Kalofer - History
The town Kalofer is located on the both riversides of the river Tundzha, between the Balkan Mountains and the Sredna Gora (Mountains). Over the town peaks the Botev peak- the highest peak in the Balkan Mountains.
The town has its unique charm. During the winter there are loads of snow, during the summer it is surrounded by the meadows of “Chafardaritsa”, the abysses of the „Dzhendem”, the beauties of the “Kupen” and the murmur of the river Tundzha all around it. You will be fascinated from the picturesque surrounding area with the majestic mountain peaks and the romantic valleys. Byala River (the “White” River) with its singing waterfalls will tell you the legends of the Oldslavic “Zvanigrad” and will invite you to visit the four century old Kalofer Male Monastery, which preserved by itself the hardness of the Bulgarian religious spirit. The town is a starting point for many tourist routes in the area of the national park “Central Mountain”- towards the „Hizha Rai“ (hut “Paradise”), the Botev peak, the cascade “Rayskoto praskalo”, as also towards the reserve “Dzhendem” and many another routes. The tourists have at their disposal professional alpine guides. The riversides of Tundzha and Byala reka offer wonderful opportunities for picnics during the holidays.
If you decide to stay here during the time of Easter, Christmas or the New Year, at Epiphany or Shrovetide with the traditional “kuker” performances, and also on the 2nd of June- the day of Botev and at another feast, you will have the opportunity to become aware of the characteristic celebrations of the town. The majority of the native citizens are engaged in cultivating the oil-bearing rose, which made Bulgaria renowned with the production of the world-famous rose-oil. At the beginning of June the tourists are proposed to take part of the rose-picking, to welcome the Day of the Rose, to make a turn into one of the rose-distilleries, to taste a rose-jam, syrup and even a brandy made of roses.
The Name of the town Kalofer
The name of the town Kalofer doesn’t occur in the ancient and in the mediaeval history of our lands. This place used to be overgrown with thick, impassable and wild forests. West, in the valley of Byala reka, was located the old Zvanigrad, of which there is no trace left today. Because of the resistance that the citizens of Kalofer offered to the Turks they wiped out the town, but its proud and stubborn defenders refused to obey. A battalion of 40 heroes with the soldier leader Kalifer at the head roamed long time the region in order to defend their confreres and to strike terror into the Ottomans. The Turks became powerless to go trough with it and because of this the sultan permitted the leader and his soldiers to settle down in the forest and granted a privilege to them to the “dervendzhy” village. The haiduks began to steal girls from Sopot (the town is famous with its beautiful women) and so was Kalofer originated.
In the first half of the 19th century Kalofer, as also all our sub-Balkan towns, achieved its blossoming. The tourists note the fact, that it had over 1000 “gaytandzhiyski charks” (a machine for knitting of laces), a great number of fulling-mills and dye-houses. The craftsmen and tradesmen in Kalofer traded with Constantinople, Vienna, Odessa and Braila. It is no chance that it is also known as “Altin Kalofer” (the “golden” Kalofer). In 1845 a big new school was built and in 1871 a school for girls was opened. There were instituted many educational societies. The town was burnt down two times- once in 1799 and once in 1804, but it was reconstructed and became wealthy again very soon after that.
Sights in Kalofer
Kalofer is the home town of the famous bulgarian poet and revolutionist Hristo Botev. At the place, where the last house of the Botev-family was situated, was built a museum. The museum complex is placed in the “Botev”- town garden and includes: a memorial house-museum, an exhibition hall, the monument of Hristo Botev and this one of his mother Ivanka Boteva.
The memorial house-museum presents the authentic atmosphere and furnishings, where Botev grew up. In the exhibition hall there are kept personal belongings, documents, publications, objects of art and other materials, connected with the life and the creative work of Hristo Botev, his family and his followers.
Prominent personalities from Kalofer
It is no chance, that the history of this small town during the long foreign domination is full of names of eminent haiduks, rebels and mutineers, starting with the names of Kalifer voyvoda (soldier leader), Dyado Mlachko (“grandfather” Mlachko), Chono Chorbadzhi, Dobri voyvoda, Galab voyvoda and ending with the name of the great poet and revolutionist Hristo Botev.
Official homepage of Hristo Botev
Children of Kalofer are also a great number of prominent bookmen and public figures from the Renaissance- Ekzarh Yosif I, Dimitar Mutev, Elena Muteva (the first bulgarian poetess), Hristo Tapchileshtov, Ivan Shopov (student of folklore and the first bulgarian bibliographer) and other. Many of the citizens of Kalofer participated the troops of Panayot Hitov, Filip Totyu, Hadzhi Dimitar and Stefan Karadzha and Bacho Kiro. By the end of the Ottoman domination there were roaming 15 rebel troops in the region of Kalofer. More than 500 citizen of Kalofer joined in the haiduk troops and battalions.
