Today is the 102nd anniversary since the passing of the patriarch of Bulgarian literature
"Basket... full of crimson raspberries" - poet Ivan Vazov was captivated by the beauty of the Berkovitsa Balkan
29-year-old Vazov worked for a year and a half as chairman of the District Court in Berkovitsa
Friday 22 September 2023 04:05
Friday, 22 September 2023, 04:05
The Ivan Vazov Museum in Berkovitsa is open throughout the week.
PHOTO Veneta Nikolova
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Berkovitsa, a small and quiet town, immersed in greenery at the foot of the majestic peak Kom (2016 m), still keeps the memory of the most emblematic Bulgarian poet and writer Ivan Vazov. The Patriarch of Bulgarian literature lived in this town from March 1879 to 18 September 1880, and later wrote that it was one of the most fruitful periods of his life. In Berkovitsa he held a high administrative post as chairman of the district court.
But before that he had worked for some time in Ruschuk (today's Ruse on the Danube - ed.) as a clerk. There he was diagnosed with a lung ailment and doctors recommended that he should change the humid climate of the Danube for clean mountain air.
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We enter through the small wooden door and into the coolness of a cobbled courtyard where geraniums and boxwood grow. At the entrance we are greeted by the curator of the museum - Kalinka Petrova, who with undisguised emotion tells us about Vazov's life in the small town in the Balkans and even passionately recites his poems:
"In the cosy atmosphere of this house, under his pen, some of his finest poems were born. I'll start with my favourite poem 'Raspberries' :
Stay, you maiden, blooming charm -
Let me caprure your blue eyes
With this basket on your arm
Full of crimson raspberries.
Picked them at the break of dawn
With your gentle finger tips
In the darkest woods, alone,
Song upon your rosy lips.
Inspired by raspberry pickers returning home with baskets full of red berries amidst ear-pleasing merry laughter and banter.Overwhelmed by their beauty and industriousness, Vazov wrote this poem, which stands as an anthem of Berkovitsa and is passed down from generation to generation. Here he created some of his most famous works, including the poem "On top of Mt. Kom".
Hence the eye wanders unhindered and free.
The universe obediently stretches out to me.
The soul breathes proudly. From these heights
the mind aspires to deeds great and bright..." – рецитира Калинка.
The young poet is fascinated by Berkovitsa, by the nature of the Balkan, by the contacts with the local people. Inevitably, love finds him. "The 17 months in Berkovitsa made him physically stronger, he put on weight. The walks in the mountains, the fresh air, the water worked wonders for him and brought the colour back to his cheeks! Besides, here he met a sweetheart - 19-year-old beauty Zikhra. Not a single photo of her survived, but she was a black-haired and black-eyed beauty. Their friendship quickly blossomed into passionate love. Later, when he was living in Plovdiv, he dedicated the poem "Zikhra" to her - says Kalinka Petrova.
Ivan Vazov is also considered the founder of tourism in Berkovitsa. At the foot of Mount Kom, not far from the new hut "Kom", there is the so-called "Vazov stone" - a stone on which the poet allegedly sat and contemplated the beauties of the Berkovitsa Balkan.
Младият Вазов възпява величествената природа на Берковския Балкан в своето творчество
PHOTO Венета Николова
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Photos: Veneta Nikolova, Bulgarian Tourist Association
This publication was created by: БНР екип