The project “The Noble Croatian Family Pejačević – From Chiprovtsi to Budapest, Munich, Prague, and Vienna” is executed by the Croatian-Bulgarian Society, based in Zagreb, Croatia, represented by Diana Glasnova as the Chief Secretary. It is commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria with the Bulgarian Sunday School “Ivan Vazov” as a coordinator and partner. These organizations co-financed the project, with funds provided according to agreements for financial assistance.
Current activities include developing a multilingual website with articles, educational materials, and news about the Pejačević family’s history in Bulgaria, Croatia, and Europe. A brochure is being created to present fascinating facts about the Pejačević family’s journey from Chiprovtsi to several European cities and their palace in Nasice, a symbol of Croatian cultural and historical heritage. The project also plans to visit the Pejačević Palace in Našice with participants from the Bulgarian Sunday School and cultural and historical heritage supporters.
The project faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, funding schedule changes, and the temporary closure of the Peyachevich Palace, which received funds from the Croatian government for a complete renovation. The renovation and restoration works are expected to be completed by spring 2024.
The project funds cover the travel costs, while entrance fees and guide expenses will be covered by the Croatian-Bulgarian Society and the Bulgarian Sunday School, with the help of donors.
Diana Glasnova was born in Sofia. She graduated in journalism from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. She has worked at the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA), in the Ministry of Agriculture – “Food Industry” editorial department, in the newspapers “Democracy”, “Zname”, and other print media. From 1991 to 1993, she was an official in the state administration, and since 1996 she has been living in Zagreb, Croatia.
She publishes articles, interviews, and reports in Bulgarian and Croatian mass media. She works as a foreign correspondent for BTA, Television “Europe”, the newspapers “Monitor”, “Telegraph”, and others. Since 2013, she has been the chief editor of the magazine “Rodna Riječ”, a publication of the National Community of Bulgarians in Croatia.
She is an honorary member of Croatian non-governmental associations, the chief secretary of the Croatian-Bulgarian Society in Zagreb, and of the National Community of Bulgarians in Croatia.
In Zagreb, three of her books have been published – “Soldiers of Mercy” (2009, and in 2010 in Bulgaria), “Monograph of Bulgarian Gardeners in Croatia” (2014, and in 2019 in Sofia), and in 2021 a bilingual (in Bulgarian and Croatian) collection of articles and interviews “My 20 Years of Journalistic Activity in Croatia”.
Iglika Kassabova has graduated in Slavic Philology and holds a Ph.D. in Rhetoric from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski,” as well as master’s degrees in European Studies with a focus on Eastern Europe, Marketing, and Education from universities in Germany and the UK.
Over the years, she has been a visiting lecturer at Sofia University in subjects such as “Academic Writing,” “Digital Marketing,” and “Business Communication,” as well as at the University of Sheffield in “Consumer Behavior.”
She is an active member of the Institute for Rhetoric and Communications and co-author of an “Online Course in Rhetoric” and “Rhetoric and Communications in the 21st Century – Theories, Methods, Practices.”
As the founder and director of the Bulgarian Sunday School "Ivan Vazov" in Zagreb, Croatia, Iglika contributes to preserving the minority community in Croatia and the region. She fervently advocates for disseminating Bulgarian language, literature, culture, and history beyond borders.
Professionally, Iglika is involved in digital marketing and product management of software products, and she is engaged in numerous educational, cultural, and social projects supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, and various non-governmental organizations.
