project competition are only part of the initiatives in Ruse. The traditional Apricot Festival and many cultural events will take place in Tutrakan, and in Silistra a large celebration with numerous cultural initiatives is also being organized.
The Danube
The Danube passes through 10 countries, collects waters from another 9, and thus connects a total of 19 countries and 81 million people from Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, North Macedonia and Albania.
The Danube and its adjacent territories are a habitat for numerous plant and animal species. A large number of bird species also live along the Danube River. More than 45 species of freshwater fish swim in its delta. The wetlands of the Danube River not only provide shelter and food for the many animal species. They also play an important role in contributing to the natural purification of part of the river’s waters.
