Janeta Iordanova, Telegraf, February 25, 2025
This article was published on the website of the Bulgarian newspaper Telegraf on February 25, 2025 and is reprinted with permission of the author. The title and subtitle are chosen by the Bridge of Friendship.
A Romanian citizen has rescued a bronze plaque with the face of the talented Bulgarian master Kolyo Ficheto from the rubbish and donated it to the Dryanovo History Museum.
About 25 years ago, Cristian-Mihai Pastrama from Giurgiu found the plaque dumped among the rubbish on the outskirts of a nearby village. It was well preserved and the Cyrillic inscription “Kolyo Fi-cheto Leto (year) 1881” could be read. The man had no idea who was represented, but thought the bronze tablet might be valuable and took it home.
Value
“Recently I decided to contact Mrs. Ana Tatu from Giurgiu, who maintains a Facebook page about the history and culture of Giurgiu – Giurgiu Neoficial. I asked her if the object has value and if she knows who is represented,” Cristian-Mihai Pastrama, who works as a driver, explained to Telegraf.
Ana Tatu has been maintaining the Giurgiu Neoficial page for 8-9 years and sometimes adds little stories from the Ruse region. With time, people got used to asking her about all sorts of things. “So did Mr. Pastrama, who sent me a message and a photo with the plaque.
The name was not hard to read and I even knew something about Nikola Fichev. I explained to Mr. Pastrama that he was a great Bulgarian architect and builder and drew his attention to the bridge near Byala, which he couldn’t miss if he traveled at least once to Veliko Tarnovo.
The man thought that maybe the plaque had some value and it would be good to donate it to a museum. I directed him to a museum in Bulgaria, because it rightfully belongs to Bulgarians,” Ana Tatu explained to Telegraf.
Example
In her turn, she turned to Bulgarian-Romanian journalist Vladimir Mitev. He contacted the History Museum in Dryanovo, Kolyo Ficheto’s hometown, and the plaque is now in the cultural institute’s collection.
“This is an exceptional gesture that can serve as an example. The donation becomes even more valuable for us because it was made in the year when we are celebrating the 225th anniversary of Kolyu Ficheto’s birth with a series of events,” said Ivan Hristov, director of the Dryanovo History Museum. Curator Simona Oliverova, who made the communication on the plaque presentation, has already sent a certificate of donation to Cristian-Mihai Pastramă from Giurgiu.
“We invite Mr. Pastrama to visit Dryanovo and our museum. The donation will be processed and will enrich our collection. We have such a plaque with the same inscription, it is even presented in an exhibition, but it is smaller. This one is larger – 14 by 16 centimeters, and probably had a wooden base,” Oliverova explained.
The bronze plaque may have been made to mark the 100th anniversary of Kolyo Ficheto’s death, commemorated in the country in 1981. It is not clear how the object ended up in the village in the Jura area. It could have happened in a variety of ways. In this case, what is important is that a foreign citizen showed care, and his gesture could indeed be an example.
15 events for the 225th anniversary of his birth
Through the national jubilee program “Kolyo Ficheto The (un)known”, the Dryanovo Historical Museum and the Municipality of Dryanovo are celebrating the 225th anniversary of Kolyo Ficheto’s birth. The program, which is under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture, includes 15 events for children and adults throughout 2025.
Now a calendar of the architectural sites of the Craftsman is presented. Children from all over the country are invited to take part in the national competition “The First Master around the country” for a drawing, a model, a literary work or a short video clip.
In July, a national painting competition has been organized and in September, Kolyo Ficheto’s relatives from home and abroad will come to Dryanovo. The highlight of the celebrations will be from October 1-3, 2025, when dozens of researchers will take part in the national scientific conference “Kolyo Ficheto the (un)known”.
Photo: Curator of the Dreanovo Historical Museum Simona Oliverova with the donation (Source: Janeta Yordanova, Dreanovo Historical Museum)
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