Balgarianovinite.com Bulgaria has acquired the building and archival holdings of the Institute for the History of Bulgarian Emigration in North America Ilia Todorov Gadzhev, the State Archives Agency (SAA) said on Thursday.
The Agency said that on July 29, 2026, under a decision of the Council of Ministers submitted by Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov, SAA Chair Mihail Gruev was authorized to conclude a contract for the purchase of the property on behalf of the State and for its transfer to the SAA for management free of charge. The acquisition comprises the building and documents of the Institute for the History of Bulgarian Emigration in North America Ilia Todorov Gadzhev in Goce Delchev, which will be established as a separate unit within the SAA’s structure.
The Institute’s documentary collection is of exceptional value to Bulgarian history, comprising approximately 152 linear metres of archival material and more than 3,000 archival units. Of particular importance to researchers are the documents of Ivan Mihailov, Smile Voydanov, Hristo Nizamov, Petar Semerdzhiev, Lyubomir Dalchev, as well as those of Dr Ivan Gadzhev himself. The collection also includes 18 complete and 50 nearly complete runs of émigré periodicals, many of which are absent from the holdings of Bulgarian libraries, including the National Library St. St. Cyril and Methodius.
The entire documentary collection constitutes invaluable evidence of the struggles of the Macedonian Bulgarians and the life of the Bulgarian emigre community in the United States. It is the largest private collection documenting the history of the Bulgarian presence in North America and the struggle for a free Macedonia, the SAA added.
Speaking on the Bulgarian National Television on Thursday morning, Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov said the archive documents the Macedonian emigre community and “clearly proves the Bulgarian character of Macedonia.”
“This archive attracted interest from many countries. It could have been used against Bulgaria, but thanks to the swift action of the Bulgarian institutions over the past two months, we acquired these invaluable documents, including complete runs of Macedonian publications in the United States in which people with fresh memories after the Ilinden Uprising describe who they are, how they see themselves, and that they identify as Bulgarians,” Hristov said.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the archive was purchased for “a very reasonable amount, well below EUR 1 million.”
“So we are acquiring everything, including the building, because that was the heirs’ wish and the condition under which they were willing to transfer the archive. We had to locate five heirs in the United States. All institutions provided wholehearted support for a cause of national importance, and I thank them for that,” Hristov added. Bulgaria Acquires Historian Ivan Gadzhev’s Archive 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-30 20:38:06 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law