site.btaKazanlak Is One of Bulgaria’s Best Examples of Modernization Rooted in Tradition

Kazanlak is one of Bulgaria’s strongest examples of continuous modernization built upon a foundation of tradition, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev said on Thursday during a discussion at BTA’s National Press Club in Kazanlak. The event was part of BTA’s Pencho Slaveykov Today initiative, dedicated to the 160th anniversary of the birth of the poet from Tryavna and a leading figure of Bulgarian modernism. The discussion coincided with the fourth anniversary of the reopening of BTA’s renovated press club in Kazanlak and took place during the city’s Rose Festival celebrations.

Valchev said that Pencho Slaveykov was among the key figures who laid the foundations of modern Bulgarian literature and embodied the idea of modernizing Bulgaria and the Bulgarian nation. He explained that the discussions held across different cities as part of the initiative focus not only on local expressions of modernism in various fields, but also seek to answer the broader question of what it means to be modern today.

Kazanlak, he said, is an outstanding example of Bulgarian entrepreneurship with a global outlook. Valchev recalled that the first Bulgarian trading company exporting Bulgarian rose products was established in 1858. Initially operating through Constantinople, it later opened offices in Ohrid, Paris and New York. Bulgarian rose-oil merchants went on to win gold medals at international exhibitions in Vienna, Philadelphia, Belgium, Chicago and France, demonstrating the global reach of the industry.

Valchev also emphasized that Pencho Slaveykov introduced Bulgarians to modernity through openness to the world and through a search for spirituality, meaning beyond material success, and universal human values. “This is beautifully reflected in his poetry, particularly in the verses where he writes about the rose,” Valchev said. He pointed out that in Slaveykov’s work the rose is far more than a beautiful flower – it serves as a complex philosophical and aesthetic symbol that conveys deeper ideas about beauty, human experience and the pursuit of higher ideals.

BTA’s Pencho Slaveykov Today initiative is taking place in all 33 national press clubs of the agency across the country. The first discussion dedicated to Pencho Slaveykov was held in his hometown of Tryavna on April 27, marking the 160th anniversary of his birth. The discussions are moderated by poet, literary scholar and critic Yordan Eftimov.

The December issue of BTA’s LIK Magazine this year will also be dedicated to Pencho Slaveykov and will feature reports from the discussions, as well as contributions of 160 words by 160 people marking the anniversary.