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*{{Cite book |last=Orachev |first=Atanas |title=Pazardzhik: Nine millennia of civilization |last2=Handzhiyski |first2=Antoniy |date=2005 |publisher=Borina Publishing House |isbn=954-500-161-5 |location=Sofia}}
*{{Cite book |last=Orachev |first=Atanas |title=Pazardzhik: Nine millennia of civilization |last2=Handzhiyski |first2=Antoniy |date=2005 |publisher=Borina Publishing House |isbn=954-500-161-5 |location=Sofia}}
*{{Cite book |last=Zahariev |first=Stefan |title=Geographical historical statistical description of the Tatar Pazardzhik kaza |date=1870 |publisher=L. Sommer |year= |location=Vienna|language=bg}}
*{{Cite book |last=Zahariev |first=Stefan |title=Geographical historical statistical description of the Tatar Pazardzhik kaza |date=1870 |publisher=L. Sommer |year= |location=Vienna|language=bg}}

*
[[Category:Pazardzhik]]

Revision as of 22:16, 30 May 2024

Varosha Quarter

Varosha (Bulgarian: Вароша), commonly known as Varosh, is a quarter located in Pazardzhik. It shares its name with quarters in Blagoevgrad, Lovech, Targovishte, Razgrad and other cities.[1] The word varosh, also varusha, varosha, is derived from Hungarian meaning "city centre, the old part of the city, constructed high above."[2]

First appearing in the beginning of the 17th century, many craftsmen from many villages began to move in. It was the cultural centre of the town, surpassing all quarters in Pazardzhik. In the first half of the 17th century a church was constructed which served Varosha and a school followed afterwards. Expansion was made to the area because of migration to the quarter, which began to prosper financially. A devastating fire burnt much of the quarter. Many buildings began to be re-built. During the 19th century it was the cultural centre of the town, home to many institutions such as Chitalishte Videlina. It was distinguished by its noble residents, merchants, craftsmen and artisans, which all lived here.[3]

It is home to many museums, including the the house-museum of Nikola Hristovich, who was a wealthy merchant.[4] The museum was turned into a ethnographic museum. It is the biggest Baroque house in Pazardzhik from the Bulgarian National Awakening. Another museum is the Stanislav Art Gallery which hosts many fine art genres such as romanticism, realism, symbolism and others. The most notable landmark in Varosha is the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, a symbol of Bulgarian Revivalism. Its wood-carved iconostasis is protected by UNESCO.[5]

History

City plan of Pazardzhik in the 19th–20th century.

The quarter first appeared around the 16th–17th century.[6] According to Stefan Zahariev in his book Geographical historical statistical description of the Tatar Pazardzhik kaza, Bulgarian craftsmen came from nearby villages and established a hamlet on the right bank of the river Maritsa.[7][8] During Ottoman rule in Bulgaria, the term "varosh" was used to designate the Christian community in the town.[9] The quarter had 66 houses according to a Turkish document from 1635.[10]

During the 17th century, many Christians move into Pazardzhik in a search of a better life. The population was made by primarily by craftsmen, which all migrated from villages in the Rhodope Mountains. The quarter culturally surpassed the rest of the districts in the town, such as Chiksalan and Eni mahalla.[7] In the first half of the 17th century, the church of the Dormition of the Mother of God was constructed. It was then a small and wooden building dug deep where liturgical books were written.[11] It served Varosha as the only church in the quarter.[12] Shortly after its construction, a cell school was opened.[13]

Chitalishte Videlina, Varosha in 1934

In the 18th and 19th centuries, numerous people began to migrate to Tatar Pazardzhik, causing the quarter to expand to the north and south.[14] The city began to prosper financially due to an influx in artisans and merchants which determined the need for development of education. The only bishop, Dionysius of Agathonice, which served from the 17th century to 1827 and the founder of the cell school in the quarter, built two rooms to accommodate monks Gregory and Athanacius who taught Bulgarian and Greek respectively.[14]

A fire broke out in the quarter Varosha, leaving the church, bazaar and school burnt and ruined. In 1837 esnafs, using funds collected by them and a loan from a bank in Vienna, the church was successfully re-built, occupying an area of 1140 m².[15][14] The church was consecrated either in 1840 or 1841.[16] A temporary school was built in the churchyard in 1839 and four years later, in 1843, with funds from esnafs and citizens, a new school with two floors and 7 classrooms was opened.[14]

