Nikola “Никола Атанасов” Atanasov

Nikola Atanasov Никола Атанасов born 1886 Fotovishcha, Ottoman Empire Фотовища, Османска империя now Ognyanovo, Garmen, Blagoevgrad, Republic of Bulgaria Огняново or Огнѣново, община Гърмен, област Благоевград, Република България and murdered 15 March 1945 in the Nevrokop Prison Неврокопски затвор, Nevrokop Неврокоп, Bulgaria now Gotse Delchev, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria Гоце Делчев, Благоевград, Република България. Atanasov was born into a poor family but won a scholarship and graduated from the Bulgarian Seminary in the Ottoman capital of Constantinople. He returned to Macedonia and joined the Inner Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) Вътрешна македоно-одринска революционна организация (Вм-оро or ВМРО) and became a Chetnik четник in the troops of Stoyan Nikolov Filipov "Bratanov" "Dtramski" Стоян Николов Филипов "Братанов" "Драмски" (1877-1944) and Stoyan Ivanov Mulchankov Стоян Иванов Мълчанков (1875-1920). After the liberation of Pirin, Macedonia in the Balkan War of 1912, Atanasov worked in the tax administration of Nevrokop. At the same time, he continued to be involved in the work of the revolutionary organization. In April 1926, Atanasov was elected mayor of Nevrokop, holding office until May 1932. As a mayor, he took great care of the city's public works - creating the first urban development plan, installing water and electricity, and building a new high school. VMRO ВМРО leader Ivan Mihailov Gavrilov Иван Михайлов Гаврилов (1896-19900 wrote in his memoirs about Atanasov: "As Mayor of Nevrocop, he showed remarkable courage. He cut the old "Turkish pancake" to push the modern landscaping plan. Today Nevrokop has sewerage, water supply, electric lighting, a beautiful city garden, nice streets, modern private and public buildings, metropolitan palace, municipal house, municipal pharmacy, hospital, medical center, veterinary hospital, gymnasium, large community center with a theater lounge. .. everything planned was accomplished by Nikola Atanasov, at a time when he had to support the accommodation of a mass of refugees who came from the enslaved part of Macedonia." After the 1934 coup d'etat in 1934 and the strike against VMRO, Atanasov was interned in Lovech Ловеч. After the coup d'etat of September 1944, Atanasov hid in the village of Zagrade Заграде. Surrounded by militia, Atanasov resisted and was seriously injured in the spine. He was tried on a stretcher by the so-called People's Court Народен съд in 1945. He was killed with picks in the yard of the Nevrokop Prison and buried in an unmarked mass grave.