Hristo G. Danov
Encyclopedia
Hristo Gruev Danov was a Bulgarian
enlightener, teacher and book publisher of the Bulgarian National Revival
who is regarded as the father of organized book publishing in the Bulgarian lands and hailed as the "Bulgarian Gutenberg". After the Liberation of Bulgaria
in 1878, he was also a politician and mayor of Plovdiv.
Danov was born in Klisura
, a town in Ottoman
Rumelia
(today in central Bulgaria
), to the family of a frieze waver. He commenced his education at the Klisura religious school before moving to the class school in Panagyurishte
opened by Sava Radulov, where he studied in 1841–1842. However, his father's death meant Danov had to return to Klisura and become a crafstman so as to sustain the family. In 1847, he again enrolled at the Panagyurishte school, and in 1848–1850 he was a student at Nayden Gerov
's school in Koprivshtitsa
. Having completed his education, Hristo Danov became a teacher in Strelcha
(1851–1852) and Perushtitsa
(1852–1853). During the Crimean War
(1853–1856) he was a teacher in Plovdiv
.
In 1856, Danov returned to Klisura, where he established the town's first modern class school. Danov's work as a publisher began in Belgrade
, the capital of the Principality of Serbia, where he printed the calendar Balkan Mountain Boy. Calendar for the 1856 Leap Year. Together with the teacher Yacho (Yoakim) Truvchev and the bookbinder Nyagul Boyadzhiyski, he founded the bindery
Druzhestvena knigoveznitsa (Дружествена книговезница) in 1857 in Plovdiv. The bindery would gradually grow to become a bookshop and then emerge as the first Bulgarian publishing house. By 1862, the company had evolved into the Hristo G. Danov & Co. Publishing House, and Yoakim Gruev had joined as a partner. In 1862, the Hristo G. Danov & Co. Publishing House had branches in Ruse and Veles
. In 1874, Danov's publishing house opened its own printing office in Vienna
, the Austro–Hungarian capital.
As a publisher, Danov contributed greatly to the development of Bulgarian education in the Bulgarian National Revival period. His publishing house issued Neofit Rilski
's mutual instruction graphs, textbooks and geographic maps for the school curriculum, as well as the first Bulgarian large-scale wall maps. Other books published by Danov included individual works by Euripides
, Ivan Turgenev
, Guy de Maupassant
and Jules Verne
.
In 1876, in the wake of the major anti-Ottoman April Uprising
organized by the Bulgarian population, Danov was imprisoned for three months in Plovdiv. Once released, he moved to Svishtov
, where he was based for the most of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). As the war led to Bulgaria's liberation
, Danov had his printing office moved from Vienna to Plovdiv (which in 1878 became the capital of autonomous Eastern Rumelia
, which united with the Principality of Bulgaria
in 1885). From 1878 to 1885 he issued the Maritsa newspaper, the first all-Bulgarian newspaper, which was supported by vice-governor Todor Burmov
and the interim Russia
n government. In 1880, the publishing house expanded with branches in Lom and Sofia
. Danov himself became an associate member of the Bulgarian Literary Society (today the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
) in 1881, and an honorary member in 1900.
Danov began his political career as a member of the Eastern Rumelia Regional Assembly in 1882. Between 1 February 1897 and 2 July 1899, he was mayor of Plovdiv, for which he asked to receive no salary. It was during his term that the first town plan of Plovdiv was designed by Josef Schnitter
. Another of Danov's accomplishments as a mayor was the afforestation of two of Plovdiv's seven hills. Danov died in 1911 and was interred at the Church of the Holy Mother of God
in Plovdiv. Among Hristo G. Danov's descendants are several prominent Bulgarians, including historian Hristo M. Danov (1908–1997) and lawyer Hristo Danov (1922–2003).
Danov's House in Plovdiv's Old Town is home to one of the Plovdiv Regional Historical Museum
's expositions, dedicated to the history of Bulgarian publishing. The house dates to the mid-19th century.
