Revolutionary Petar Goranov

Petar Goranov, whose full name was Petar Hadzhi Gorev Goranov, was a Bulgarian revolutionary born in Batak in 1829. He was educated in various towns and monasteries and worked in different occupations, including as a baker, merchant and teacher.

In 1876, he became chairman of the revolutionary committee in Batak founded by Panayot Volov. He actively led the uprising there, which began with his proclamation on 21 April. He rejected the Turkish authorities' ultimatum to surrender weapons and organised fighting against them. After successfully escaping the siege of Batak, he hid in Peshtera.

After the Liberation, Goranov engaged in trade in various towns, including Peshtera and Pazardzhik. He later became district governor of Pazardzhik. In 1894, he was a member of parliament. His recollections of the uprising, published in 1883, secured his place in history. After his death in Sofia in 1925, his son Angel Goranov, writing under the pseudonym Boycho, published a book about the uprising and massacre in Batak.