site.btaExhibition at Nova Zagora History Museum Shows First Bulgarian Bicycle

The first Bulgarian bicycle, built between 1880 and 1882 in Nova Zagora, is on display at the town's History Museum, curator Georgi Kamburov told BTA on Monday.

The bicycle was crafted by Geno Stoyanov, known as Arabadzhiyata, at just 19 years old. The hereditary wheelwright was a notably inventive and creative individual who also worked on various technical innovations, Kamburov noted. Arabadzhiyata was orphaned during the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878), after his family was forced to relocate to Nova Zagora due to repression. Despite these hardships, he went on to build a family and became a well-known local figure, devoted to his craft, gardening, and various technical experiments.

Technically, the bicycle follows the Western European "spider" design typical of the period, with a large front wheel and a much smaller rear one. Although factory-made bicycles had already begun to appear by the early 1880s, Arabadzhiyata's creation remained a one-of-a-kind handcrafted piece, with Kamburov highlighting a rudimentary braking system that sets it apart from similar models of the time.

The artifact became part of the museum's collection around 1961. In 1969, it was featured in a national exhibition in Plovdiv dedicated to technical culture, where it gained broader attention and became the focus of research and publications. Despite this recognition, Kamburov noted that it is still relatively unknown to the wider public and often surprises visitors who learn that Bulgaria's first bicycle was made in Nova Zagora.

Today, the bicycle is preserved in good condition, after being cleaned and impregnated with special materials in 2018 as part of the renovation of the exhibition. Although there are copies of it in museums in Sofia, the original in Nova Zagora remains a testament to early Bulgarian technical thought and craftsmanship - a value that has yet to be more widely popularized, Kamburov emphasized.