Museum of Education, located in the restored building of the famous Daskal Botevo School in Kalofer
- Stefan Ivanov
- Sep 11, 2022
- 10 min read
Updated: Jan 20
A place for everything and everything in its place!
Motto of Daskal Botevo School
Located on the left bank of the Tundzha River, on the spacious and sunny central city square, at the base of the Hristo Botev Memorial Complex and next to the "200 Rifles" composition, rises the graceful white stature of the Daskal Botev School, today transformed into the Museum of Educational Work in Kalofer.
Until then, in Kalofer, there was no such modern teacher for the classes, neither in Karlovo, Kazanlak, Koprivshtitsa, nor in Plovdiv…
Soon the name of the teacher Botya became famous far and wide, the Kalofer school also became famous and the people of Kalofer rejoiced. Now many adult students also gathered to study around the new teacher…
There were students from Sopot, Pazardzhik, Chirpan, Dupnitsa, Gabrovo… and even two monks from Mount Athos…
Academician Nikola Nachov
When one becomes acquainted with the personality of Botyo Petkov, with his extraordinary diligence, with his honest and serious attitude towards the issues raised by our life at that time, with his literary works, in which a literary talent is evident, one cannot help but agree that he exerted one of the most beneficial influences on his great son.
Academician Mihail Dimitrov
Who is teacher Botya?
Botyo Petkov Tachev, called Daskal Botyu and the teacher Botya, is a Bulgarian enlightened figure, a prominent Bulgarian nationalist, an active public figure and writer, a famous orator, translator, sincere patriot and teacher. With his wife Ivanka Boteva, they have nine children, among whom are the revolutionary Hristo Botev and General Kiril Botev.
Botyo Petkov was born in 1815 in Karlovo, to Petko Tachev and Ana Nektarieva. His father was a tavern keeper and a pipe maker. His mother was from the famous Nektarievi family, which also included Kiril Nektariev and Maria Nektarieva (grandmother of the Karlovo brothers Hristo and Evlogi Georgiev).
Botyo Petkov received his initial literacy in the cells of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Karlovo.
In 1828 he entered the Greek school of the great Bulgarian teacher, writer and national revivalist Rayno Popovich for teacher training. There he studied Greek and other disciplines and received a solid education for his time.
After teaching for some time in his hometown, in 1839 Botyo Petkov began working as a teacher in Kalofer. Having proven himself to be a reliable and capable teacher, in 1841 he was selected by the Kalofer municipality to go to Odessa to study at the Odessa Seminary. His stay in Odessa lasted two years. At the seminary, Petkov was among the three out of a total of thirteen Bulgarian students who were distinguished by very good abilities. This period formed his character, introduced him to Russian literature, and awakened and confirmed his rich literary talents.
In 1843 he returned to Kalofer, where he continued his work as a public teacher. At the end of 1845 he married Ivanka Stoykova Dryankova, who came from a well-known and respected Kalofer family.
According to Botyo Petkov's personal testimony, he lived in poor conditions, extremely poor.
He remained in Kalofer until the end of his life, where he developed his teaching career. On August 29, 1869, after a long illness, Botyo Petkov died of tuberculosis.
Botyo Petkov was one of the most highly respected innovative teachers during the Bulgarian Renaissance, a tireless advocate for the Bulgarian language, and remains in popular memory as Daskal Botyo.
Teacher Botev's School
In 1839, the former teacher in Kalofer, Neofit Bozveli, left for Constantinople to lead the struggle for church independence more successfully. Botyo Petkov, moving to Kalofer, took his place and developed his teaching activity. In parallel with his educational activity, he sang in the church of "St. Athanasius the Great" in the city.
As a result of the hard work, the number of students increased significantly and the building that housed the old monastery school became unusable..
Botyo Petkov managed to convince the Kalofer community that they needed a new, larger and more spacious building.
This school would become the most beautiful of the ones I have seen here.
Nayden Gerov
On the initiative of Botyo Petkov and with voluntary donations from all Kalofer residents, the construction of the new building began in 1845.
The location was chosen specifically - in the center of the city, on the left bank of the Tundzha River.
The construction of the school was the work of Stoyo from Bratsigo and cost the people of Kalofer 120 thousand groschen. But both the money and the three-year work for the school were fully justified.
