Vasil Aprilov
Wasil Ewstatiew Aprilov ( Bulgarian Васил Евстатиев Априлов; born July 21, 1789 in Gabrovo, † October 2, 1847 in Galaţi ) was a Bulgarian doctor, who studied in Vienna and is known in Bulgaria, especially as a promoter of school and church services, and as one of the activists of the Bulgarian National Revival.
Biography
Wasil Aprilov was born on July 21, 1789 in the city, in the Balkan Mountains town of Gabrovo. He came from a distinguished family of craftsmen, whose wealth allowed him a solid education. He received his education first in Moscow, and later at a German school in Kronstadt, finally, he studied medicine in Vienna. After graduating, he lived in several countries, from 1811 he worked as a merchant in Odessa and soon rose to the wholesale merchant.
Long time he maintained close relations with the Greek circles in Odessa, but he became a devotee of Greek education and culture, and advocate of Hellenism. He promoted Greek schools and supported Greek freedom fighters, who mustered from Odessa to Greece to support the Greek Revolution 1821-1829.
A change in his views, the recollection of his Bulgarian national identity was inspired by the Russian scholar Yuri Venelin which primarily through his work " The Bulgarians of past and present in their political, ethnographic, historical and religious relationship with the Russians " ( russian Древние и нынешние болгаре в политическом, народописном, историческом и религиозном их отношении к россиянам, 1829) as well as other publications acquired great merit for the early exploration of the history, life, culture and language of the Bulgarians.
After his transformation Aprilov became the most important representatives of the Bulgarian National Revival of the thirties, forties of the 19th century. He recognized one of the first, the risk of hegemony of Hellenism. To fight them, he founded together with Nikola Palausow (1776-1853) and with the support of the scholar Neophyte Rilski in his home town of Gabrovo, the first secular school ( взаимно Bulg Габровско училище ) " Gabrovo total primary school". It was based on the experience of the Russian school system, was determined by the Lancasterschule - built of school and soon became a model for the structure of the Bulgarian education system of the 19th century. Even after its construction remained Aprilov the main conveyor.
In the years after Aprilov built together with other Bulgarian merchants of Odessa a scholarship for outstanding Bulgarian boys and girls who were given the opportunity to develop in Russia (mainly Odessa, Kiev and Moscow) and Western Europe. Next supported Aprilov issuing publications in Bulgarian or Bulgaria. He wrote several works, among others, " Morning star of the early Bulgarian education" ( Bulg " Денница на новобългарското образование " ) in 1841, which was first published in Russian in St. Petersburg. In this work Aprilov attacked the Serbian claim that the Cyrillic alphabet was first found among her people spreading, sharply. Through his works Aprilov lifted the glorious past of the Bulgarians into consciousness, described the development of Bulgarian culture and education, justified the need for a secular education, fought for a written in the vernacular literature. At the same time Aprilov paved Russia's cultural influence on the Bulgarians. In the development of the early Bulgarian language Wasil Aprilov Petar Beron and Najden Gerow looked at the ostbulgarischen dialects as the basis for the formation of a unified written language.
Wasil Aprilov laid by its promotions, the first accreting the Bulgarian ethnography. Through his suggestions or collected the Bulgarian intelligence agencies ethnographic and folkloric material, including Bulgarian folk songs, fairy tales and stories. Some of his close associates were doing Neophyte Rilski, Zachary Kruscha and Rajno Popovich. The collected materials published Aprilov in Russian.
Wasil Aprilov died on October 2, 1847 in Galaţi, as he returned from a trip from Bucharest to Odessa. A large part of his heritage, Aprilov able to build the First Bulgarian Gymnasium - the Aprilov High School, which was also built in his hometown. He was initially buried in Galaţi, however, after the completion of Aprilov High School in his court to be buried. Today many schools and other educational institutions bear his name in many cities of Bulgaria.
- See also: Bulgarian Revival