site.btaLetter of Thanks to Captain Petko Voyvoda from Haskovo Residents Shown for First Time on His 180th Birth Аnniversary

Original 1879  “Letter of Thanks” by prominent Haskovo residents to Captain Petko Voyvoda was shown on Friday during a solemn ceremony in the Revival Hall of the Regional History Museum in Haskovo, Southeastern Bulgaria.  The document is kept in the repository of the Bulgarian National Library and was made available for display in the Haskovo Museum on occasion of the 180th birth anniversary of Petko Kiryakov, prominent Bulgarian revolutionary and voivode, born on December 6.

"For us this letter is a relic because it bears the signatures and seals of the most prominent local people of the time", said Dr. Veselina Uzunova, chief museum curator. She added that the letter "reminds us of events when, without the help provided by Captain Petko and his troops, the town and even us, its contemporary inhabitants, might not have existed".

The letter of gratitude was sent to Captain Petko by the local population because of the help he gave to Haskovo and the surrounding area during the events of 145 years ago. The local Unity Committee asked Petko to come and defend the town and its surrounding area with his troops from the Ottomans on the southern border - then dissatisfied with the outcome of the Berlin Congress, when Haskovo Region was designated as a province of Eastern Rumelia. "They wished to take over this province and annex it to the Ottoman Empire, i.e. to return the status quo", Uzunova said.

Along with the request for help, the local population also sent gifts to Petko's troop. People collected clothes, fur coats, cowls and sent pennies, ammunition and weapons to him. "Arriving in the region, Captain Petko's detachment trained the locals to defend themselves. Thus, unlike Stara Zagora, which was burned twice at the same time, Haskovo was saved", Uzunova stressed.

The voivode was called "the saviour of Haskovo" by locals during his lifetime. Because of his heroism and response in defending the region, he was named an honorary citizen posthumously in 2020. The badge of honour awarded to him is kept in the Regional History Museum and is also on display in the case next to the letter of thanks.

Friday's event attracted many students and descendants of Thracian refugees from the city and the region. Among the most excited guests was Petko Kiryakov's relative Petya Boeva.

"Today is a very exciting moment for me, because I am glad that Captain Petko's memory is being preserved and I am grateful to everyone and to the younger generation that his memory will remain", she said.

The "letter of thanks" from the people of Haskovo to Captain Petko Voyvoda will remain at the Regional History Museum until December 19.