Transcript historical museum-tutrakan

A town raises up the steep
hill near the ancient river in the
westernmost parts
of Danube Dobrudzha.
Its houses, ascending tier upon
tier up the steep slope,
are reflected in the quiet water
of the Danube river.
West of the town the river's
majestic flood offers a
mesmerising prospect at
sunset, when the sun is slowly
sinking beneath the still waters.
One town, one river – mutual
destiny, drawn together for
eternity, from their days of
turbulent history and up to the
present, our dynamic
contemporaneity.
.
Tutrakan is situated in the north-eastern part of the Danube plane. The town is a
municipal center for 15 populated settlements, with a
total territory of 440 square kilometers and population of 18 981 people.
The History Museum (Tutrakan) is
dedicated to research, exhibition-planning,
social and cultural-restoration activities.
One of the branches of the History Museum
is the Ethnography Museum "Danubian
Fishing and Boat-Building", which opened in
1974 and is unique in Europe.
The focus of research of the
Museum's specialist is on the study of the
history of Tutrakan and making it popular.
The archives "First World War" and "The
Epic of Tutrakan" of the Central Military
Archive have been thoroughly researched,
the names of all who died in those
campaigns have been collected.
The Historical museum of Tutrakan organizes archaeological
investigations in the areas of Tutrakan and Glavinitsa municipalities. Over
150 officially registered archaeological sites are situated in the bounds of
the Tutrakan municipality. The most important sites from the prehistoric
age are the mound settlement from the Late Halkolithic culture Karanovo
.
VI - Kodjadermen - Gumelnitsa and the complex of settlements from the
the Early, Middle and Late Bronze Ages, represented by the cultures Glina Fragment
VI, Tei I, III and Coslodjeni. The Iron Age is presented in 12 settlements
of
and one wide mounded necropolis near the village of Brenitsa.
chapitel,
The foundation of the ancient town of Transmarisca is associated with the
ІІ-ІІІ
establishment of the Roman domination in the territories of the Lower
century.
Danube. In the I-st century Roman settlers founded the Transmarisca
place - an important military station in the defense system of the Lower
Danube boundaries.
There are 20 villages, 4 castles and 1 Roman villa from the Late Roman
and Early Byzantine period in the area of the Tutrakan municipality. The
main center of this area was Transmarisca, which accepted the status of
"town" in this period. During the III-rd century emperor Diocletian visited
the town and included it in his extensive building program. An evidence for
this was found - an imperial inscription from 298-299 AD. At this time
Transmarisca was one of the four biggest military and administrative
centers in the bounds of province Lower Moesia. In the V-VI-th centuries
the town was a center of bishopric.
Transmarisca is one of the most thoroughly investigated Roman castles in
Bulgaria situated under modern towns. Four turrets and a big part of the
castle walls were discovered. The archaeological excavations prove that
the Roman castle existed till the beginning of the VII-th century.
The Bulgarian settlement Tutrakan was set up with the establishment of the
Bulgarian state. The name of the new town comes from the prebulgarian military
and administrative title "tamantarkan" and can be translated from Arabian-Turkic
language as "Town of the tarkan, who defends." At that time in the bounds of the
present municipality there were 15 settlements which were part of the most
sophisticated defensive earthy fortification in the early-medieval Bulgaria. It
included embankment with ditch and four earthy mounds.
Part of exposition
of Historical museum
Clay lamp, 2th - 6th
century A.D.
‘Gema’ with portrait
of Atina Palada
From the end of VII-th till the beginning of IX-th century Tutrakan was the
center of one of the military and administrative provinces of Bulgaria. At the time of
the political crisis in the VIII-th century a representative of the local dynasty of
Tarkans was elected for king of Bulgaria. His family crest, which displays an eagle
over the river Danube in the form of a stamp, is kept in England. Here Tsar Simeon
was besieged by the Magyar cavalry and the Byzantine fleet during the BulgarianMagyar-Byzantine wars in 894-895. As result of the sequent parleys the Bulgarian
tsar achieved a great diplomatic victory.
Later the town was object of devastating nomad attacks. In the XII-th century
the Arabian geographer Idrisi described the castle as a prosperous economic centre.
In the end of XIV-th century Tutrakan was in the bounds of the kingdom of Turnovo. It
is mentioned under the name "Tutrakan" in written sources from the XV-th century,
while other source materials prove the existence of the castle during the Turkish
domination.
