Ivan Hadzhiberov – Industrialist, Entrepreneur and Donor, in Calm and Uncertain Times

Ivan Hadzhiberov (1858–1934) was from the first generation of industrialists that laid the foundations of the famous Gabrovo industry. Even during his lifetime, he was defined by his contemporaries as a "legendary Bulgarian", "the most popular among Gabrovo manufacturers", "a man of progress", "the Bulgarian Japanese". Ivan Hadzhiberov was born in Gabrovo in 1858 and came from a wealthy, but not rich, family. Like other first-generation industrialists, Ivan Hadzhiberov did not receive a particularly high education. Even at a very young age, he helped his father in the trade. For some time he earned his living as a traveling salesman. After collecting some capital, Hadzhiberov invested in a modern mill (1890), built a woolen textile factory in partnership, which was the fourth in a row in Gabrovo (1892). The third enterprise that he built independently was a hydroelectric power plant on the Yantra River (1906). It is the second in the country and the first for industrial purposes. With it, he electrified part of Gabrovo and several factories. It conducts its own social policy for its workers and employees, donates funds to schools and libraries. Until now, in various publications, Ivan Hadzhiberov has been presented in an unrealistic light, existing and non-existent merits are attributed to him, myths are created around his name. The purpose of this article is to present his actual contribution to Gabrovo and Bulgaria.