VARNA: National Revival Museum
National Revival Museum
On 27 July street in Varna there is a little ancient building.
It has much to tell about the cultural, social and political life of Bulgarians during their National Revival period.
This building has been housing the school, the church, the community central library and the church-school management since 1862.
The first Bulgarian Municipality in Varna was created on 11 May 1860 by the brothers Nicola and Sava Georgievich, Stamat Siderov, Christo Popovich and others. The text on its seal - Seal of the Bulgarian School Administration- "Audacity-Agreement-Success-1860" clearly reveals the aims and tasks of the Municipality. The first school was opened on 25 July 1862 and given the name Bulgarian Central School. The eminent Bulgarian national revivalist and pedagogue Sava Dobroplodny was appointed a headmaster. His successors were Petko Slaveykov, Georgy Jivkov and many others.
On 14 May 1865 on the ground floor of the school the priest Konstantin Dunovsky inaugurated the first Bulgarian church in the town. The next year, 1866, a new independent school for girls was opened in Varna, and a bit later it was moved into one of the halls of the Central School building.
The opening of the school and the church clearly show the consolidated national consciousness. The aspiration for higher cultural achievements gave life to the first Bulgarian community library centre in Varna as well. In 1870 the Community Library Centre "Vuzrozhdenie"(Revival) was founded thanks to the initiative of Yanko Slavchev, Konstantin Tyulev and Dimitur Stanchev. It was housed on the upper floor of the building, together with the pupils' society "Prosveshtenie"(Education).
The Russian Liberating Army entered the town on 27 July 1878 and was met with bread and salt in front of the Bulgarian school. The memories of the past are now being retold by the old school building. So are the bright and noble impulses and deeds from the Bulgarian National Revival period.
