Pateva maaza is part of the "Starinno Karlovo" Ethnographic Complex - an architectural reserve that unites emblematic buildings for the city of Karlovo - cultural monuments of inestimable historical and aesthetic value.
Dear friends of "Photo Moments", get ready, because I will take you to a world of history and courage, of daring manhood and love for the fatherland; you will learn more about Vasil Genchov Karaivanov - a relative of Levski, a Bulgarian revivalist and enthusiastic patriot; come to a world that has sheltered and preserved that inimitable urban revival atmosphere that is still alive here, and that will touch you deeply, captivate you and hold you for a long time.
Here she is!
I find it on the former Karlovci megdan, right next to the Patevata kashta.
It was built way back in 1863, and its owner is Vasil Patev - the son of the butcher Patyo Hadjimichev - a wealthy merchant of goods, the owner of a butter mill and a mill for the processing and production of pigtails, but also a patriotic patriot who allocated funds for education and was an enabler of the created secret revolutionary committee in Karlovo, as well as the owner of the Duck House, which is yellowing in front of me.
Vasil Patev was killed in 1877 during the Terrible*.
"Terrible" is the name given to the massacre of the Christian population in the town of Karlovo in the Ottoman Empire, carried out in 1877 by Ottoman regular troops and Bashibozuk during the Russo-Turkish Liberation War of 1877-1878.
In response to the warm welcome of the Russian troops by the people of Karlovo, Muslim forces invaded the city and massacred over 800 people from the elite of Karlovo - priests, teachers, doctors, merchants and artisans, along with their families.
The heir of the family - Pavel Patev - an intellectual, ambassador to France and consul in Russia and Turkey, secretary of the committee for the restoration of Vasil Levski's house, also lived in Karlovo.
The facade of the farmhouse is impressive and extremely well detailed. The huge windows on the ground floor have wrought iron bars and large wooden shutters on the outside.
At the time there were two medallions on the maaz, one of which was inscribed:
Today mine, tomorrow someone else's, never anyone!
The initials of Vasil Patev were written on the second medallion:
V.P.
Currently, Patevata Maaza operates as a Tourist Information Center.
I'm coming in.
The maaz is a two-story building, and the lower floor consists of two rooms - a shop and a warehouse.
I am surprised! What an effort! What a sense of beauty and attention to detail!
Light emanates from the windows – rays of happiness enter every room, filling it with hope!
From the warehouse on the ground floor, a staircase leads to the second floor.
The back of the second floor was also a warehouse, and the rest of it served as an office.
Wax figures
I was lost for a moment!
No, this is definitely not the famous Madame Tussauds wax museum!
This is again a very interesting exhibit in the Pateva maaza - wax figures of rose queens.
You can see them live too and all you have to do is visit the Duck Maaza.
The author of the figures is the artist and sculptor Dimitar Bakardzhiev from Karlovy Vary.
The exhibition of the wax figures of the rose queens is located on the second floor of the Patevata Maaza.
Vasil Karaivanov and Levski
In Patevata Maaza, you will meet the chairman of the first city council in Karlovo and Levski's first cousin - Vasil Karaivanov, shown together - side by side with the Deacon of Freedom.
Vasil Genchov Karaivanov is a Bulgarian revivalist, revolutionary activist and zealous patriot.
He was born in 1847 in Karlovo in the family of Gencho Vasilev Karaivanov and Anna Peeva.
His relationship with the Deacon of Freedom - Vasil Levski made him devote himself entirely to revolutionary work and in 1869 he became the treasurer of the Karlov Revolutionary Committee, located in his hereditary Karaivanov Khan and keeper of Levski's password*.
*From German (Lozung) and means password or secret sign.
City password, military password,
even a readable password,
password between voivodes
especially for any
Otherwise.
And they all change
Occasionally...
Vasil Levski
Zahariy Stoyanov writes about Levski's encrypted correspondence:
Correspondence between the newly formed committees was conducted in encrypted letters and conventional signs and words.
The sign Levski had given them all was:
A. T. S. K., which means:
you and I are from the same committee.
Committee meetings were held in Karaivanov's inn and it provided shelter to many of the committee workers in the country, as well as to the revolutionaries from the April Uprising - the ill Todor Kableshkov, Georgi Benkovski and Panayot Volov.
The Karaivan inn remains known as the "Inn of the Apostles".
In 1867, after a betrayal by captured Chetniks from the detachments of Philip Totyu and Petar Voynyagovetsa, Vasil Karaivanov was arrested by the Turks, mistreated and thrown into the Tarnovo prison for seven months.
Later, he participated in the founding of the Charles Temperance Society and in the establishment of the Academic Society in the city.
At the beginning of December 1872, Vasil Karaivanov witnessed the last days of the Deacon - before continuing on the road to Lovech and Kakrina.
In his memoirs he recounts:
On the last evening before his departure, Levski came home to make sure of the road to Sopot and asked me to accompany him on the way to the Sopot monastery "St. Spas". I asked him to stay the night in Karlovo and change his plans.
I will spend this evening with Deacon Bogoslov and grandfather Raphael (abbot of the monastery).
It's peaceful there.
Grandpa Raphael has a yasakchiya in the monastery, Mustafa aga, he guards against danger.
After the hanging of Levski, Vasil Karaivanov became a member of the Karlovy Vary Committee for the Preparation of the April Uprising.
He survived the Karlovo massacre - "The Terrible" of 1877, fleeing to Tarnovo.
Indicative of the authority that Vasil Karaivanov has among his fellow citizens is his election as chairman of the first City Council in liberated Karlovo on January 16, 1878 - even before the San Stefano Peace Treaty was signed, making him the first democratically elected mayor in Bulgaria.
