On Gabrovo Day – May 15 – the House of Humor and Satire will open three exhibitions dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Gabrovo as a city.
The “Gabrov contribution” presents over 100 works of Gabrov artists, collected over the years and stored in the “Humor of the Peoples” art fund. A kind of greeting to the people of Gabrovo for the anniversary is the visiting exhibition “Eskisehir greets Gabrovo”, which comes from the Caricature Museum at the Anatolian University in Eskisehir, Turkey. The two exhibitions are already arranged in the halls of the House and welcome the most impatient visitors.
A particularly important highlight in commemorating the anniversary is the third exhibition, which shows residents of Gabrovo and prominent personalities in the archival photos of the House of Humor and covers a period of nearly 80 years, the House of Humor and Satire in Gabrovo announced.
“How Gabrovo Became the Capital of Humor” is a large-scale documentary exhibition from the archive of the House of Humor and Satire, presenting key events in the history of the city, which helped to establish its reputation and recognition as the Bulgarian capital of humor. The exhibition includes over 200 photos, posters, advertising materials, films, publications, etc., revealing forgotten faces and events of the recent past.
The tradition of the merry holidays in Gabrovo has been traced through documentary photos and posters from the 1930s, in which the Kerkov Jazz Orchestra and the Merry Gabrovo Theater come to life, the masquerades during the All Saints’ Day, dance evenings and balls, harbingers of today’s Gabrovo carnival. The exhibition shows the first editions of the famous Gabrov jokes, their publications abroad in various languages, as well as the humorous editions of the House of Humor over the years.
Black and white and color photos tell the story of the Gabrovo carnival from the 1960s to the present day. This important event for the city was respected by the first people in the state, and famous actors and cultural figures had the honor of “cutting off” the cat’s tail. Through the many photos, viewers can immerse themselves in the carnival atmosphere and see how the city was decorated during the Humor Festival. A selection of video films from the carnival processions over the years complements the exhibition, and the musical background to it is songs about Gabrovo by three generations of composers and poets (Alexander Yosifov, Yordan Chubrikov, Radoslav Talev, Dimitar Tochev, Radoslav Bumov, Ivan Mladenov).
A special section in the exhibition is devoted to the creation and activity of the unique House of Humor and Satire and the creative plans of its first director Stefan Furtunov – from its construction on the foundations of the old tannery, through the layout of the Park of Laughter, to the numerous national and international appearances of the museum. The photos also remind of events that enjoyed great respect over the years, but no longer exist for various reasons – the literary contests, the international film festival, the Satirical Variety Theater, the almanac for humor and satire “Apropo” and others. The external view of the museum’s activities is also interesting, which is revealed by the films about the House of Humor on a number of foreign televisions, including the British BBC and the Hungarian National Television.
The exhibition includes previously unseen photos of famous people who have been guests of Gabrovo and the House of Humor over the years. Among them are the first people of the state and famous politicians (Todor Zhivkov, Lyudmila Zhivkova, Milko Balev, Georgi Yordanov, Ivan Slavkov, Andrey Lukanov, Alexander Lilov, etc.); presidents Zhelyo Zhelev, Petar Stoyanov, Georgi Parvanov; the former governors of the city (Trifon Pangelov, Karl Kandulkov, Trifon Pashov, Ivan Stoyanov, Ivan Nenov, Nikolay Dachev, etc.); many cultural figures, artists, writers and journalists (Pavel Matev, Marko Ganchev, Georgi Kaloyanchev, Nevena Kokanova, Svetoslav Peev, Martina Vachkova, Boris Dimovski, Radoi Ralin, Georgi Chapkenov, Brigita Cholakova, Krustan Dyankov, etc.).
The photos from the exhibition also bring back memories of Gabrovo’s first connections with other European cities, which later became twinned and partners of the capital of humor – Aberdeen (Scotland), Aalst (Belgium), Thun (Switzerland) and others.
Naturally, the glory of the city and its fame would not be possible without the dedication and deeds of its citizens – hardworking, thrifty, enterprising, hospitable, patriotic, with an inexhaustible sense of humor and a proverbial love for traditions. In fact, the main characters in the exhibition are the ordinary people of Gabrovo, who with non-standard ideas, hard work and inspired participation created history and made possible the Festival of Humor, the Carnival and the Fun House.
The team of the House of Humor dedicates the exhibition to the people of Gabrovo and most kindly invites all fellow citizens to visit it and recognize themselves among the hundreds of participants in the cheerful Gabrovo events over the years.
The official opening of the three exhibitions will take place on May 15 this year. from 11.00 a.m. in the House of Humor and Satire, right after the traditional Fun Bustle in the Park of Laughter.
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