Bulgaria will donate a solid oak lectern made in the traditions of the Tryavna School to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the oldest and most active international court, which is housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague. The donation will be made during Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova’s working visit to the Netherlands on October 5, the Foreign Ministry told BTA on Sunday.
The lectern will be presented at a special ceremony at the Peace Palace in The Hague, which also houses the International Court of Justice and The Hague Academy of International Law. Bulgaria is one of the 26 founding countries of the court. Bulgaria took part in the two historic Hague Peace Conferences in 1899 and 1907, when, just two decades after its Liberation, the country stood on an equal footing with the major world powers. The Hague Conventions – a series of important international treaties – laid the foundations of modern international humanitarian law and private international law.
The solid oak lectern was made by teachers at the National High School of Applied Arts “Tryavna School” in Tryavna. The logo of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is combined with traditional stylised plant ornaments typical of the Balkans and traditional Bulgarian Revival woodcarving, the school’s director Orfey Mindov told BTA. He is one of the authors of the lectern and will attend the ceremony tomorrow at which the donation will be presented. The choice of oak was not accidental, he said, as it is traditionally a symbol of strength, resilience, dignity and longevity. The interwoven ornaments symbolise interconnectedness, dialogue and unity, while their balanced and symmetrical arrangement conveys the idea of balance, harmony and justice.
Orfey Mindov described the task of combining Bulgarian and international motifs as complex but achievable. The design took two weeks, while production took one month.
The lectern – Bulgaria’s donation to the Peace Palace in The Hague – is not the only such commission undertaken by the school. “This has been a tradition for more than 40 years. The interiors of the Bulgarian embassies in Berlin, Moscow and Belgrade were made by our school,” Orfey Mindov also said. Founded in 1920, the National High School of Applied Arts preserves and develops the traditions of the Tryavna Revival icon-painting and woodcarving school, the oldest Revival-era art school in Bulgaria. According to Mindov, it is the only school that is a genuine continuation of the old Revival-era schools.
The lectern made by the “Tryavna School” will add to the collection of the Peace Palace, which houses gifts from other countries that took part in the Hague conferences.
The foundation stone of the Peace Palace was laid in 1907 during the Second Hague Peace Conference, when the participating countries were invited to contribute to the newly built “temple of peace”. Nearly 40 countries responded by donating construction materials and interior objects, as well as works of art. They included Italy, which donated marble for the main foyer; Germany, which provided solid wrought-iron entrance gates; Sweden and Norway, which supplied granite for the building’s exterior cladding; Switzerland, which donated a clock for the central tower; Japan, which provided silk wall tapestries; China, which donated valuable porcelain vases; Denmark, which provided a porcelain fountain; and Türkiye, which donated a handwoven Hereke carpet. The stained-glass windows were donated by various countries, each depicting themes related to law and peace.
Nearly 113 years after the Peace Palace opened its doors in 1913, Bulgaria will also make its contribution.
Both the exterior and interior of the Peace Palace feature unique decorative elements, works of art, sculptures and a ceiling mural, which have been preserved in their original form, according to information on the institution’s website. The ideal of peace is reflected in every detail, while the motto “Peace Through Law” is embodied in the various objects and images.
The Peace Palace was among the first sites to receive the European Heritage Label in 2013 for embodying the ideals of peace and international jurisdiction.
Bulgaria to Donate Wooden Lectern Made in Traditions of Tryavna School to Court of Arbitration at Hague Peace Palace 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-04 10:47:00
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