The first village cultural club in Bulgaria, founded in
December 1869 by the revolutionary
and cultural worker Bacho Kiro, became a centre of the Bulgarian
spirit. Serious educational and literary activities, closely connected with
the revolutionary struggles, took place here. It was here that the seed of
revolution was planted, and 101 rebels against the Ottoman rule -
all menbers of the cultural club - followed their teacher to the battle in Dryanovo Monastery
during the April Uprising in 1876.
Bacho
Kiro set up a theatrical company in 1870, staged revolutionary plays and
organized performances in the neighbouring villages. The cultural club
started the first library. It was the first publisher of Bacho
Kiro's works. The club now bears the name of its founder.
The club acquired its own building in 1912. The
construction of a club hall started in 1939 The present house of culture in Byala Cherkva
was built in 1944. The beautiful club building is situated in the town
centre and has a library, a large hall with 370 seats and a small hall with 200
seats. The library has a stock of 33 000 volumes and a subscription to 60
periodicals. Numerous donation funds have been founded during the club's
existence. Theatrical, song and dance groups and musical schools have worked
with the club.
The club laid the foundations of the Town
Historical Museum, which emerged soon after the National Liberation in 1876
as a museum collection of the club. A school of sport dances for children
aged from 6 to 14 works here all the year round. The club organizes together
with the town's museums celebrations and exhibitions on various occasions.
The exhibition of
the Town
Historical Museum shows the centuries-long history of Byala Cherkva.
Authentic archaeological and ethnographical materials, books, documents and
numerous photographs depict the lifestyle, the architecture and the economic
and cultural development of the settlement.
The exhibition was opened in 1976. It is
exhibited in a two-storey building on an area of 154 sq. m and consists of
the following departments: Archaeology, National Revival and Struggles
for National Liberation, Bacho
Kiro - Life and Work, and Public and Economic Development of Byala
Cherkva after the National Liberation. Paintings and sculptures are
exhibited in a spacious art gallery.
|
The House-Museum
of Tsanko Tserkovski
|
|
 |
HOUSE-MUSEUM
OF
TSANKO TSERKOVSKI
Tel. 06134/ 2533
The native house of
Tsanko Tserkovski is now a memorial museum, founded in 1956 and proclaimed a
historical monument in 1970. Personal belongings and original manuscripts,
photographs, letters, documents, printed matter and other materials
connected with the life and work of Tserkovski are collected, studied and
exhibited here. Meetings with poets, writers and other cultural figures are
held here. The house-museum collabortes with the National Literary Museum -
Sofia and the Regional
Historical Museum - Veliko Tarnovo.
|
The House-Museum of Raiko Daskalov
|
HOUSE-MUSEUM
OF
RAIKO DASKALOV
The beautiful two-storey
building in the town centre, built in 1922, was made a museum in 1984. It
exibits original personal belongings, photographs and documents, connected
with the life of Dr. Raiko Daskalov - an eminent worker of the Bulgarian
Agrarian People's Union.
MUSEUM
OF NATURAL SCIENCE "TO NATURE WITH LOVE"
Founded in 1985,
this exhibition was donated by Mrs. Svetlina Trifonova and contains a large
and varied stock, presented in the following departments: The forest,
The Field, Minerals, Insect. The museum is the only one of its kind and
has become a centre of ecological and environment-protection education.
The town's museum
network is included in cultural and tourist routes.
ST
JAMES' CHURCH
|
St James' Church
|
It was built in 1866.
The iconostasis and the pulpit were made by master woodcarvers from Kalofer.
The carvers joined the detachment of Priest Hariton and Bacho
Kiro and were killed in the battle of Dryanovo Monastery. The church is
a cultural and historical monument of high artistic value. The bones of Bacho Kiro are kept here. The church is a functioning Orthodox
Christian temple. It is very popular with the visitors of Byala Cherkva.
Holidays and traditions
ST
TRIFON'S DAY (HOLIDAY OF THE VINE-GROWERS) - celebrated every
year on 14 February.
THE
FIRST SUNDAY BEFORE LENT - celebrated each year on the
traditional Orthodox Church holiday. A traditional Parade of the Masks with
prizes is held.
11
MAY - official holiday of the town. The generations meet here to
commemorate the April Uprising of 1876 and the 101 local inhabitants who
took part in it.
Note of the translator: The uprising was
in April by old style (the Julian calendar) and on 11 May by new style (the
Gregorian calendar).
ST
JAMES' DAY - the church holiday of St James' Church. It is
celebrated on 26 October.
Anniversaries of
various events, of which the history of the town and the region abounds, are
celebrated in Byala Cherkva every year.
