Koprivshtitsa

Okay, ages ago, back in November, my colleagues and I went on a trip to Koprivshtitsa, a town about an hour and a half west of Pavel Banya. It's famous for its well-preserved and beautiful architechture, and also for being the hometown of a whole bunch of famous Bulgarians AND for being the site of the beginnings and headquarters of the April Uprising, a failed attempt in 1876 (yes, I had to look that up) to throw off Turkish rule. There's a bridge in town that's known as the First Shot Bridge because it's where the first shot of the uprising took place (a Bulgarian shot a Turkish soldier). Like I said, the uprising failed, but it's extremely significant in Bulgarian history and the leaders are all national heroes.


The town square.



Walking through the cobbled lanes. That's my counterpart on the left. Incidentally, my counterpart's family is originally from Koprivshtitsa, but her great-grandparents fled to get away from the chaos during the uprising. She still lives in Tuzha, the village near Pavel Banya that they settled in.



In the courtyard of a museum house. My counterpart, Galya, is on the left. Deshka, my Bulgarian tutor, is on the right. The whole trip, she made sure I understood everything, explaining what everything was in language she knew I would understand.



This is, I believe, the house of Dr. Petur Beron, a famous writer and educator.



The inside of one of the museum houses.