The world tour of the exhibition United Buddy Bears – The Art of Tolerance reached Sofia on April 3, opening on Saint Nedelya Square.

The exhibition comprises 120 individually painted bear sculptures, just over two metres tall. Each of them represents a nation recognized by the UN and painted by an artist from that nation.

Buddy Bear Bulgaria has been designed by Sofia-born artist Klio Karadim and features, scribbled on it, the very first sentence of Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya, the second modern Bulgarian history by Saint Paisius of Hilendar: "Why are you ashamed to call yourself Bulgarian?"

The United Buddy Bears project was initiated by Eva and Klaus Herlitz of Berlin. With the first exhibition in Berlin, they wanted to raise thoughts about cultural diversity in the world and tolerance between peoples.

As soon as a country decides to commission a new Buddy Bear, the predecessor is sold at an auction in aid of UNICEF or other child relief organizations all over the world.

So far, over EUR 1,700,000 (since 2002 till 2010) have been raised at auctions in various cities of the world.