Nayden Gerov (February 23 1823 – October 9 1900)

A renown Bulgarian public figure, writer, folklore researcher. Born in the town of Koprivshtitsa, he quite early understood the great role of the well-organised school education to the spiritual development of Bulgarian nation. In the period when Nayden Gerov was especially active in his school and educational activities, the issue of the uniform literary Bulgarian language was getting more and more adequate. Ambitious to prove the unique opportunities of our language and its variety of expressiveness, he wrote the first Bulgarian drama, Stoyan and Rada. After receiving his higher education in the Richelieu College, in Odessa, he came back to Bulgaria. He was invited by the Plovdivs public figures to found a high school in the city. When Nayden Gerov arrived to Plovdiv, it was a pro-Greek city, where Bulgarian language, education and self- consciousness were almost extinct. He was one of the initiators the citizens of the city to call it by its Bulgarian name of Plovdiv, instead of Philippopolis or Philibe. He was also the initiator of the celebration of May 11th, the day of St.St.Cyril and Methodius as the day of Bulgarian Education and Culture.