The project of Research, conservation and popularization of the Early Thracian fortress of Gradishte and the Early Byzantine basilica, Gela village, Western Rhodopes, Bulgaria has been accomplished successfully. The project has been executed with the financial support of Island, Lichtenstein and Norway by means of the financial mechanism of the European economic area – grant agreement N BG0050 – GAE – 00112 – E – VI – EEAFM.



The archaeological research and the overall studies of the region of the village of Gela began in 1968 under the academic direction of Ass. Prof. Dr. Margarita Vaklinova from the National Archaeological Institute with Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. According to the planned period, in 2010 the execution of the project of Research and conservation of the Early Thracian fortress of Gradishte and the Early Byzantine basilica in Gela village was over also under the direction of Ass. Prof. Dr. Margarita Vaklinova and the archaeologists Damyan Damyanov and Nikolay Boyadzhiev from the Stoyu Shishkov Regional Museum of History – Smolyan. Projector of the conservation and restoration activities and the socialization of the sites is architect Velina Pandzharova from the University of Architecture, Construction and Geodesy, Sofia.



Beneficent and an active organizer of the project is the Development of the Industrial, cultural and Natural Wealth Foundation – the village of Gela, Smolyan region with Mr. Petko Nikolov as its chairman.

The academic results of the archaeological studies of the antiquities in Gela are already released in the volume of Archaeological discoveries and excavations in 2010 of the National Archaeological Institute with Museum of BAS:

• Thracian fortress at Gradishte site near Gela village, municipality of Smolyan
• Early Byzantine basilica at Manastira site, Gela village, municipality of Smolya