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
enlightener, teacher and book publisher of the Bulgarian National Revival
Bulgarian National Revival
The Bulgarian National Revival , sometimes called the Bulgarian Renaissance, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian people under Ottoman rule...
who is regarded as the father of organized book publishing in the Bulgarian lands and hailed as the "Bulgarian Gutenberg". After the Liberation of Bulgaria
Liberation of Bulgaria
In Bulgarian historiography, the term Liberation of Bulgaria is used to denote the events of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 that led to the re-establishment of Bulgarian state with the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878, after the complete conquest of the Second Bulgarian Empire, which...
in 1878, he was also a politician and mayor of Plovdiv.
Danov was born in Klisura
Klisura
Klisura is a small town in the Karlovo municipality of the Plovdiv Province in central Bulgaria. It is situated in a valley surrounded by the Balkan Mountain range and Sredna Gora...
, a town in Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Rumelia
Rumelia
Rumelia was an historical region comprising the territories of the Ottoman Empire in Europe...
(today in central Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
), to the family of a frieze waver. He commenced his education at the Klisura religious school before moving to the class school in Panagyurishte
Panagyurishte
Panagyurishte is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, situated in a small valley in the Sredna Gora mountains. It is 91 km east of Sofia, 43 km north of Pazardzhik, and 37 km south of Zlatitsa. The town is the administrative centre of the homonymous Panagyurishte...
opened by Sava Radulov, where he studied in 1841–1842. However, his father's death meant Danov had to return to Klisura and become a crafstman so as to sustain the family. In 1847, he again enrolled at the Panagyurishte school, and in 1848–1850 he was a student at Nayden Gerov
Nayden Gerov
Nayden Gerov , born Nayden Gerov Hadzhidobrevich February 23, 1823, Koprivshtitsa–October 9, 1900, Plovdiv) was a Bulgarian linguist, folklorist, writer and public figure during the Bulgarian National Revival....
's school in Koprivshtitsa
Koprivshtitsa
Koprivshtitsa is a historic town in Sofia Province, central Bulgaria, lying on the Topolnitsa River among the Sredna Gora mountains. It was one of the centres of the April Uprising in 1876 and is known for its authentic Bulgarian architecture and for its folk music festivals, making it a very...
. Having completed his education, Hristo Danov became a teacher in Strelcha
Strelcha
Strelcha is a small Bulgarian town with a population of 4,858 . The town lies 13 km to the east of Panagyurishte and 41 km to the north of Pazardzhik and is part of Pazardzhik Province...
(1851–1852) and Perushtitsa
Perushtitsa
Perushtitsa or Perushtitza is a Bulgarian town located in the Plovdiv Oblast at the foot of the Rhodopes. It is located about 22 kilometers south of Plovdiv....
(1852–1853). During the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
(1853–1856) he was a teacher in Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
.
In 1856, Danov returned to Klisura, where he established the town's first modern class school. Danov's work as a publisher began in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, the capital of the Principality of Serbia, where he printed the calendar Balkan Mountain Boy. Calendar for the 1856 Leap Year. Together with the teacher Yacho (Yoakim) Truvchev and the bookbinder Nyagul Boyadzhiyski, he founded the bindery
Bindery
Bindery refers to a studio, workshop or factory where sheets of paper are fastened together to make books, but also where gold and other decorative elements are added to the exterior of books, where boxes or slipcases for books are made and where the restoration of books is carried out.-Overview:A...
Druzhestvena knigoveznitsa (Дружествена книговезница) in 1857 in Plovdiv. The bindery would gradually grow to become a bookshop and then emerge as the first Bulgarian publishing house. By 1862, the company had evolved into the Hristo G. Danov & Co. Publishing House, and Yoakim Gruev had joined as a partner. In 1862, the Hristo G. Danov & Co. Publishing House had branches in Ruse and Veles
Veles (city)
Veles is a city in the center of the Republic of Macedonia on the Vardar river. The city of Veles is the seat of Veles Municipality.-Name:The city's name was Vylosa in Ancient Greek and before the Balkan Wars, it was a township with the name Köprülü in the Üsküp sandjak, Ottoman empire for 600...
. In 1874, Danov's publishing house opened its own printing office in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, the Austro–Hungarian capital.