•
The Goddess
Hekata
Marble votive
tablet, the ІІІІІ century
Part of exposition of Historical museum
Part of exposition of Historical museum
Archaeology
•
Late Roman castle Transmarisca. A part of the northern castle wall with two fourcornered turrets and another part of the southern castle wall with a four-cornered and
a cornered fan-formed turret are discovered during the archaeological excavations.
The fortification is founded in the end of the III-th century end exists till the beginning
of the VII-th century. Settlement in the site "Gjaur Punar". It dates from the Late
Halkolitic-culture "Gumelnitsa - Kodjadermen - Karanovo VI". Roman villa in the site
"Gjaur Punar" - It is build in the II-th and exists till the III-th century. Complex of
settlements from the Bronze Ages in the site "Gjaur Punar". Here are represented the
following cultures - "Pit's culture", "Glina VI" /Early Bronze Ages/; "Tei I", "Tei II"
/Middle Bronze Ages/; "Koslodjeni" /Late Bronze Ages/. Earth-mound along the
Danube riverside. It begins 3 km west-point away of Tutrakan and reaches the village
of Brashlen. The ditch is situated at the north side. At the south side there are 4 earth
fortifications. The earth-mound is 16 km long. It dates from the VIII-IX-th century and
is one of the most sophisticated earth fortifications in Early Bulgaria. Late Roman
castle "Mediolana" near the village of Nova Cherna. It covers about 9000 sq.meters
area. The castle has existed from the beginning of the IV-th century till the beginning
of the VI-th century. Early Byzantine castle "Kinton" in the site "Mal Tepe". It covers
5000 sq.meters area. This castle is built in the beginning of the VI-th and is perished
at the end of the same century. Roman earth-camp near the village of Dolno Rjahovo
in the site "Ljaskovets". Dimension - 4700 sq.meters. Date - II-III-th century. Late
Roman castle "Nigrinianis" near the village of Dolno Rjahovo in the site "Bairaktar
chair". It is built at the end of the III-th or beginning of the IV-th century. In the end of
the IV-th century the castle is perished. Late Roman castle "Candidiana" in the site
"Marata" near the village of Malak Preslavets. It is found during the end of the III-th
and beginning of the IV-th century and existed till the end of VI-th and beginning of
the VII-th century. From the last quarter of the III-th till first half of the IV-th century
here is functioned "figlina" as a part of the IX-th Claudius legion. Thracian settlement
and Early Bulgarian castle in the site "Iri Hisar" near the village of Podles /Glavinitsa
district/. The castle dates from the IX - XI-th century. It's area is about 62 500
sq.meters. Neolithic settlement near the village of Malak Preslavets. Here are
represented the Early Neolithic cultures "Gradeshnitsa" and "Starchevo-Krish.
The ancient fortress “Transmariska”
3rd century A.D.
In the first century Roman settlers establish the town of Transmariska –
an important post for the defence of the lower Danube border. In the third century
emperor Diocletian visits the town and includes it in a large-scale construction program.
Proof of this is the discovered imperial inscription from 298-299. The castle is one of the
four largest military and administrative centers at the border of Lower Miziya,
and in the fifth and sixth century Transmariska hosts the episcopate.
The ancient fortress “Transmariska”
Inscription-Diocletian /284-305/
The ancient fortress “Transmariska”
The ancient fortress “Transmariska”
The icons date back to the middle of the 19th century, and
belong to the so-called "Tryavna art-school". Zacharii Tsanyuv
was an icon-painter from the Zacharievi family. The family
patriarch of the painter family is Krystyu. His son Zacharii taught
the art of icon painting to his three sons - Krystyu, Ivancho and
Tsanyu, and gave the family its name.
Zacharri Tsanyuv (1816-1866), a descendant from this
family, was particularly productive, and his icons can be found not
only the churches and monasteries in the vicinity of Tryavna but
all over Dobrudja as well. His icons are very fine, with exquisitely
drawn lines. The figures are calm, with clear-cut beautiful face
features.
Icon hall
Since the beginning of the 18th century Russia had a very active internation politics in the
region regarding the Ottoman Empire. The major part of the battles took place in Dobrudja. In
1773 General Al. Suvorov occupies Tutrakan twice. The fortress was completely destroyed in
the beginning of the 19th century during one of the Russo-Turkish wars. Tutrakan was included
in the plans of the Bulgarian national liberation movement. In 1867 the squad of Panayot Hitov
passed through the town, with Vassil Levski as the standard-bearer, and in 1876 the squad of
Tanyo Stoyanov - Voivoda, which was part of the Epic of Aprilovo. Many volunteers from
Tutrakan took part in the last Russo-Turkish war of 1877/1878.
