Polish artists transform walls of Bulgarian village into work of art

A group of young Polish artists on Friday brought street art to a sleepy Bulgarian village, decorating its walls of with large murals featuring world politicians, celebrities, and villagers sharing conversations.

The Bulgarian village of Staro Zhelezare, some 180 kilometres from the country's capital Sofia counts less than 500 inhabitants, five times less than its population before the collapse of communism in the Black Sea country in 1989.

But the paintings on its walls, including portraits of US President Donald Trump, former US President Barack Obama, Britain's Queen Elizabeth, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron could lure tourists with an economic revival in the village.

"We want this village to become an art object," said Katarzyna Piriankov, the project leader from Poland.

Piriankov said she wanted to show that every individual had its own style regardless of his fame.

She was also keen to take the sleepy village out of his torpor.

Piriankov hopes the new guests on the village's walls will be able to bring tourism to the area.

"Actually this is my first time in Bulgaria and I feel really great because actually I can't compare this place to any other around the world I've been to," said Jacob Shnek, an artist from Poland.

It is one of the many villages in the poorest EU member, withering in the face of low birth rates and the exodus of young adults to more prosperous western European countries or larger cities nearby.

The school closed a while ago too.