site.btaThe Third Life of a Grain Mill

The grain mill in the northern village of Karpachevo gets to live a third life after a cultural association and local enthusiasts repaired and redesigned it into a training and information centre. The project was supported by Letnitsa Municipality and the America for Bulgaria Foundation, Iva Taralezhkova, Chair of the Board of the Devetaki Plateua Association, told BTA at the opening of the refurbished mill. 

The mill was originally built in the nearby village of Kourshouna but as more mills cropped up by the village river, it went into disuse. People in Karpachevo bought the mill, brought it down, stone by stone, and moved the material to their village on ox carts to build the exact same mill.

It is made of a local stone, bigor, which is beautiful and easy to work with. Bigor now enjoys special protection. 

“We kept all of the stone walls and the old beams, those that had survived. All old elements were left unchanged. Everything new that we put in, is white because we wanted to be honest about all interventions,” says Taralezhkova.

The mill is now a tourist and information centre and a venue for cultural events. It will offer training in traditional building techniques to architects and students. It can be used by other organizations for team building projects or training.

“We will set up a Village Business Academy. It will be for people who have started a business in the countryside and we will help them to professionalize what they do. We will run courses on how to prepare a business plan, on marketing and advertising, on pricing, hospitality services, environmental protection, on preservation of the cultural and historic heritage. It would help the region gain popularity for top-quality tourist services,” Taralezhkova told BTA.

The first batch of trainees of the Village Business Academy are due to arrive in late March. After the training they will take an exam and the three best business plans they prepare, will get co-financing from the Devetaki Plateua Association.

The Association gets its name from a nearby nature landmark, Devetaki Plateua, which is situated on the northern slopes of the middle fore-Balkan Range, between the valleys of the rivers Osum, Rossitsa, Gostinka and Mugura.