After the Liberation Tutrakan was famous for being the largest fishing centre
along the Lower Danube. At the same time the town was the major producer of river
vessels from Middle Europe to the delta.
At the end of the 19th century - beginning of the 20th century Tutrakan was
established as a major commercial, administrative and cultural centre. Russian and
Austrian passenger ships frequented its port. The river brought to the town
European civilisation. The town was a regional centre comprising of 45 villages. At
the beginning of the 20th century there were two book publishers that made popular
books by Bulgarian and foreign world-wide known authors, and six schools, including
a professional school. The town was blooming until 1913, when complying with the
Bucharest agreement the end to the Interallies War was announced. Tutrakan was
transferred to Roumanian power. Roumanian military regiments were stationed in the
town. After Bulgaria joined in the First World War it gained back the lost territories.
Decorative wall paintings
After the Peace Treaty of Neuilly of
November, 27th 1919 South Dobrudja again
became possession of the Roumanian
Kingdom.
On September 7th 1940 in Krayova a
treaty was signed, which in itself was a
precedent worldwide, according to which
Dobrudja was peacefully reinstituted to
Bulgaria. One of its clauses refers to the
exchange of the two national groups,
Bulgarians and Roumanians and 4237
Roumanian colonists were made to leave,
and were replaced by Bulgarians from
Northern Dobrudja. This led to a number of
economic difficulties but despite this fact the
economic and cultural life in the town was
revived.
The Tutrakan municipality is distinguished
with his variegated ethnographical population.
Old native habitants - so called "grebentsi" –
live in the villages of Staro Selo, Belitsa,
Varnentsi and Pojarevo. Comparatively wide
group formed the "balkandjii", who migrated
here in the beginning of the 20-th century
and spread their specific customs and habits among the native habitants.
They live in the villages of Shumentsi and Varnentsi. According to the contract
of Krayova and the agreement for population exchange between Bulgaria and
Romania, in the 1940-1941 many Bulgarian immigrants settled in South
Dobrudja. These are so called "preseltsi", who live in the villages of Nova
Cherna, Shumentsi, Belitsa and Varnentsi. The native Turkish population is one
of the main ethnical groups in the Tutrakan municipality which dominate in the
villages of Tsar Samuil and Tarnovtsi. In Preslavtsi live so called "Kazalbashi".
They are Moslems, but they follow the testaments of Ali - the brother-in-low of
Mohamed.
The most important holidays among the Christians in the Tutrakan district are
"Gergyovden" and "Nikulden". St. George is respected as the patron of the herds and
shepherds. As we know the first settlers in these regions are shepherds. The holiday
begins on May 6-th. People believe that on this day Good and Evil Forces come to the
World and fight between themselves. If the Good Forces win this fight, the year
becomes fertile. The other wide spread holiday is "Nikulden". It is related to fishing - an
important livelihood in the region - and celebrates on December 6-th. During this day
people eats only fishing foods. The Moslem population keeps different holidays. The
most popular among them are "Ramazan Bayram" and "Kurban Bayram". "Ramazan
Bayram" begins 10 days later than it was in the previous year. It continues three days
in which people prays for forgiveness. "Kurban Bayram" is celebrated two month and
ten days after "Ramazan Bayram".People are offering a domestic animal as a sacrifice
at this holiday. The meat is given to the poor people. In the district of Tutrakan there
are some cult sites. Two of them are respected from "kazalbashi" as "Softí baba tekke"
and "Ali baba tekke". "Softí baba tekke"
is situated in the bounds of Tutrakan.
People respect him as a saint.
They believe that he hears their prayers from all
over the world. It is interesting that there are no
restrictions on prayers' religion - they can be
Christians, Judean, Buddhist ... "Ali baba tekke" is
more popular. In the Bulgarian folk exists a legend
about curative possibilities of Ali baba who had
healed tzar Ivan Shishman's daughter. To express
his gratitude the tsar had given him an area to
build a monastery. It is situated near the village of
Varnentsi. Another cult place is the site
"Camping". People say that here was a great
religion center but in our days this area is become
a camping.
