Ivan Hadjienov

School 

Who is Ivan Hadjienov and what is his contribution to the school ?

Ivan Nikolov Hadjienov was born in 1843 in the town of Kazanlak.

When he was 5 , his parents died. Till the age of 11 he lived in Kazanlak. He had two brothers: Stoyan and Georgi . When he was 11 he left for Bucharest to stay with his uncle Stephan – a benefactor to “Kulata” school in Kazanlak .

First he worked in his uncle’s shop, later he began working for a French building company. He spent several years in France, where he used to work in a building company as a partner.

He came back to Bucharest in 1877. At that time the Bulgarians fought for freedom and looked forward to the liberation of Bulgaria. After the end of the Russo – Turkish war in 1878 Bulgaria became an independent country.

The young man as many other patriots came back to Bulgaria. He settled down in Sofia. On the 1^st November 1881 he was elected mayor of the capital , as well as leader of the Conservative party. Thanks  to his hard work and extreme trade abilities , he succeeded in acquiring a lot of real estates in Sofia.

As a mayor of Sofia he applied the town – planning scheme from 1879:

new streets were made , new town squares were inaugurated , water – supply system was built.

His financial training helped him to introduce a new system to collect the municipality incomes, he contracted the first long – term loan with the Bulgarian National Bank;

a new hospital for free medical cure of skin diseases was opened.

In 1882 on his proposal was enlarged the Boris’s garden and he imported 11 000 ornamental trees from Bucharest for the park. At that time the municipality offered some terrains for the construction of the Military School and the Russian church in Sofia.

Although his successful period of life, Ivan Hadjienov decided to return to Bucharest. There he bought the estates of doctor Vassiliady.  That was in Romania that the two Balkan wars and the First World War surprised him.

In 1917 after the brilliant victories of the Bulgarian Army, he decided to offer his native town Kazanlak, as a gift , the sum of 1 million golden leva  in securities , bringing 5 % of yearly interest and a yearly income of 50 000 leva that should be used to found and support a Vocational School there.

For the fulfillment of his will, he chose Mihail Mihailov , Ivan Betkov and Todor Ivanov.

On the 30^th April 1917, the documents were sent to the Municipality of Kazanlak.

At the session of the town education commission, on the 10^th May 1917, the will was accepted and written down in the books of the municipality with great gratitude.

The intensions of Ivan Hadjienov were to found a modern Vocational school, having a smith’s , a carpenter’s and a porcelain departments in the aim of giving new occupation to the population in the youths.

The initial design of the school included a swimming pool in the school yard and a railway to reach the workshops.

Ivan Hadjienov died on the 21^st January 1923, without seeing his dream come true.

In 1924, Petar Topuzov, a relative of Ivan Hadjienov and a founder of the Historical Museum in Kazanlak attacked the topic about the foundation of the school on the local newspaper  “Kazanlashka Iskra “. On the 16^th May 1924 a general town meeting was held and a decision was taken to create 2 committees to found the school: the first one in Kazanlak , the second one – in Sofia.

In a year’s time, in May 1925, the Ministry of Trade sent a letter to the municipality of Kazanlak , allowing the foundation of the school, called after the name of its benefactor.

School 

The State Practical Mechanical School was opened on the 15^th September 1925.

Lessons began in two classes. The first principal in the school was eng. Ivan Toshkov.

The teachers were: Nikola Naydenov – smelting, Tsoncho Iliev – turnery , Alexader Bojilov – smith , Stephan Yotsov – fitter , Vassil Katrandjiev – maths and  lecturers from the Normal School in the town. Some years later, Atanas Pulev-fitter, Krastyo Pankov-turner, Stephan Dundakov-smelter, joined the school staff.

     The main building was built on 18.10.1923.The workshops in their first vision were built in 1926 bur were insufficient for practice. The first class finished their education in 1928 and the school graduates, enthusiastic with their successful graduation, gave up from their guarantee charge and left it for the workshops to be equipped.

In 1931 a two years’ course of study was opened, but only one class graduated.

In 1935, a statue of Ivan Hadjienov –the founder of the school, was made in the school smelt-house under the supervision of the teachers Stephan Dundakov and Nikola Naydenov. In 1936, the school building was finished and the workshops were enlarged. In the period 1935-1942 a production of lathes began, which were given to other schools in the country. In 1941 the school became a secondary one and was called: National Secondary School for Mechanics and Techniques. In 1944 machine and electric sections were opened; the school received its first cars and generator for light. In 1950 was built the second floor. In 1962 an evening form of study was opened. At that time the Technical school became one of the most prestigious schools in the town and in the country.

In 1962 it became a model school. The workshops were enlarged. In the period 1965-1975 an extension of the school was projected and accomplished.

In 1975 the new school building was opened, as well as the school gym, the boarding house, the canteen; another enlargement of the workshops was made, too. In 1986, a department to KHI” Hydravlika “was opened for common production of hydraulic products. In 1988 was opened a GAPS section/ flexible automatic production systems/ in connection with MK’F. Engels”. There was opened a study centre for training specialists to work with machines with CPU/numeric program device/.

In 1986/87 school year, for the first time, in the school were accepted students, who began intensive study of English, after finishing 7^th class .In 1987 the first computer hall opened its doors to the students. Nowadays, there are two computer rooms.

In 2000, the school united with SPTUM” Arsenal” and was called Technical High School”Ivan Hadjienov”. At present, the school has one of the best material bases for education in mechanical engineering, electronics and electrotechnics.The students can study here after finishing 7^th or 8^th class.

During its 82 years of existence, about 15 000 specialists were trained in the school.

Many of the ex-graduated students occupy high positions in the political, social and economical life of nowadays Bulgaria.