The victims of the totalitarian regimes in Europe, including the victims of the communist regime in Bulgaria, are not a topic we often talk about at school, at home, or with friends.  Belene and the islands around the city are among the most beautiful, but also most sinister, places in Bulgaria. We relate them to the repressive communist system in the country. Hundreds died and many were subject to years of repression in the camp in Belene between 1949 and 1989. They did not know whether they would ever see their families again.
  The summer school “Why should we remember?” gathers annually around 20 youngsters from all over Bulgaria who work on the differences between democracy and totalitarian regimes, dealing with the past and its significance for the present and future. The summer school continues for 5 days and usually takes place in the first week of July. The program features work with archival materials, visits to important historical sites, discussions with eyewitnesses, expert lectures.
 
Materials
Here you can watch a video from the 2022 summer school.