On August 27, 1895, on Black Peak in Vitosha, the foundation of the Bulgarian Tourist Union began under the leadership of the writer Aleko Konstantinov . The invitation to establish a club of Bulgarian tourists was published in "Zname" magazine, no. 99 of August 23 of this year addressed to Bulgarian nature lovers. More than 300 people responded, different in age, gender, social affiliation.
The idea is, through the creation of an organized tourist movement, to study Bulgaria, its wonderful natural features and rich cultural and historical heritage, to educate its citizens in the most valuable moral virtues.
A statute has been drawn up, the goals, tasks, and program have been defined. An active organizational and cultural activity begins.
In the first years of the 20th century, tourist branches in the country multiplied. The growth and development of the organized tourist movement is helped by the attitude and cooperation of state institutions, the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Public Education, community centers, forestry authorities, town halls, the military, etc.
Aleko Ivanitsov Konstantinov was born on January 13 (January 1 old style) 1863 in the town of Svishtov. At first he studied in his hometown, and then at the April High School in Gabrovo. He graduated from secondary education in the city of Nikolaev – Russia and then higher education (law) at the University of Odessa in 1885. This recalls the natural park "Vitosha".
He returned to Bulgaria and worked as a judge and prosecutor in the Sofia judicial institutions. He was fired twice for political reasons. Prepares and defends a dissertation on the topic “The right to pardon on the occasion of the new criminal law” with the intention of becoming a professor of criminal and civil law at the Faculty of Law of Sofia University.
He showed bias towards Petko Karavelov – political ideologue for parliamentarism and democracy. Due to the great popularity of Aleko already in the nineties of the XIX century, his political orientation towards Petko Karavelov was met with great hostility from the leaders of the other political parties, the battle between which in post-liberation Bulgaria was fierce. Some believe that this also led to the murder of Aleko.
Alek's great passion for travel accompanied him throughout his relatively short life. This brought him to the World's Fair in Paris in 1889, the Women's Industrial Exposition in Prague in 1891 and the Columbus Exposition in Chicago in 1893.
He was a member of the leadership and an active participant in the activities of a number of public, branch and cultural organizations and movements.
His first literary appearances were as a student in the city of Nikolaev in 1880 and 1881. These are the poems “Mirror” and “Why”, published in Bulgaria in the newspaper “Free Bulgaria”. In them, he openly shows his attitude to the political situation in his homeland and shows great sensitivity to social vices. The first mature work of Aleko Konstantinov is “To Chicago and back”. In it, he conveys his immediate impressions of this trip to America. It bears the marks of his bright creative individuality.
Tragic are the events in his life that overtook him and became the reason for him to choose the nickname The Lucky One.
Alec's addiction to hiking through the natural beauties of his beloved Vitosha Mountain left a deep mark in the history of the Bulgarian tourism movement and his name became a symbol and its emblem. Alec's call “Get to know the motherland to love it!” and today it is known by young and old, who set out on the tourist trails of Bulgaria.
With the aim of creating an organized tourist movement in the country, Aleko, accompanied by his like-minded, comrade and good mountaineer, the Sofia lawyer Nikola Tantilov, made an exploratory four-day passage through Vitosha.
On July 12, 1889, the two of them set off at 5 a.m. from the Boris Garden. Having passed through the Urvich monastery “St. Nikola” in the Lozen mountain, which is located very close to the right bank of the Iskar river. Further, their route passed through the Kokalyan Monastery “St. Archangel Michael” in Plana Planina and from there – in the village of Zheleznitsa. Further through the unknown and still virgin Vitosha, passing through the peak of Skoparnika, they reached the top of the mountain – Black peak. According to preliminary descriptions and using the few and not very accurate mostly Russian military topographical maps, the two comrades correctly oriented themselves and found that they were at the top. Continuing further down the watershed and along the Vladai River, at the end of the fourth day they reached the village of Vladaya. This first passage of Aleko Konstantinov through the Vitosha leader was detailed and picturesquely reflected in the press by his then companion Nikola Tantilov in 1907 on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Aleko's death.
After considerable preparation and publicity, the memorable ascent took place six years later on August 28, 1895. Without the necessary knowledge of gear as the most necessary – clothing, shoes, food, etc., 300 people respond on this memorable date to Cherni vrah. Among them was the patriarch of Bulgarian literature, the soft-spoken and outstanding travel writer Ivan Vazov. Aleko's intentions were to establish the first tourist association in the country with Ivan Vazov as chairman at this place and then. The unexpected and very rapid deterioration of the weather thwarted this intention of Aleko Konstantinov. Nevertheless, the event was sufficient, from a historical point of view, to be considered as the birth date of the organized tourist movement in Bulgaria. Aleko himself a few days later in the Sofia press described the case with the exclamation “Unbelievable, but a fact, 300 people on Cherni Vrah!”
In the mid-nineties of the 19th century, Aleko Konstantinov appeared as a like-minded and active participant in the work of the opposition Democratic Party at the time, headed by Petko Karavelov. Regularly published in her party newspaper “Zname” his editorials and feuilletons, ridiculing the dictatorial and obscurantist manner of leadership displayed by the government and the monarch. This is the main reason why he was shot by hired killers on May 11, 1897, traveling to the town of Peshtera in a carriage.
In Bulgarian literature, he left a lasting mark that the years cannot erase. Along with the travelogue “To Chicago and back” and his book “Bai Gagno” Konstantinov glorifies with lyrical pathos the beauty and majesty of the Bulgarian nature with the travel books “Unbelievable, but fact!”, “What, Switzerland?”, “In Bulgarian Switzerland” etc. By the end of his life, he created over 40 feuilletons. Most of them are an echo of specific events. Its main topics are: trampling on the electoral rights of the Bulgarian people, the behavior of ministers, deputies, the monarch and major social problems.
He has fully deserved the fame of the most prominent Bulgarian humorist-satirist. Therefore, in his memory and in his dignity, the State Satirical Theater in the capital is named “Aleko Konstantinov”. In his hometown in the house-museum “Aleko Konstantinov” items used by the writer at the time are shown. Here the visitor can meet his rich literary work. One of the most impressive exhibits is a glass jar in which you can see the heart of Aleko Konstantinov, hit by the bullet of the mercenary killers.
In the Boris garden in Sofia, on one of the most visited alleys, there is the monument to Aleko.
The worshipers of the beauties of our nature, the mountaineers, the tourism workers have contributed to perpetuating the memory of Aleko. On August 2, 1899 (only two years after the death of Aleko) in the Sofia village of Knyazhevo, now a metropolitan district, in the house located on the central boulevard (now ”Tsar Boris III”) under No. 353, a meeting of active mountaineers took place , at which a decision was made to create the first tourist company in Bulgaria under the name “Aleko Konstantinov”. For this event, a modest commemorative plaque is placed on the lower floor of this house.
The first tourist hut in his beloved Vitosha was built in Aleko's name. It was built on the initiative of a group of mountaineers-intellectuals in the period 1922-24. The construction was completed with free labor and funds collected by thousands of tourists from all over the country. The hut and the entire area around it is now known as the tourist and ski center “Aleko” and is visited all year round by thousands of Bulgarian and foreign tourists.