Konstantin Velichkov (full name Konstantin Velichkov Petkov; in bg, Констaнтин Величков; 1855 – 3 November 1907) was a Bulgarian writer and public figure.

Biography

He was born in the town of

Pazardzhik Pazardzhik ( bg, Пазарджик ) is a city situated along the banks of the Maritsa river, southern Bulgaria. It is the capital of Pazardzhik Province and centre for the homonymous Pazardzhik Municipality. The Tatars founded Pazardzhik in t ...

. Velichkov received his education in the

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School ( tr, Galatasaray Lisesi, french: Lycée de Galatasaray), established in what was then Constantinople and is now Istanbul, in 1481, is the oldest high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational in ...

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

where he studied from 1868 to 1874. After returning to his home town he became a teacher in geography, history, French and Bulgarian as well as chairman of the local

Chitalishte A ''chitalishte'' (, . Derives from the verb "чета" - "to read" or "читател" - "reader") is a typical Bulgarian public institution and building that fulfills several functions at once, such as a community centre, library, and a theat ...

(reading club). Pretty soon, he became an active member of the local revolutionary committee aiming at liberating

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

from Ottoman domination. Together with

Todor Kableshkov Todor Kableshkov ( Bulgarian: Тодор Каблешков) (13 January 1851 – 16 June 1876) was a 19th-century Bulgarian revolutionary and one of the leaders of the April Uprising. Born in Koprivshtitsa in a wealthy family, he studied in his ...

, he participated in the preparations for the

April uprising The April Uprising ( bg, Априлско въстание, Aprilsko vastanie) was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876. The regular Ottoman Army and irregular bashi-bazouk units brutally su ...

. After the failure of the insurgents, Velichkov was arrested and sentenced to death by the Ottoman authorities. Before the sentence could take place, he was let free thanks to the committee sent by European powers to investigate the Turkish atrocities during the suppression of the rebellion. Subsequently, Velichkov worked for the

Bulgarian Exarchate The Bulgarian Exarchate ( bg, Българска екзархия, Balgarska ekzarhiya; tr, Bulgar Eksarhlığı) was the official name of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church before its autocephaly was recognized by the Ecumenical See in 1945 and th ...

until 1877. Bulgaria San Stefano Berlin 1878 TB

Immediately after the end of the

Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 ( tr, 93 Harbi, lit=War of ’93, named for the year 1293 in the Islamic calendar; russian: Русско-турецкая война, Russko-turetskaya voyna, "Russian–Turkish war") was a conflict between th ...

that resulted in the creation of a new liberated Bulgarian state, Velichkov returned to Pazardzhik. Soon it became obvious, though, that the Great powers had other intentions. San-Stefano Bulgaria was partitioned into several parts, some of which gained independence, others were returned to the Empire. Velichkov's home town became part of the newly formed state of

Eastern Rumelia Eastern Rumelia ( bg, Източна Румелия, Iztochna Rumeliya; ota, , Rumeli-i Şarkî; el, Ανατολική Ρωμυλία, Anatoliki Romylia) was an autonomous province (''oblast'' in Bulgarian, ''vilayet'' in Turkish) in the Otto ...

which remained a vassal to the Sultan. He started a political career and in 1894 got to head the ministry of education. All this time Velichkov actively participated in the strive for unification between Eastern Rumelia and the Principality of Bulgaria. All efforts were rewarded in 1885 when the actual unification took place. Meanwhile Velichkov managed to study law in France (till 1881) and later, during

Stefan Stambolov Stefan Nikolov Stambolov ( bg, Стефан Николов Стамболов) (31 January 1854 OS– 19 July 1895 OS) was a Bulgarian politician, journalist, revolutionary, and poet who served as Prime Minister and regent. He is consider ...

's rule in Bulgaria, painting in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Later he taught in the

Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki The Sts. Cyril and Methodius Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki ( bg, Солунска българска мъжка гимназия „Св. св. Кирил и Методий“, ''Solunska balgarska mazhka gimnazia „Sv. sv. Kiril i ...

and lived for a few years in

. Velichkov continued his political career with the People's party ( bg, Народната партия) not to be mismatched with any socialist or communist organization and was minister on a number of times as well as ambassador in

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

(1902-1904). He was an active member of the

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (abbreviated BAS; bg, Българска академия на науките, ''Balgarska akademiya na naukite'', abbreviated ''БАН'') is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy ...

. Konstantin Velichkov died on his way to

Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...

in November 1907. Two years later his remains were returned to Sofia. On January 28, 1998, a

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

metro station A metro station or subway station is a station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase Train ticket, tickets, board trains, and Emergency eva ...

was named in his honor.

References

* *

External links

* There is a Mathematical High School in Pazardjik named after him. http://www.mgpz.telecablenet.com/

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velichkov, Konstantin 1855 births 1907 deaths People from Pazardzhik People's Party (Bulgaria) politicians Members of the National Assembly (Bulgaria) Bulgarian educators Bulgarian writers Members of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Galatasaray High School alumni 19th-century Bulgarian people Bulgarian memoirists 19th-century memoirists