Ivan Vazov House Museum Sopot

Overview

Ivan Vazov House Museum in Sopot is the birthplace of the Bulgarian writer and poet Ivan Vazov. On June 6, 1935, the house was inaugurated as a museum. In 1964 it was declared a cultural monument of national importance. Along with the houses in Berkovitsa and Sofia, it is among the 3 museum houses with which Vazov's life is most strongly connected.

Ivan Vazov House Museum is located in the center of Sopot, Sopot Municipality, Plovdiv District. It is located on Ivan Vazov Square on the corner of Ivan Vazov Blvd. and Vasil Levski St., next to the community center of the same name.

The house was built in the 18th century by Vazov's great-grandfather. In July 1877, at the height of the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation, it was set on fire. The idea for its restoration arose in 1920 in honor of the 70th anniversary of the birth and 50 years of literary activity of the poet. On October 24 of the same year, a "Committee for the construction of a monument and a house-museum of the national poet Ivan Vazov in the town of Sopot" was established and fundraising began. For the reconstruction of the building Vazov made a sketch in memory, and the architectural project was the work of architect Alexander Rashenov according to the writer's brother, General Georgi Vazov, and his sister Vala Fetvadzhieva. Construction of the house began in 1931 and ended in 1935 (13 years after Vazov's death).
Ivan Vazov's brothers and sister are also helping to restore the interior of the house, led by the director of the Ethnographic Museum in Sofia, St. L. Kostov. Ideas for the Revival style of the interior are derived from the work of the writer, in particular his novel "Under the Yoke". On the idea of ​​St. L. Kostov, one of the rooms of the house presents a reconstruction of Hadji Achilles' Barber Shop with the characters from the story "Hadji Achilles" and the story "Uncles: Hadji Achilles, Hadji Boshnak, Ivancho Yotata, Hadji Smion, Hadji Karajas. The museum has preserved valuable relics related to Ivan Vazov and his family.

The grand opening of the house-museum took place on June 6, 1935 in the presence of Tsar Boris III, who gave a speech and cut the ribbon. Funeral service and holy water were celebrated by the Metropolitan of Plovdiv Maxim, and the literary critic, folklorist and ethnographer Professor Mikhail Arnaudov delivered a speech.

In 1964 the house-museum "Ivan Vazov" in Sopot was declared a cultural monument of national importance.