The Trade Routes used by the Company “Hadzhi Mincho H. Tsachev and Evstati Seleveli and Partners” and the Consequences of Their Change during the Military Operations on the Balkan Front during the Crimean War (1853–1856)

The commercial house "H. M. H. Tsachev and E. Selveli and Partners" was established in Tarnovo at the end of 1847 by local entrepreneurs H. M. H. Tsachev, H. N. Minchoolu, E. Selveli, and At. H. Nikolov. It operated until March 1856. Archival sources testify that until the beginning of military actions on the Balkan front during the Crimean War (1853-1856) and after their displacement north from Bulgarian lands, the main bulk of the deliveries of goods for the needs of the company was carried out mainly by water – either through the Black Sea, or along the Danube River. The shipments transported by sea were dispatched from/to Constantinople. At least some of them were sent from Trieste and from England. They were later forwarded to Varna, from where they were transported inland to the Bulgarian territories. The shipments transported along the Danube River were most often received in the towns of Svishtov and Ruse. The river was also used for transporting goods for the company between the Danubian settlements. The archival sources testify that the closure of the Black Sea ports and the interruption of commercial shipping on part of the Lower Danube, as a result of the Crimean War, necessitated a change in trade routes. In this case, commodities sent from and/or through Istanbul were transported from there overland to Tarnovo, while those sent by the Danube River were received in Vidin. The overland route from the Ottoman capital to Tarnovo passed through the village of Shipka throughout the Balkan range, and passing this route took about 30 days. A document states that carrying out the same activity through Varna took about 15 days. The interruption of commercial shipping in the eastern part of the Lower Danube (from Vidin eastwards and vice versa) also hindered the transportation of goods within the Bulgarian lands, in this case between Tarnovo and Vidin (in both directions). In this situation, goods were transported between the two cities via an overland route that passed through Pleven. This took between 11 and 18 days. Documents testify that with good organization, the transportation of goods between Tarnovo and Vidin along the Danube River, with a stopping point in Svishtov, could have been accomplished within a few days. We can assume that due to the longer period of time for transporting items by land, the company incurred higher transport costs. During the mentioned time frame, land transport was hindered by a shortage of carriers, some of whom, as it seems, were engaged in unpaid labor (corvee) for the Ottoman state.