The creation of the Museum of Photography in Kazanlak is no coincidence. Photography has had deep traditions here since the time of its introduction to Bulgarian lands, before the Liberation in 1878. Some of the first Bulgarian photographers worked in Kazanlak. It is believed that the first photograph was taken by Father Hrisant Rashov, abbot of the Maglizh Monastery from the late 1860s. It is assumed that he brought photography from Russia, where he graduated from a theological seminary. Confirmation of this can be found in the information of Georgi Danchov – Zografina, Zahari Knyazheski – founder of the library in the Maglizh Monastery, etc. Father Hrisant even initiated an enthusiast from the town of Chirpan into the secrets of photography, where the abbot brought all his photographic equipment on the back of a horse, writes Georgi Danchov.

Boris Schnee and the Russian Nikifor Solonikov were the pioneers of photography in Kazanlak at the beginning of the 20th century. They worked in partnership. They mainly took portraits in daylight. A Bulgarian almanac from 1893 lists Solonikov’s studio as one of the three in the city at that time. The photographer Alexander Popov worked here. In the years around the Balkan War, Stefan Apostolov and Petar Arnaudov registered a photo studio in partnership. Arnaudov was a bright personality in the public life of Kazanlak, he played on the stage of the “Iskra” cultural community center. He also participated in Matei Ikonomov’s historical troupe, while it was under the roof of the cultural community center.

He studied the photographic craft in Haskovo, with his uncle Aram, continued with Kostadin Tachev in Pazardzhik, he then apprenticed with Schnee in Kazanlak. For Arnaudov, the space of the photo studio turned out to be too limited. He began to photograph outside. He created some of the most valuable photographs of places and events in Kazanlak and the surrounding area, documenting historical visits, such as those of Tsar Ferdinand and his son Boris III.

At the beginning of the 20th century, photography in Kazanlak was carried out by the bookseller Georgi Penkov, father of the great Bulgarian artist, Ivan Penkov. Georgi Penkov is also considered the first publisher of photo postcards with views of Kazanlak and other places in the Rose Valley, and also one of the first publishers of postcards in Bulgaria. The postcards are colored and the names of Ivan Penkov’s partners – the merchants Fratevi, who financed the publishing activity, are printed on the text. According to the artist’s memoirs, his father was introduced to photography, again through acquaintances with Russians. While studying at a high school in Plovdiv, Georgi met a Russian emigrant, a nihilist by conviction and a photographer by profession.

Georgi Georgiev, a native of Kazanlak, laid the foundation for the theoretical foundations of photography in Bulgaria. Georgiev is the founder of the organized life of Bulgarian photographers, he is the chairman of the first Bulgarian Photoclub in Sofia, the author of the first aerial photographs of the beleaguered Thessaloniki in the rear of the French army during the First World War. Some of the best military photographers in our country from the first half of the 20th century in our country are from Kazanlak. Today, the photos from the front of Gencho Staynov, Georgi Georgiev and Petar Arnaudov are one of the most valuable sources of information about the military events from the time of the Balkans war, First and Second World Wars.

A famous Kazanlak resident, amateur photographer is Bishop Epifany Shanov, who took photos in Thessaloniki, Kukush and brought “a box of glasses” to Kazanlak, which, however, after 1953, are considered irretrievably lost.

Petar Hlebarov, who initiated the State Enterprise “Bulgarian Photography” in Kazanlak, is another prominent representative of the industry in the city, who left a valuable cultural heritage during his more than 50-year work.

By 1944, there were 4 studios in Kazanlak. The development of photography here continued in all its genres.

In 1954, the first photo club in the city was established.

The first cinema-photo club in Kazanlak was established in 1964.

During this period, the active activity of the Photo Club at the “Iskra” cultural community center also began, to which Artin Azinyan made an exceptional contribution.

A fresh impulse for the evolution of artistic photography here was given by the establishment in Kazanlak of the “Creative Group 1985”. It was created by Alexander Ivanov, Bedros Azinyan, Zhelyan Nikolov, Georgi Dimov and Marian Dimitrov – authors who still uphold the high achievements of this art not only in Kazanlak, but also in Bulgaria and abroad. They, as well as their followers, are the winners of numerous photography awards from plein airs, festivals, biennials and other forums of artistic photography and visual arts.

All visual installations are becoming increasingly attractive as an art activity these days, when we are witnessing the rapid growth of technologies and techniques used in photography.