site.btaAugust 15, 1892: First Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition in Bulgaria Opens in Plovdiv

The First Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition in Bulgaria opened in the southern city of Plovdiv on August 15, 1892. It lasting until November 1, 1892.

In 1891, the National Assembly decided that the exhibition would be organized during the summer months of 1892 in Plovdiv. A commission for preparation and construction was established, headed by the Minister of Finance Grigor Nachovich. The writer Mihalaki Georgiev was appointed director of the exhibition.

Companies and producers from Bulgaria, the Czech lands, Hungary, Austria, Germany, and others were invited to participate. On an area of 90,000 sq m, exhibitors from Bulgaria and 24 other countries presented their products. The exhibition’s pavilions were visited by 162,000 people.

Bulgarian exhibitors showcased their achievements in silk farming, winemaking, tobacco growing, the textile industry, the production of essential oils, furriery, and crop farming.

The foreign pavilions displayed technical innovations: electric light bulbs, Edison’s phonograph, and weaponry from the German company "Krupp."

The first gold medal of the exhibition was awarded to winemaker Dragan R. Draganov.

The aim of the exhibition was to encourage Bulgaria’s nascent industry and agriculture, to help Bulgarian producers establish international contacts and to show the population what it should aspire to.

The First Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition was succeeded by the International Fair – Plovdiv.