Bulgaria celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of the first Bulgarian diplomat Nayden Gerov

published on 2/23/23 2:19 PM

Nayden Gerov (1823 - 1900)

Photo: Archive

Today, 23 February, is the bicentenary of the birth of the great Renaissance scholar, educator, writer and public figure Nayden Gerov. He was one of the most ardent defenders of the Bulgarian identity and the first Bulgarian diplomat, serving for 20 years as Russian Vice-Consul in Plovdiv from 1857 to 1877.

During the Crimean War (1853-1856) he supported the national liberation movement and made a significant contribution to the development of Bulgarian education. As vice-consul in Plovdiv from 1857 he was actively involved in the social affairs, and during the April Uprising in 1876 as an official in the Russian embassy in Constantinople he supported the Bulgarians' struggle for national freedom. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 he was posted to the headquarters of the Russian army, after which he was appointed governor of the first liberated town of Svishtov.

After Bulgaria gained its independence, Nayden Gerov retired from politics and settled in Plovdiv to devote himself to enlightenment of the Bulgarian people. He was the first Bulgarian to create a multi-volume dictionary of the Bulgarian language with 70,620 words, 10,000 proverbs, 5,976 excerpts from folk songs, 4,300 idioms and expressions.

The national awakener died on October 9, 1900, leaving a rich correspondence that reveals important moments of political and cultural life and education during the Renaissance.

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