Karaivanov participated as a volunteer in the Serbo-Bulgarian war.
In 1904, Vasil Karaivanov and Gucho Mitov financed the construction of the market square of the primary school "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" and then donated it to the municipality.
Prince Ferdinand awarded Vasil Karaivanov with an order for his services to Bulgaria.
Vasil Karaivanov recorded his memories of his famous cousin and became the first biographer of Vasil Levski.
As one of the few living witnesses to the life and work of the Apostle, and to the April Uprising, many historians and writers - Zahari Stoyanov, Stoyan Zaimov, Dimitar Strashimirov - turn to him.
In 1895, together with Stoyan Zaimov, he proclaimed July 6, 1837 as the date of birth of the Deacon of Freedom.
Vasil Karaivanov died on January 8, 1933 in Karlovo, Kingdom of Bulgaria.
In 1987, his son, Dr. Petar Karaivanov, published his father's memories in an independent book "Vasil Levski in the memories of Vasil Karaivanov – first cousin of the Apostle".
The duck maaza was declared an immovable cultural architectural and building value of national importance in 1964, and in 1970 - an artistic value of local importance.
Come to be proud!
Ethnographic complex "Old Karlovo" was opened in 2014.
It includes five houses - monuments of culture with remarkable cultural value. These are:
Each of the houses gives rise to its own unique message, which directs the guest in different directions, provokes desires and memories in him, makes him dream.
The integrity of the architectural ensemble is unique and inimitable, and every visitor could feel that great revival spirit that still roams the narrow cobbled streets of "Starinno Karlovo".
Ethnographic complex "Starinno Karlovo" is site number 44b of the 100 national tourist sites.
How to get to the city of Karlovo?
Karlovo is a city located at the southern foot of Stara planina - in the Plovdiv region.
It is located in South Central Bulgaria near the Sub-Balkan Road*.
*Republican road I-6, better known as the Sub-Balkan road, is a first-class road from the Republic road network of Bulgaria with a direction from west to east, crossing the territory of nine districts: Kyustendilska, Pernishka, Sofia region, Sofiaska, Plovdivska, Starozagorska, Sliven, Yambol and Burgas.
Its total length is 508.5 km, which makes it the longest national road in Bulgaria.
The closest city to Karlovo is the city of Sopot - located 5 kilometers (about 5 minutes by car) to the west.
Karlovo is the third largest city in the Plovdiv region after the regional city and Asenovgrad.
Karlovo is the administrative center of Karlovo municipality.
Karlovo stands at:
139 kilometers (about 2 hours and 11 minutes by car) from the capital
60 kilometers (about an hour by car) from the city of Plovdiv
356 kilometers (about 4 hours and 30 minutes by car) from the city of Varna
244 kilometers (about 2 hours and 44 minutes by car) from the city of Burgas
17 kilometers (about 17 minutes by car) from the town of Kalofer
How to get to Pateva maaza in the city of Karlovo?
Patevata maza in the city of Karlovo is located on "Vasil Levski" street, opposite the Patevata kashta and near "Vasil Levski" square, located between the "St. Nicholas" and "Uspenie Bogorodichno" churches.
What can be visited nearby?
In Karlovo, I recommend taking a walk to the beautiful Suchurum waterfall.
Only 5 kilometers west of the town of Karlovo (about 6 minutes by car) is the town of Sopot.
In Sopot, you must visit the "Ivan Vazov" house-museum.
In the city of Sopot, you can visit the charming Sopot waterfalls.
Only 11 kilometers south of the city of Karlovo (about 12 minutes by car) you will find the city of Banya - a source of health and beauty.
In the city of Banya, you can visit the Royal Palace.
And also to enjoy a charming bath walk while thousands of red roses bloom around.
12 kilometers east of Banya (about 18 minutes by car) is the charming Domlyan Dam, which is a great idea for a walk.
Uniquely beautiful rose bushes bloom in the village of Domlyan, which you can explore.
Just 16 kilometers southeast of the village of Domlyan (about 23 minutes by car) you will find the Svezhen Architectural-Historical Reserve.
In the village of Svezhen, you can visit the church "Holy Apostles Peter and Paul".
You can visit the ruins of the old church "St. George", near which the foundations have been discovered - the remains of cells plastered with mud plaster on the walls, which are supposed to have been inhabited by the scribes-calligraphers of the Adjarian literary school.
Only 25 kilometers south of the town of Karlovo (about 26 minutes by car) you will find the green and peaceful Hisarya.
Hisarya offers its guests diverse and impressive attractions, which I have summarized in the following great itinerary ideas that everyone can benefit from:
33 kilometers west of the town of Karlovo (about 34 minutes by car) you will find the historic town of Klisura.
40 kilometers east of the town of Karlovo (about 40 minutes by car) is the town of Pavel Banya - hot mineral springs and the aroma of roses.
3 kilometers east of the city of Pavel Banya (about 40 minutes by car) you will find
the village of Viden.
The proud ruins of the wonderful church "St. Anastasius" still stand near the village.
Only 55 kilometers from the city of Karlovo (about 53 minutes by car) is the city of Kazanlak.
In Kazanlak, you can visit the rose museum.
After viewing the museum's rich exposition, I suggest you take a relaxing walk through the wonderful alleys of Rosarium Park in the city of Kazanlak.
In the city of Kazanlak, I suggest you also visit the church "Saint Ilia", also known as the Kulenska church.
Only 5 kilometers south of the town of Kazanlak (about 8 minutes by car) is the village of Buzovgrad, from where the wonderful eco-trail adventure "Path through the Ages" begins.
You shouldn't miss it for anything in the world!
Come to be proud!
And as a finale, my dear friends,
you shouldn't miss a look
the special album with photo moments –
discovered, experienced, captured and shared with you!