House-Museum “Dimcho Debelyanov”

The Dimcho Debelyanov House Museum stands as an exceptional historical, architectural, and literary monument of the cultural heritage of the Republic of Bulgaria, situated within the perimeter of the town of Koprivshtitsa. The building structures as the authentic birthplace of the great Bulgarian poet Dimcho Debelyanov, who fell in the ranks of the Bulgarian army during World War I on the Southern Front. Today, the complex safeguards the material memory tracking the life, military path, great love, and enduring elegiac poetry of the author, operating as one of the most visited sites under the management of the Directorate of Museums in the town and ranking among the 100 National Tourist Sites.

History, Restoration, and Official Inauguration

The historical chronology tracking the salvage of the building transitions through several pivotal phases:

• Construction: The house was erected in the historical year 1830 by the poet's grandfather, the craftsman Dincho Debelyan, after whom his grandson was later named.
• Abandonment: Until the 1950s, due to a lack of funds and maintenance, the house fell into a critical structural state and remained completely abandoned.
• Salvation Mission: The primary historical credit for the building being fully restored and converted into a museum belongs to the prominent architect Velyo Debelyanov, who voluntarily transferred his personal ownership to the state and personally compiled the detailed architectural blueprints for authentic restoration. The reconstruction was executed via an official decree of the Council of Ministers.
• Construction Team: The chief coordinator of the project was architect Velyo Debelyanov, with architect D. Vasileva as official assistant, and the Koprivshtitsa architect Yancho Stoichkov as chief technical manager on-site. Throughout the process, valuable assistance involving memories, advice, and personal donations of the poet's authentic belongings was provided by his sister, Mariya Debelyanova-Grigorova.
• Solemn Inauguration: The birthplace was fully restored to its authentic state in 1957, and in 1924 initial steps were made towards its presentation, culminating in 1958 when it formally opened as a museum. The celebratory events launched in the green courtyard with an opening speech by Petko Teofilov, director of the Directorate of Museums in Koprivshtitsa. An official festive address was delivered by the poet Pavel Matev in his capacity as secretary of the Union of Bulgarian Writers, and Dimitar Samodivkin, chairman of the District People's Council in the town of Pirdop, cut the tricolor ribbon.

Following the inspection of the initial exhibition containing photographs and archival records, the attendees proceeded to pay homage at the poet's grave. There, a passionate speech was delivered by the writer Veselin Andreev. Mirroring the consecration of the first monument in 1934, memorial wreaths were dropped from a military aircraft flying over Koprivshtitsa, with one of them landing precisely onto the grave monument. In the evening, an extensive musical-poetic recital based on the lyricist's works was performed at the town cultural center. Modestly attending the opening ceremony was the great muse and beloved of the poet - Ivanka Dermendzhijska-Gorinova.

The Mother Sculpture and the Debelyanov Evenings

Two of the greatest artistic treasures associated with the memory of the poet are exhibited within the perimeter of the complex:

• The Mother Sculpture: In 1967, the original of the world-famous stone sculpture Mother was relocated from the cemetery park of the local Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God to the well-maintained flower courtyard of the house. This masterpiece of Bulgarian art was sculpted by the prominent Professor Ivan Lazarov and depicts the poet's mother, seated on the threshold and eternally waiting for her child to return from the front.
• National Literary Award: Every year in the month of August, the traditional Debelyanov Evenings are organized and held in the courtyard of the museum. Within the framework of these celebrations, the prestigious Dimcho Debelyanov National Literary Award is presented, which since 2015 has been awarded every two years. The events are accompanied by large-scale literary readings, presentations of new books, and classical music concerts under the open sky.

Student Competition and Modern Audio Services

The Dimcho Debelyanov House Museum and the Directorate of Museums in the town operate as the primary initiators for the design and manufacturing of a special honorary medal of distinction, intended for the laureates of the prestigious Dimcho Debelyanov National Student Competition. The artistic project for this award was compiled by the prominent Bulgarian sculptor Pavel Koychev, and the medal itself was officially cast at the Mint of the Republic.

To accommodate the requirements of contemporary international travel, visitors and connoisseurs of fine literature retain the unique technical capacity to listen to the immortal verses of the poet performed by the finest Bulgarian actors. The audio recordings are available in a total of five languages: Bulgarian, Russian, English, German, and French. Over the past decades, prominent intellectuals and cultural figures have worked as official curators and guardians of the museum, including Todor Tumangelov, Aleksandar Bozhinov, Georgi Belstoynev, the poet Slavimir Genchev in the timeline between 1977 and 1980, Valeri Kalonkin, and the researcher Doycho Ivanov within the extensive timeline from 2003 to 2019.