Batak History Museum
- Stefan Ivanov
- Mar 25, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 17
The Batak Historical Museum was established in 1956 by Decision No. 56 of April 24, 1956 of the Executive Committee of the Regional People's Council - town of Peshtera.
It was opened for visits on May 17, 1956, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the April Epic.
The museum has an official name, seal, headquarters and address: Batak, Osvobozhdenie Square, 3.
The Batak Historical Museum uses, manages and maintains the building of the Historical Museum - Batak, Balinova House - ethnographic exhibition and Sharova House - museum gallery and library free of charge.
Hall 1
The exhibition is located on an area of about 400 sq m.
Exhibition - rich photographic and documentary material, original exhibits from antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance era, with an emphasis on the April Uprising of 1876.
The main idea of the exhibition is to present the birth of the settlement, its historical development, the human presence on the territory of the municipality from the deepest antiquity to the inclusion of the region within the borders of the Ottoman Empire and its subsequent development under its rule.
The periods, which are relatively poor in terms of visual material, but based on the team's latest research and deductive reconstructions, are illustrated with objects owned by IM Batak, copies of photographs and facsimiles of documents.
The exhibition in Hall 1 covers two periods of the history of the Western Rhodopes.
Human presence on the territory of the Batak municipality from ancient times until the region's incorporation into the Ottoman Empire.
Finds and artifacts found on the territory of the Batak municipality are exhibited, while at the same time information is presented about the eras of Prehistory, the habitat of the Thracian tribes, the Roman presence in the region, the spread of Christianity, the Bulgarian medieval state and the Ottoman conquest.
The exhibition traces the life of the oldest inhabitants of the Western Rhodopes, for whom we have evidence even from the Paleolithic era. The territory of today's Batak municipality, as a whole, has been inhabited since ancient times, with no noticeable break in chronological terms.
The archaeological heritage related to the faith and customs of the inhabitants of the Batak Mountains spans different historical periods. To date, 7 Thracian sanctuaries, 36 necropolises (dated from the 1st to the 14th centuries) and 21 churches - late antique and medieval - have been registered on the territory of the Batak municipality.
Documents and artifacts related to the emergence of the settlement and its development over these centuries are displayed, the earliest history of Batak – its settlement and demographic development, respectively – evidence of the development of faith and customs in the ethnically Bulgarian, Christian settlement for the period 16th century – 19th century.
The exhibition helps to understand some of the changes that occurred in the second half of the 16th century in the settlement network of Northern Thrace, which did not bypass the northern slopes of the Rhodope Mountains. Changes that were the result of the Ottoman authorities’ desire to increase the security of the movement of travelers, couriers and caravans by granting Derbendji status and privileges to those Christians who settled in certain dangerous places on key roads.
The formation of Batak as a Derbendji settlement is attested in the Timari register of 1570, in which Batak is first mentioned under the name Novasil with another name Kjafir deresi, which can be interpreted as Novasel with another name Nevernishko dere – a settlement that arose in the large land of Peshtera.
The visitor will have the opportunity to learn about the economic prosperity of the people of Bata in the 19th century, which was accompanied by political, national and spiritual growth.
With the help of models and reconstructions, an idea is gained of the economic prosperity of the region, which was due to the presence of large quantities of timber and the possibilities for its processing through the construction of many charkov (bull-shearing houses).
It was logging and the production of timber for the large settlements along the Maritsa River valley that became the main livelihood of the people of Batak in the 19th century. The economic prosperity of the people of Batak in the 19th century was accompanied by political, national and spiritual growth. Since ancient times, Batak has been governed by its own municipality, headed by a mayor from Batak. Attempts to impose Muslim mayors on it failed.
The church authorities themselves considered themselves independent long before the resolution of the Bulgarian church question. The construction of the Batak church "St. Nedelya" in 1813 took place far earlier than the Sultan's reforms, which granted certain religious freedoms to the Christian population in the Empire.
In it, the services are always held in Bulgarian, not in Greek.
The 19th century was the city's strongest period, a period relatively more closely studied in connection with studies of the revival of the nation, church struggles, and struggles for national liberation.
The place of Batak in the overall picture of the country's development during this period is reflected.
A solid place is given to the significance of the events of April-May 1876 for the change in world public opinion towards the Bulgarian question.
A main place in the exhibition covers the period of preparation and participation of Batak in the April Uprising of 1876.
Various authentic firearms and cold weapons systems used during the uprising are on display, as well as personal belongings and tools of prominent Batak rebels.
The memorial wall with the names of those who died in Batak - Hall-1 in the museum building, is part of the apotheosis of this theme and a transition to their resting place - the church "St. Nedelya".
The exhibition in Hall-1 also shows the restoration of Batak, which began after 1878. The core of the post-liberation population in Batak was about 1200 Batak people who escaped the mass massacres. They preserved all the peculiarities of the lifestyle, livelihood and cultural national traditions of the Revival Batak. And their human spirit and will with which they raised their native village from the ashes deserves respect.
Extremely interesting for visitors is the interactive audio-visual exhibition on the second floor, which recreates in an exciting way several moments from the life of an ordinary Batak family - before the start of the uprising, during the outbreak of the uprising and after the start of the uprising.
The village bells herald the moment of the outbreak of the uprising.
The youth prepare their weapons, ready for action.
Minutes later everything is already burning!
Hall 2
The exhibition in Hall 2 focuses on the struggles against fascism and Nazism. A memorial wall has been built with the names of the people of Bata killed in the wars of the first half of the 20th century.
During the years of World War II (1939-1945), totalitarian and dictatorial regimes were established almost throughout Europe. Bulgaria was no exception to this, although the regime here had some local specifics. But not a single chauvinist or fascist organization was created in Batak. On the contrary, Batak became the center of armed resistance against the regime through the partisan detachment "Anton Ivanov", from which authentic items are preserved in the museum.
Here too, the visitor can learn about the accelerated socio-economic and cultural development of Batak in the 1950s and 1960s. During this time, the path for the flourishing of the economy in the entire municipality was opened.
Industrial enterprises were reconstructed and expanded, new ones were built, agriculture was co-opted. Forestry farms were introduced with equipment that made the work of forest workers easier. And with the construction of the Batak Hydropower Road /1953 – 1959/ the economy and appearance of Batak were radically changed.
Crypt
Crypt (from Greek κρυπτη: secret place, hiding place) is a term in sacred (church) architecture.
In the Historical Museum - Batak, the crypt is an underground floor and is designed as a memorial to the dead residents of Batak in the anti-fascist resistance 1941-1944.
How to get to the city of Batak?
Batak is a town in Southern Bulgaria. It is located in the Pazardzhik District and is close to the town of Peshtera.
The city is the administrative center of the Batak municipality.
Batak is located in the middle of the Western Rhodopes, at an altitude of 1036 meters above sea level in the valley of the Stara Reka River on both its banks.
Batak is located:
147 kilometers (about 2 hours and 20 minutes by car) from the capital
58 kilometers (about 1 hour and 09 minutes by car) from the city of Plovdiv
416 kilometers (about 5 hours and 03 minutes by car) from the city of Varna
309 kilometers (about 3 hours and 17 minutes by car) from the city of Burgas
How do I get to the Batak History Museum?
The Batak Historical Museum is located in the city center at Liberation Square, 3.
And finally, my dear friends,
you shouldn't miss checking out
the special photo album with moments –
discovered, experienced, filmed and shared with you!
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