Everyone - who passed by it - was amazed, delighted and proud of the huge, white building in the middle of Kalofer, a special architecture, with projections (chakmi) and many rounded windows and which could be seen all the way from the end of the Felibelisk road. All foreign guests and travelers also marveled at it. And indeed, at that time... the new school was the largest building in Kalofer.
There was no such building in the surrounding and more distant towns.
In 1848, the new school in Kalofer was solemnly opened and consecrated, which gained fame as the Male Class School, but remained in history as it was called by everyone - Daskal Botyo's School.
The celebration was attended by the entire city and many guests from Karlovo, Sopot, Kazanlak and Plovdiv.
Teacher Botyo gave a long and passionate speech.
That day he was the hero of the day. Everyone rejoiced.
The enthusiasm knew no bounds…
A great deed had been accomplished,
a cherished dream fulfilled…
The greatest attraction in the Teachers’ Room was the school library, which attracted the attention of all visitors. There was none like it in Karlovo, nor in Kazanlak, nor in Plovdiv.
The windows of the large teacher's room looked out over the Tundzha River, which roared below them. One wall was occupied by a huge cupboard full of Russian and French books. That school library played a big role in my development. Without it, I would be nothing.
Ivan Vazov
A tutor in Kalofer
Botyo Petkov has a collection of books, collected over twenty years, with which he helps to create a rich library at the school. To enrich this library, he contacts Kalofer residents living in Odessa, Bucharest or Constantinople, who also send books and teaching aids.
Almost all published New Bulgarian books, newspapers and magazines, as well as several parchment manuscripts, were arranged in beautiful glass cabinets.
The library also contained the works of Voltaire (in French), Byron, and also many of the works of Russian authors - Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Derzhavin, Lomonosov, and others.
Most of the books were donated by generous Kalofer merchants or by the translators themselves.
As head teacher, Botyo Petkov divided the students into classes and initially formed three, and later four, classes.
The textbooks he taught were mainly in Russian – Perevoshchikov's geometry, Obodovsky's geography, and later he also used his "General Geography", which became a popular textbook throughout the country.
Almost all the children of Kalofer passed through the Kalofer four-grade boys' school. The school rose to prominence as one of the best in the country, and its graduates had the right to continue their education at the Aprilov Gymnasium without taking entrance exams.
This is undoubtedly due to the merit of his teachers, who were perceived as a beacon on earth, the most educated, most intelligent person and, above all, to his creator and first head teacher – Botyo Petkov.
Thanks to the good education they received at the Kalofer school, and the mastery of Russian, French and Greek, Botyo Petkov’s students continued their education in twenty-five European cities.
Hristo Botev studied at the school, and later taught there, as well as the only academician with a secondary education – Nikola Nachov, as well as Exarch Joseph, Georgi Stranski, Kiro Popov, Hristo Chobanov, Ivan Vazov and many other great Bulgarian personalities.
Currently, in the Museum of Educational Work, one of the rooms is arranged as a Mutual School and in it one can observe how the education according to the Mutual Method was carried out.
About the mutual method
Education at the Mutual School was carried out according to a new method imported from abroad, called the Bell-Ancaster or Mutual method.
In her school, education began at the age of 7-8 and ended at the age of 14-15, with all children studying at the same time, in the same room.
There was one main teacher and several assistants who were older students. They helped their main teacher in teaching the younger ones. This is where the name of the method comes from.
The youngest students sat on the first rows, which were called sandboxes because they were written on sand. When the children learned to write letters and numbers easily and quickly, they moved further into the room and were given the right to write on small blackboards with a pencil, and then they retreated to the very end of the room and began to write in ink on paper.
There was no large blackboard on which the head teacher could write down the lesson. For this purpose, he used the so-called uruglitsy, which were small, round, wooden boards, completely covered with wax. The uruglitsy were movable; on one side, the teacher would write the number of the group to which the child was assigned for the day, and by turning it to the other side, he would write down the corresponding lesson. Thus, the teacher could monitor how the groups were performing their tasks at any time. This was necessitated by the fact that in such a school, from 100 to 200 children studied at the same time.
The teacher's chief assistant entered the semicircle, and the students from his group held onto the semicircle with their hands. The assistant read out what was written on the board, and the children repeated after him. They learned mechanically, first reading, then writing.
