Description of the attraction
House-Museum of Hristo Botev in Kalofer. It was here that the Bulgarian national hero, poet and revolutionary, defending the independence of his homeland, Hristo Botev, was born. The museum complex includes the memorial house itself, an exhibition hall, as well as a monument to Botev himself and his mother, Ivanka Boteva. Since 1998, the entire complex has been included in the list of cultural monuments.
In the center of the museum complex is the house in which Botev spent most of his life. In 1877, the house burned down in a fire, but the inhabitants of Bulgaria, taking the initiative, restored the building according to the recollections of the old residents and Christo's brother, General Kirill. The official opening date of the house as a museum complex is June 2, 1944.
The museum is a one-storey building with a prominent large balcony, where experts have recreated the atmosphere in which the revolutionary leader of Bulgaria grew up. Here you can also see a sewing machine and a hand spinning wheel used by Botev's mother as exhibits.
Since 1973, a renovated exhibition hall has been operating in the house-museum, which was re-restored in 2008, when the country celebrated the 160th anniversary of Botev. The new exhibition includes photographs that tell in detail about Hristo Botev both through the prism of his public life and personal. Unique things that belonged to Botev personally and survived to this day are also kept here: writing implements and a pocket watch. The museum also houses a print press, with the help of which part of the issues of the newspaper "Zname", which was headed by Hristo Botev, was printed.
In 1980, the building underwent another reconstruction, thanks to which it was possible to restore the building's appearance in 1865. The Art Department of the museum complex exhibits works by Bulgarian authors who have captured the image of Hristo Botev in stone and on canvas.
