Bulgarian Ethnographic Maps from the National Revival Period

Authors:

Pages: 216-233
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/HKZE3779

Abstract:

This article concerns three Bulgarian ethnographic maps drafted in the late 19th century – the closing decades of the historical period commonly referred to as the Bulgarian National Revival. The three maps in question belong to Vasil D. Stoyanov (circa 1867), the Chitalishte (a kind of community cultural center) of Tsarigrad (Istanbul) (in 1872), and the Bulgarian Exarchate (in 1876). They all depict the territorial distribution of the ethnic Bulgarian population in the Balkan Peninsula at the time (and in particular within the borders of what was then European Turkey). The maps are yet to be tracked down and published, and it is unclear whether they even survived until present day or not. It is possible they remain archived somewhere outside Bulgaria. The maps were drafted in response to non-Bulgarian publications (in the form of maps, statistics, etc.), which contained significant errors (intentionally or not) in regards to the territorial distribution of the Bulgarian population and its actual numbers. Each map is accompanied by supplementary statistics. The maps played an important role in connection to notable historical figures and events. The goal of this article is to revive the memory of the maps’ existence and give some fresh impetus for their discovery and publication, which would be of enormous benefit.

Keywords:

Bulgarian ethnographic maps, 19th century, National Revival, European Turkey, Vasil D. Stoyanov, Chitalishte of Tsarigrad, Bulgarian Exarchate, statistics.

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