Meeting of Ambassador Varbanova with Jakob van Beijlen, Dutch collector of Bulgarian carpets
19 March 2026 News
On 16 March 2026, Ambassador Elizabet Varbanova met with Jacob van Beelen, a Dutchman who has devoted a significant part of his life to Bulgarian culture and traditions. Born in 1948 in a fishing village near The Hague in the Netherlands, he first visited Bulgaria in 1967 during a long journey across Europe and Asia. His encounters with local people and the country’s rich folklore left a lasting impression on him and marked the beginning of his long-standing connection with Bulgaria.
Over the years Van Beelen has actively promoted Bulgarian culture in the Netherlands by initiating folklore activities and helping establish the “Chubritsa” choir in Amsterdam—one of the longest-standing choirs dedicated to Bulgarian folklore outside the country. He later decided to settle permanently in Bulgaria and today lives in Veliko Tarnovo.
His interest in Bulgarian carpets began in 2008 when he purchased an old house in Kotel, near the local museum of Kotel carpets. What initially started as a wish to decorate his home according to local traditions gradually turned into a true mission. Today his collection includes more than 1,000 authentic Bulgarian carpets dating from the 18th to the 20th century and representing all major Bulgarian carpet-weaving schools.
During the meeting, Ambassador Varbanova expressed her admiration for Van Beelen’s dedication to preserving Bulgarian cultural heritage and emphasized that he is a true ambassador of Bulgaria. She also conveyed the Embassy’s willingness to support his efforts to find a suitable space for a future museum of Bulgarian carpets.