The training was all day long. Exceptional order and discipline reigned in the mutual school, which is why its motto was:
A place for everything and everything in its place.
As in any school, there were punishments and rewards here. Moral punishments and rewards were called black and white knights, respectively.
Since 1870, the Sound Method has been introduced in the school in Kalofer, and Pervo Stoev was the first to teach it.
The village (municipal) room (in the next photo) was where the municipal government met. Here decisions were made about the school budget, the distribution of taxes, disputes over land were resolved, and distinguished guests were received.
Kalofer and its famous school gave our culture and history personalities such as the first Bulgarian secular teacher Anastasia Dimitrova, the first Bulgarian poet Elena Muteva, the first Bulgarian with an academic education Dimitar Mutev, the first Bulgarian doctor Anastasia Golovina, the second Bulgarian exarch Joseph I, Nikola Nachov - our only academician with a secondary education, generals Nikola Ivanov - who led the capture of the Edirne Fortress, Kiril Botev, Attila Zafirov, Genko Markholev, Hristo Markholev and many others.
On July 26, 1877, during the Great Fire, the entire town, as well as the school building, were completely burned down. The library and its entire archive were also destroyed. After the Liberation, the building was restored and the school once again opened its doors to the children of Kalofer who were thirsty for knowledge.
In 1980, after restoration, the exterior of the building was restored to its 1865 appearance, and the school was turned into a museum. It traces the development of educational work in Bulgaria and specifically in Kalofer.
Its premises house the permanent exhibition "Education in Kalofer during the Revival Era", which traces the development of education not only in Bulgaria, but also in Kalofer.
The Art Department of the Hristo Botev National Museum is located on the first floor.
Its exhibitions feature original works by Bulgarian artists who have recreated the image of Hristo Botev in works of art made of canvas or stone.
The gallery owns works by Dimitar Gyudzhenov, Zlatyu Boyadzhiev, Yoan Leviev, Alexander Poplilov and others.
On the second floor, restored rooms from the Mutual and Class School, as well as the Teacher's and Municipal Rooms, are displayed.
In front of the building of the Daskal Botev School is the historical stone from which Hristo Botev delivered his memorable speech on May 11, 1867.
The museum is serviced by the museum curators of the National Museum "Hristo Botev" and operates during the museum's opening hours. Visiting fees are paid at the museum's cash desk.
How to get to the town of Kalofer?
Kalofer is a town in Karlovo Municipality, Plovdiv District.
It is located in South Central Bulgaria near the Sub-Balkan Road*.
*The Republican Road I-6, also known as the Sub-Balkan Road, is a first-class road of the Republican Road Network of Bulgaria with a west-east direction, passing through the territory of nine districts: Kyustendil, Pernik, Sofia Region, Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Sliven, Yambol and Burgas.
Its total length is 508.5 km, making it the longest republican road in Bulgaria.
Kalofer is located at the foot of the southern slopes of the Stara Planina Mountain.
Kalofer is located:
156 kilometers (about 2 hours and 16 minutes by car) from the capital
66 kilometers (about 1 hour by car) from the city of Plovdiv
330 kilometers (about 4 hours and 17 minutes by car) from the city of Varna
230 kilometers (about 2 hours and 30 minutes by car) from the city of Burgas
17 kilometers (about 17 minutes by car) from the city of Karlovo
How to get to the Museum of Education?
What is hanging in Kalofer?
What to visit in Kalofer?
Entering the city, you should not miss visiting the monument of Kalifer Voivode, the founder of Kalofer.
Nearby is the starting point for the "White River" eco-trail.
In the center of the city there is a Bulgarian Renaissance temple "Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary", which I recommend you to visit.
The temple is located to the right of the Hristo Botev Memorial Complex, at the foot of a hill on which the majestic monument rises. Take the stairs to the monument and enjoy the exceptional panorama opening from the place.
Opposite the Museum of Educational Work is the Kalofer Lace Creative Center, which I advise you to check out.
Let your sunny walk in this unique Bulgarian city take you to the Hristo Botev National Museum.
The Church of St. Athanasius the Great is located near the center of Kalofer. It is the only church in Kalofer, located on the right bank (south) of the Tundzha River.
And finally, my dear friends,
you shouldn't miss to check out
the special album with photo moments –
discovered, experienced, filmed and shared with you!
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