site.btaExhibit of the Month: Ivan Vazov’s Pocket Watch

The pocket watch of Bulgaria’s classic literary author, poet Ivan Vazov, will be part of the updated exhibition at the Ivan Vazov House Museum in Sofia, the National Literary Museum said here on Friday.

The gold watch, engraved with a monogram and dedication, was a gift from Minister of Education Stoyan Omarchevski and is among the many presents Vazov received in 1920 on the occasion of his second jubilee, celebrating his 70th birthday and 50 years of literary work.

The celebrations were initiated by Ivan Shishmanov, a prominent Bulgarian scholar, diplomat, and cultural figure, who, together with the Union of Bulgarian Scholars, Writers, and Artists, formed a Jubilee Committee.

Vazov himself opposed the idea of the celebrations, considering the somber situation in the country, which was in national mourning after the wars. 

However, the Jubilee Committee dismissed his objections and organized unprecedented national festivities, during which the National Assembly, through legislative decree, proclaimed Ivan Vazov the National Poet of Bulgaria, a unique title that remains unmatched to this day.