THE TOWN OF KALOFER HISTORY

A small, pretty town cuddles in the lap of the rebel Balkan, cut through by the clear waters of the Tundja River, smelling of roses and wild geranium. “A town by wealth, development, etiquette and fashion like a small Constantinople” - this is how Kalofer was described by the travelers who had passed through the town, taking away the beautiful memory of what they had seen and experienced there.
The establishment of the town is associated with a fascinating legend full of heroism and romance.
The band of Kalofer voivode (rebel leader fighting against the Turkish invaders) wandered through the impenetrable, age-old forests and precipices. They withstood a number of battles against the oppressor thus protecting the Bulgarian freedom and keeping up people’s spirit. In order to stop the raids of the rebellious Bulgarians, the sultan allowed Kalofer voivode to establish a settlement on as big territory as he would be able to travel over on a horseback just per a day. The voivode chose a beautiful place among the dense forests by the Tundja River; his brave followers built lovely houses, took pretty maidens from the town of Sopot as wives, and established a settlement as wonderful as no other. A mere legend, or the honest truth – in fact, nobody knows... Anyway, this is the story of the picturesque town of Kalofer, which is still kept in people’s memory. The town of the assertive and heroic mountain-dwellers, and pretty and diligent women, through which “an armed Turk on a shod horse” was not allowed to pass.
Kalofer emerged as a new town in the middle of the XVI century. The transcripts in manuscripts and old-printed books in which the name of the settlement is mentioned, date back to this period.
The special privileges Kalofer was granted at its very establishment played a significant role in its development and provide its citizens with the opportunity to keep up the Bulgarian spirit of the settlement. 15 haidouk (rebel) bands came from the town, protecting the possessions, work and dignity of the local people. Despite that protection, the town’s wealth attracted a number of gangs which managed to plunder and devastate the town twice – in 1799 and 1804.
Kalofer experienced a real economic boom in the XIX century when its  enterprising dwellers turned it into a centre for manufacturing of homespun and for weaving special woolen decorations (braids) as well as that into one of the rose production centres in Karlovo region. Some of the most prominent traders and craftsmen in Constantinople, Odessa, Bucharest and Vienna came from Kalofer. The increased material prosperity of a great portion of the population and the generous donations of the town’s traders and craftsmen contributed to directing a significant fund for the development of educational process.
Monastery schools in Kalofer were open as far back as 1820. A few years after the foundation of the school in Gabrovo in 1839, a boys’ school opened in the yard of the Holy Virgin church with the help of the traders from Kalofer living in Odessa. In 1848 the building of the new boys’ four-grade school was accomplished, and the old one was turned into a girls’ school. The well-educated teachers, some of them prominent literary people, worked hard, and as a result the school rose to the rank of the best schools in the country. The undeniable fame of the town as one of the centers of the new Bulgarian public education is most of all connected with the name of the great educationalist and literary man, brilliant translator and writer of textbooks – Botyo Petkov. It was also his idea to build the new boys’ school, known in history as Daskal (at the time ‘daskal’ meant ‘teacher’) Botyo’s school (now turned into a museum).
In 1869 intelligent Kalofer’s people founded a men’s cultural-educational association “Napredak” (“Advance”) and a women’s studious association “Prosvestenie” (“Enlightment”). These associations were at the root of the community centre foundation, which in 1873 came into possession of a new, two-storey community building, thanks to the donation made by traders from Kalofer living in Odessa and Constantinople.
As mountain-dwellers, the local people in Kalofer are famous for their piety and strict obedience to the Orthodox traditions. Six churches, two monasteries and three convents were built in this small, mountainous town. The biggest “Holy Virgin” temple, which was rebuilt in 1848, is located in the town centre. The “St. Archangel Michael” church was built by Usta Gencho from Tryavna and painted by Georgi Danchov. The only church on the right bank of the Tundja river is the “St.Atanas” church, whose marble iconostasis was donated by traders born in Kalofer and working in Constantinople, and brought over from Constantinople on ox carts.
The “Presentation of the Blessed Virgin” maiden monastery was founded at the beginning of the XVIII century, and set on fire twice during the kurdjali’s raids. After the Liberation it was restored with Russian funds and the church was decorated with Russian icons. The famous in the past “The Birth of Virgin Mary” men’s monastery is situated outside the town, in a lovely countryside. It was founded in 1606 and was famous for its temple icon which had miraculous powers according to the legend.
On the eve of the Liberation, Kalofer was flourishing with a population of 5-6 thousand residents. On 26th July 1877 the pearl of the Stryama valley was completely burnt out and razed to the ground.  618 people were mercilessly slaughtered and 1100 people in total died from cold, starvation and epidemics during  the next few months.
The people who survived the brutalities and terrors of the war came back to find their home town in ruins. One more time the Bulgarian spirit of implacability helped them to build a new town from the ashes.
Kalofer is 17 km away east from Karlovo, 36 km away west from Kazanlak, and 63 km away north from Plovdiv. The town is situated at 625 м above sea level and occupies a territory of 134 ha.
The population of Kalofer is 4000 people. In the town there is a primary school named ”Hristo Botev”, in which 250 children are taught and brought up, and a vocational school – “Ivanka Boteva”, preparing students for the job of dressmaker and designer.  The school is housed in a building made with a donation by a trader from Kalofer- Georgi Shopov in 1890. Children devoid of parental care are brought up in “Botyo Petkov” orphanage.