THE BULGARIAN ECONOMIC ELITE IN PLOVDIV IN THE 19th CENTURY (SOCIAL AND PROPERTY PROFILE OF A PLOVDIV FAMILY)
Maria LEVKOVA-MUCHINOVA
Institute for Historical Studies (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)
Bulgaria
Abstract: The article presents the characteristics of the social and property profile of the Bulgarian economic elite in Plovdiv in the XIX century, seen throughout the history of a wealthy family – the Chalakovs. Various archival sources, documents of local self-government, personal and economic correspondence keep information about the rise of the Chalakovs and a number of other Plovdiv Bulgarian families, who have taken their place among the city’s economic and social elite, the local “notables”. The specifics of their economic activity and their property status, as important elements of their socio-professional portrait, are outlined in an article. The role of the Chalakovs and a number of other wealthy and influential Bulgarian families in the economic and social life of the city of Plovdiv in the nineteenth century is also analyzed in the study.
Keywords: Economic History, Bulgarian National Revival, Social Development, Economic Elite