As a publisher, Danov contributed greatly to the development of Bulgarian education in the Bulgarian National Revival period. His publishing house issued Neofit Rilski
Neofit Rilski
Neofit Rilski or Neophyte of Rila , born Nikola Poppetrov Benin was a 19th-century Bulgarian monk, teacher and artist, and an important figure of the Bulgarian National Revival....
's mutual instruction graphs, textbooks and geographic maps for the school curriculum, as well as the first Bulgarian large-scale wall maps. Other books published by Danov included individual works by Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
, Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His first major publication, a short story collection entitled A Sportsman's Sketches, is a milestone of Russian Realism, and his novel Fathers and Sons is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century...
, Guy de Maupassant
Guy de Maupassant
Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents....
and Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
.
In 1876, in the wake of the major anti-Ottoman April Uprising
April Uprising
The April Uprising was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876, which indirectly resulted in the re-establishment of Bulgaria as an autonomous nation in 1878...
organized by the Bulgarian population, Danov was imprisoned for three months in Plovdiv. Once released, he moved to Svishtov
Svishtov
Svishtov is a town in northern Bulgaria, located in Veliko Tarnovo Province on the right bank of the Danube river opposite the Romanian town of Zimnicea. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svishtov Municipality...
, where he was based for the most of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). As the war led to Bulgaria's liberation
Liberation of Bulgaria
In Bulgarian historiography, the term Liberation of Bulgaria is used to denote the events of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 that led to the re-establishment of Bulgarian state with the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878, after the complete conquest of the Second Bulgarian Empire, which...
, Danov had his printing office moved from Vienna to Plovdiv (which in 1878 became the capital of autonomous Eastern Rumelia
Eastern Rumelia
Eastern Rumelia or Eastern Roumelia was an administratively autonomous province in the Ottoman Empire and Principality of Bulgaria from 1878 to 1908. It was under full Bulgarian control from 1885 on, when it willingly united with the tributary Principality of Bulgaria after a bloodless revolution...
, which united with the Principality of Bulgaria
Principality of Bulgaria
The Principality of Bulgaria was a self-governing entity created as a vassal of the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. The preliminary treaty of San Stefano between the Russian Empire and the Porte , on March 3, had originally proposed a significantly larger Bulgarian territory: its...
in 1885). From 1878 to 1885 he issued the Maritsa newspaper, the first all-Bulgarian newspaper, which was supported by vice-governor Todor Burmov
Todor Burmov
Todor Stoyanov Burmov was a leading Bulgarian Conservative Party politician and the first Prime Minister of an independent Bulgaria....
and the interim Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n government. In 1880, the publishing house expanded with branches in Lom and Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
. Danov himself became an associate member of the Bulgarian Literary Society (today the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy is autonomous and has a Society of Academicians, Correspondent Members and Foreign Members...
) in 1881, and an honorary member in 1900.
Danov began his political career as a member of the Eastern Rumelia Regional Assembly in 1882. Between 1 February 1897 and 2 July 1899, he was mayor of Plovdiv, for which he asked to receive no salary. It was during his term that the first town plan of Plovdiv was designed by Josef Schnitter
Josef Schnitter
Josef Schnitter was a Czech–Bulgarian architect, engineer and geodesist credited with shaping the modern appearance of Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second-largest city....
. Another of Danov's accomplishments as a mayor was the afforestation of two of Plovdiv's seven hills. Danov died in 1911 and was interred at the Church of the Holy Mother of God
Church of the Holy Mother of God, Plovdiv
The Church of the Holy Mother of God is a Bulgarian National Revival church in Bulgaria's second largest city Plovdiv. The church is situated in the Old town of Plovdiv on one of the city's seven hills, Nebet Tepe....
in Plovdiv. Among Hristo G. Danov's descendants are several prominent Bulgarians, including historian Hristo M. Danov (1908–1997) and lawyer Hristo Danov (1922–2003).
Danov's House in Plovdiv's Old Town is home to one of the Plovdiv Regional Historical Museum
Plovdiv Regional Historical Museum
The Plovdiv Regional Historical Museum is a historical museum in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Established in 1951, it covers the history of Plovdiv from the 15th century until today...
's expositions, dedicated to the history of Bulgarian publishing. The house dates to the mid-19th century.