Part of exposition of Historical museum
One of the most famous battles of the Bulgarian army during
the wars of national union was the battle for the Tutrakan’s
fortress. The exhibition “The battle for Tutrakan” presents this
expansive battle, beside the white Danube, which marked the
beginning of the Bulgarian army’s campaign to regain
Dobruja.
After the First and second Balkan and the following economic collapse,
Bulgaria signed a peace accord on July 28, 1913. Southern Dobruja became
part of Romania and the newly appointed Romanian government invested
considerable resources into the consolidation of the new border. For two
years they transformed Tutrakan into one of the most powerful strongholds
on the new border as a result of its close proximity to Bucharest and the
city’s other strategic advantages for military activity within the territory of
Bulgaria. The fortress had 15 stations measuring 1-2 kilometers, placed one
after the other on two parallel lines, using ground and concrete defenses,
equipment, machine gun embankments, and three rows of wire.
On September 1, 1916, Bulgaria in
order to protect the nation’s pride, declared
war on Romania. Against the strong forces
of Romania, Bulgaria assembled part of the
3rd Bulgarian army, the 4th Preslatsi
infantry division, the 1st Sofia division,
Danubian Bulgarian-German force and
sections under the general command of the
head of the 4th Preslatsi division GeneralMayor Panteley Kiselov which included
55,000 people, 132 pieces of equipment,
and 53 machine guns.
The battle began on the morning of
September 5th and in spite of a strong
defense by Romania into the night, the
front line fell. The next day, the Bulgarian
army continued the onset. At 3:30pm the
Romanian garrison surrendered and at
6pm, General Panteley Kiselov entered the
newly liberated Tutrakan. The Bulgarian
army took captive 450 officers, 28,000
soldiers, and all their armaments. The
quick battle of Tutrakan was the beginning
of the liberation march into Dobrodja.
Within the memorial “War tomb – 1916” –
eternal peace is found for 8,000 soldiers
and officers from different nation of which
1764 are Bulgarians.
Memorial-the monument
that unites
two nations
The Complex is the only one of its kind in Bulgaria; it is
dedicated to the Bulgarian soldiers who lost their lives in the wars for
national unification. Since the major battles
were
fought
outside the contemporary Bulgarian borders, the Memorial is a
sacral monument of national importance. About
8000 Bulgarian,
Roumanian and German soldiers who died in
the 1916 Battle
for the Tutrakan
Fortress were buried there.
Immediately after the epic battle of Tutrakan, the
commandment of 4Preslav Infantry Division takes the
decision to bury all dead soldiers in Fort N 6 of the
Roumanian fortification line of the fortress. During two
weeks people from Tutrakan and neighbouring villages
carried the corpses of the dead Bulgarian, Roumanian,
German and Turkish soldiers to the burial ground
in bull-carts. The soldiers from the now Bulgarian
regiment of Tutrakan put wooden crosses with the
names of the dead soldiers, while the unknown soldiers were
buried in common graves.
On September 6th, 1917 the
first anniversary of the heroic epic
was commemorated.
On the same day a
foundation was established to erect a
monument to the liberators of the
town who had sacrificed their lives,
and the collection of donations began.
The ensuing Roumanian occupation
slowed down the project. In 1922 the
Roumanians built a monument which has been preserved till
nowadays in the memorial complex upon which it is written in four
languages: "Those who could die like
heroes protecting their motherland,
are worthy to be honoured and
cherished". During the years of
occupation little care was taken of the
memorial.
After South Dobrudja was reinstated
to Bulgaria as a result of the Krayova
Treaty of September 7th, 1940, on
October 28th 1940 the new
authorities in Tutrakan and the
Blagodetel Society of retired army
officers restored the foundation called
"September 6th", and launched a
petition for the building of a
mausoleum where the remains of the
heroes would be hosted. 1942 the
wooden crosses were replaced with
stone crosses, and the memorial was
surrounded by a wooden fence. In
this form the memorial was preserved
until the beginning of the 80's. The
initial restoration and reconstruction
of the complex was done in 19831986.
In 1986 the complete reconstruction and architectural redesign
began. By 2002, according to a project ratified by the National Institute for
the Monuments of Culture, the entrance, the park with a podium for official
celebrations, the postaments for the guns were built, as well as the Alley of
Glory where the names of the dead Bulgarian soldiers are listed. A chapel
is planned to be built.
Every year, during the first Sunday of September, thousands of
people, relatives of the heroes and other patriots, gather together to
commemorate the memory of the heroes of the epic of Tutrakan.
