Voivode Beyko Gashtanov

Beyko the Voivode from the village of Kalugerovo was one of the well-known figures in the Sredna Gora region between 1858 and 1863. His connections with hajduks from the village, such as Stoyko P. Karadzhov, Bono Manchov, Stoyko T. Cholakov, Stoyan At. Chochev, Tome Kolchakov and others, were strong and lasting. He enjoyed great popularity and respect among local people, while his name inspired fear among the Turks.

Despite his successes in the struggle against the oppressor, relations between Beyko the Voivode and Stoyko Karadzhov deteriorated because of their different views on liberation strategy. These differences led to conflicts between them.

One intriguing story associated with Beyko the Voivode takes place at Livadishta near the Kanarska path. At night, as a caravan of Bulgarian and Turkish carts was returning from Panagyurishte, barking dogs woke the drivers. They were attacked by two armed men, one of whom was Beyko himself. After brief questioning, he established that the Turkish caravan drivers were innocent and let them go. He not only spared the impoverished Bulgarians but gave them a handful of money before disappearing into the midnight darkness.

This episode is just one of Beyko the Voivode's many deeds that make him a legendary hero in the history of the Sredna Gora region and the nineteenth-century struggle for freedom in Bulgaria. Georgi Angeliev, a member of the detachment of Todor Banchev and Beyko the Voivode, was also an admirer of the village of Kalaglare, where Georgi Benkovski and G. Manev administered an oath to him.