Places of interest

House-museum Nikolaki Hristovich

House-museum Nikolaki Hristovich

The house-museum is a department of the Pazardzhik Regional Historical Museum and houses the ethnographic exhibition. The exhibition shows the traditional culture, ethnographic and folklore aspects of Pazardzhik. It is the largest Plovdiv Baroque house from the Bulgarian National Revival period in Pazardzhik, which was built in 1850 by builders from Bratsigovo. The home belonged to Nikolaki Hristovich, a wealthy merchant and "beglichki" (tax collector) from Pazardzhik.[17] Specifically, the exhibition showcases equipment for processing of cotton, flax, hemp and wool, a shoemaker's shop and contrast of poor and rich families.[18]

House-museum Stanislav Dospevski

House-museum Stanislav Dospevski

The house-museum is a department of the Pazardzhik Gallery of Fine Arts, which has a stock of over 10,000 paintings, drawings and sculptural work. The museum houses an art gallery together with the house-museum Georgi Gerasimov. It was the home of Bulgarian artist Stanislav Dospevski, who is one of the creators of modern Bulgarian painting. The museum was established in 1963 and since 1964 is declared as a national monument of culture and entered the 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria. It represents articles and authentic furniture, works and wall paintings.[19] The house itself was built in 1864 by builders from the town of Bratsigovo. It is a two-storey, made with sun-dried bricks and has six rooms and a parlor.[20]

House-museum Konstantin Velichkov

Notes

  1. ^ Georgieva & Kuzmanova 2016, p. 3.
  2. ^ Georgieva & Kuzmanova 2016, pp. 3–4.
  3. ^ Musievska, Aleksandra (2016-06-28). "Вароша - кварталът на знатните" [Varosha - the quarter of nobles]. Marica (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  4. ^ Musievska, Aleksandra (2016-12-12). "Домът на Николаки Христович станал Етнографски музей" [The house of Nikolaki Hristovich became the Ethnographic Museum]. Marica (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  5. ^ "Bulgaria's Pazardzhik between Palm Sunday and Easter". Bulgarian National Radio. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  6. ^ Nikolova 2006, p. 150.
  7. ^ a b Georgieva & Kuzmanova 2016, p. 39.
  8. ^ Zahariev 1870, p. 43.
  9. ^ Boykov 2008, p. 17.
  10. ^ Grozdanova 2001, p. 22.
  11. ^ Arnaudov 2009, p. 71.
  12. ^ Encyclopedia Pazardzhik 2011, p. 531.
  13. ^ Georgieva & Kuzmanova 2016, pp. 39–40.
  14. ^ a b c d Georgieva & Kuzmanova 2016, p. 40.
  15. ^ Arnaudov 2009, p. 37.
  16. ^ Arnaudov 2009, p. 32.
  17. ^ Orachev & Handzhiyski 2005, p. 107.
  18. ^ "Ethnographic museum - Pazardzhik". Welcome.bg. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  19. ^ Orachev & Handzhiyski 2005, p. 129.
  20. ^ "House-museum Stanislav Dospevski". Ministry of Tourism (in Bulgarian). 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2024-05-30.

Sources

  • Arnaudov, Aleksandar (2009). Cathedral "Dormition of the Mother of God" (in Bulgarian). Pazardzhik: Belloprint. ISBN 978-954-684-224-4.
  • Boykov, Grigor (2008). From the founding of the town to the end of the XVII century. Research and documents (in Bulgarian). Plovdiv: Zhanet 45. ISBN 978-954-92291-1-0.
  • Georgieva, Elena; Kuzmanova, Kapka (2016). The Ancient Quarter of Varosha - Eternal Love in the Heart of Cities (in Bulgarian). Lovech: InfoVision. ISBN 978-954-8105-77-4.
  • Grozdanova, Elena (2001). Turkish sources for Bulgarian history (in Bulgarian). Vol. 8. General Directorate of Archives under the Council of Ministers. ISBN 978-954-9800-14-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Nikolova, Kapka (2006). Bulgaria. Tour Guide. Tangra TanNakRa. ISBN 9549942996.
  • Orachev, Atanas; Handzhiyski, Antoniy (2005). Pazardzhik: Nine millennia of civilization. Sofia: Borina Publishing House. ISBN 954-500-161-5.
  • Zahariev, Stefan (1870). Geographical historical statistical description of the Tatar Pazardzhik kaza (in Bulgarian). Vienna: L. Sommer.
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