The Ethnographical Museum
“Danubian fishing and boat –
building” was founded in 1974
and is unique in the countries in
the valley of the river Danube. It
was founded in order to preserve
the rich material and spiritual
culture, the social structure and
the way of life of the Bulgarians
from the Danubian fishermen’s
settlements. It is not by accident
that the Museum is exactly in
Tutrakan, because fishing was a
basic mean of livelihood of the
population in this region from the
Antiquity till today. Fish, cod-liver
oil, caviar were being exported
from here to the interior of the
country and to various European
countries.
The exposition is arranged in seven halls
and two interiors, in a building – a
monument of the culture from the beginning
of the 20-th century. Original fishing devices
from the Antiquity and used in the
contemporaneity tools and equipment are
presented in a chronological sequence.
Original fishing rods and hooks from bone
and copper, harpoons, clay leads for fishing
nets, iron orifices, different types of nets,
made by Tutrakan fishermen from vegetal
fibers – sturgeon net, fishing – net, perch
pike – net, small fry fish – net, etc. are
shown. Photographs and black and white
drawings explain the way of fishing in the
settlements along the Lower Danube.
Except the shown fishing belongings, you
can get an idea about the social
organization of the fishermen, accountancy,
the inner structure of their homes, their
spiritual culture.
Part of exposition of Ethnographical museum
A place is devoted also to
the boat – making, which is
developing in the region since the
Roman period, when there was a
vessel repair workshop in the
antique fort. In the end of the 19-th
century boats from Tutrakan were
being exported to Romania,
Serbia, Austria, etc.
The exposition of the
Museum is a part of the enormous
ethnographical legacy of the
population of Tutrakan region and
the settlements along the river
Danube. The dynamic processes
in this region and the mixing of
different cultures lead to the
variety and richness of fishing
devices, preserved in the
Ethnographical museum
The Ethnography Museum "Danubian
Fishing and Boat-Building" in Tutrakan hosts
a collection of minerals from the National
Museum "The Eart and the People". The
exposition comprises 184 items, 53 of which
are donated to the History Museum in
Tutrakan.
The following thematic collections can
be observed:
Precious and gem stonesEarth
minerals Bulgarian mineralsAcademic
collection "Mineral Resources"Minerals:
variety and resources of North-East
BulgariaGiant crystals Precious stones and
gems - these are the most attractive group of
minerals, the so-called "aristocracy" of the
mineral realm. In order to belong to this
group, the mineral should comply with certain
standards of beauty - clarity, purity, bright
uniform colour, exquisite shine, light-play
(opalescence, asterism); longevity - that is, to
be hard enough and thermostable and
chemically resistant, as well as to render
itself to polishing and buffing well.
You can see some of the most valued and
popular, ever since ancient times, precious stones
and gems: emerald, aquamarine, morganite, tourmaline
(rubellite, verdelite, indigolite), amethyst, citrine, smoky quartz, garnet, amazonite, jade,
rhodolite, agate.
Minerals of the Earth - a systematic collection of minerals from all over the
world in which all kinds of minerals are arranged according to classes in the chemical
classification system - native elements, sulphides and sulphosoles, oxides and
hydroxides, halogenides, borates, phosphates, arsenites, vanadates, wolframites,
chromates, molibdates, sulphates, carbonates and silicates.
Minerals of Bulgaria - the exposition comprises of minerals of high aesthetic
value, that have been found in the Rhodope mountains, Rila, Vitosha and Sakar gallenites, sphalerite, quartz, staurolite, fluorite, volastonite, actinolite, opal, marble
onyx.
Academic collection "Mineral Resources" - metal and non-metal mineral
resources; namely:
Metal - iron ores - magnetite and hematite; copper ores - chalkopyrite; lead
ores - galenite; chrome ores - chromite; aluminium ores - bauxite; Non-metal quartz, calcite, feldspar, gypsum, fluorite, mica (muscovite), talcum, magnesite.Giant
crystals - four prominet specimens from the collection of the National museum "The
Earth and the People" are exhibited - quartz, orthoclase and mountain crystal with
inclusions of tourmaline from Pedra Alta, Brazil and geoda of mountain crystal with
HISTORICAL MUSEUM-TUTRAKAN
pl.Suvorov 1, 7600 Tutrakan,BULGARIA
тел. + 359 857 / 6-12-35, 6-13-45
e-mail: [email protected]
www.tutrakanmuseum.org