Doctor Petar Beron

Doctor Petar Beron (Petar Hadji Berovich) was born in 1795 in the town of Kotel (Eastern Balkan Mountains). He finished his primary education in Kotel, quite famous for its schools. After leaving school he started learning crafts by his father. During the Russian-Turkish War his father was ruined and Beron was forced to leave Kotel and look for job. In 1815 he settled in Varna at a tailor, and two years later left for Bucharest, where he started studying at the school of a famous Greek enlightener. For the three years spent in studies there, Beron learned modern and ancient Greek and received sound classical education. In Bucharest Beron lived on tutoring. In 1821 he left for Brasov in Transylvania (Romania), where he became tutor again. Besides teaching “new sciences”, he had the opportunity to use a more modern method of teaching. The teacher’s activity provoked in Beron strong interest in Bulgarian education and he started working for its improvement. The “Fish ABC Book” or “ABC Book with Different Lessons”, written by Petar Beron and issued in 1824 in Brasov is one of the few books that have so profoundly influenced the spiritual life of the Bulgarians. This small book (just 140 pages) has played great role in the formation of the new, non-clerical Bulgarian school, contributed much to the development of the local education and helped the forming of the modern Bulgarian language. In 1839 Beron founded a commercial partnership, and in 1840 bought a farm near Craiova (Romania), which gave him satisfactory income and allowed him to devote himself to scientific researches. Petar Beron never stopped being interested in Bulgaria’s education. With his own funds he founded schools in Kotel and the district, in the towns of Shoumen, Razgrad, etc. He maintained them, as well as supported young Bulgarians in foreign high schools and universities, and corresponded with plenty of enlighteners. Petar Beron died on March 21, 1871. According to his will a fund was established that provided the financial support for the building of the Bulgarian male teachers’ high school Doctor Petar Beron in Odrine and for its maintenance.