Bulgarian Crafts
Wood-carving in Bulgaria 
Fine examples of ornamental wood-carving can be found in many old traditional houses throughout Bulgaria. The expansive area of forests that cover Bulgaria provided a ready source of timber, which was then used not only for constructing the framework of houses, but also for many of the decorative architectural features both on the interior and façade. Perhaps the most impressive examples of wood-carving in old houses are the elaborately carved wooden ceilings that became such a feature of many Bulgarian National Revival houses. During the 19th century a number of wood-carvers guilds and schools of wood-carving arose in many towns around Bulgaria. One of the most famous was the Tryavna School of wood-carving which grew up in the town of Tryavna in the northern foothills of the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina). Fine examples from this school can be seen at Tryavna, Gabrovo, Veliko Turnovo, Sliven, Pleven and Troyan. Another famous school was the Samokov School of woodcarving which was founded in the early 19th century in the town of Samokov. Their work was more ornate in style and includes the wonderfully carved wooden iconostasis in the Rila Monastery. |
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Metal-working in Bulgaria 
When one thinks of the craft of metal work in Bulgaria, one tends to picture the amazing golden Thracian treasures which have been found throughout Bulgaria. Indeed, the Bulgarian lands have been famed for their goldsmiths throughout the centuries. However, the working of iron and copper are also ancient and highly important crafts which have been practiced in Bulgaria since antiquity. By the skilled working of iron, blacksmiths and other tool makers have provided essential domestic and agricultural implements for the inhabitants of both rural and urban Bulgaria. During the 18th and 19th century, the blacksmiths’ craft was flourishing in Bulgaria, to meet the needs of an urban society blossoming at the height of the National Revival. One of the leading centres iron was the town of Samokov, whose name refers to the iron working trade which flourished there. The art of copper-working also has ancient roots, and beautifully worked copper utensils were traditionally in daily use in every Bulgarian household. |
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Bulgarian Pottery & Ceramics 
Pottery is an extremely ancient craft in Bulgaria. Archaeologists have discovered that the cave dwelling in then entrance of the Yagodina Cave in the Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains served as an important regional ceramic centre over 6000 years ago during the Stone-Copper Age. Numerous beautiful ceramic pots of differing sizes were discovered within it, as well as the remains of a kiln. During the Roman period, the production of pottery flourished in Bulgaria, and during the ensuing centuries one finds evidence of architectural ceramic work in many buildings. With the start of the Ottoman occupation, the production of ceramics went into something of a decline in Bulgaria. However, during the Bulgarian National Revival, it boomed again. Some of the most famous centres of pottery and ceramics in Bulgaria were Troyan, Trun, Berkovitsa, Gabrovo, Razlog, Sofia, Samokov, Bansko, Teteven and Aytos.
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Bulgarian Textiles 
Textile weaving has always been another fundamental handicraft in Bulgaria, serving ordinary people’s needs for clothes and furnishings, as well as being a highly decorative art form in its own right. The roots of textile weaving in Bulgaria go back to ancient times, utilising wool from the large flocks of sheep that were grazed throughout what are now Bulgarian lands. In different parts of Bulgaria one finds unique traditional weaving patterns which help to differentiate the textiles produced in one region from those in another. Indeed, in the Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains for example, differences in textile colours and weaving design can vary significantly from one village to the next. The art of textile weaving in Bulgaria reaches its pinnacle, of course, in the crafts of rug-making and carpet-making. Carpets from Chiprovtsi in the Western Balkan Mountains (Western Stara Planina) are of international renown. Also much respected are carpets from Kotel, Koprivshtitsa and the Kamchiya region. From the Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains comes the thick, coarse goat-wool rug know as a kozyak. There are also beautifully coloured chergi (blankets) found in many parts of the country. All these Bulgarian carpets and rugs serve both practical as well as decorative purposes.
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Bulgarian National Costumes 
Whilst speaking of Bulgarian folk crafts, and in particular textile weaving, it is impossible not to make a brief reference to the beautiful Bulgarian national folk costumes that are found in Bulgaria. Sadly, these traditional Bulgarian national folk costumes nowadays only appear at special festivals in Bulgaria. The amazing thing is that these beautiful traditional national folk costumes were made at home by ordinary Bulgarian women through hours and hours of painstaking and intensely skilled labour. Furthermore, it was not simply a case of weaving fabric, it was a complex multi-skilled task to produce the constituent parts of a national costume, and it involved working with a variety or different materials including wool, cotton, silk, flax and hemp. Today, these traditional Bulgarian national folk costumes, particularly the women’s national folk costumes, can be regarded as exquisite works of art in their own right.
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