Lost in Plovdiv

The family was founded by Hadji Valko Chalakov (Chaloolu), a tailor by trade. Known as "The Great" he earned this title not just due to his seniority in the family but because he was one of the most influential Bulgarians of the early 19th century. Born around 1765 in Koprivshtitsa, he initially worked as a tailor before becoming a livestock trader and tax collector. Eventually, he rose to the position of chief tax entrepreneur for livestock in the European territories of the Ottoman Empire—an appointment made personally by Sultan Mahmud II. This position granted him significant power and influence among the Bulgarians. He was also entrusted with managing state-owned pastures in the Balkan mountains. He held the post of chief tax collector until his death in 1841, after which his brother Stoyan took over until 1850.

The Chalakov brothers were closely connected with Nafuz Pasha, the Ottoman Minister of Finance, under whose protection they operated. Their names of "The Great" Valko and "The Great" Stoyan Todorovich Chalakov, became synonymous with Bulgaria’s national revival in the mid-19th century. Their family played a crucial role in reinforcing Bulgarian influence in Plovdiv and ensuring the triumph of Bulgarian identity in the largest city of the Bulgarian lands. By the early 19th century, Koprivshtitsa had become too small for the ambitions of the Chalakov family, leading them to relocate to Plovdiv.

The first to settle there was Stoyan Todorov Chalakov in 1793. By the 1840s, he and his sons were responsible for collecting taxes on sheep and grain from the Thrace, Moesia, and Shopluk regions on behalf of the Ottoman authorities. In 1846, he purchased the right to collect the tithe tax from the Ottoman government for 400 000 groschen, which he deposited into the treasury. However, this investment yielded him an astounding return of 5 183 877 groschen—an incredible 1200% profit. To put this into perspective, the sugar factory built in Sofia before Bulgaria’s liberation cost only 200 000 groschen.

In 1848, Chorbadji Stoyan Chalakov built the “St. George” Church and the first Bulgarian school in the Marasha neighborhood. Church services were conducted in Church Slavonic, while education at the school was in Bulgarian. In 1849, “St. Ivan Rilski” Church and an accompanying school were built in the Karsiyaka district. In 1850, Chorbadji Stoyan established the main diocesan Bulgarian school and created a fund of about one million leva to support it. He invited Naiden Gerov, a leading Bulgarian educator, to serve as a teacher, and the school opened on October 1st 1850, under the name "Saints Cyril and Methodius". Throughout this period, nearly every Bulgarian book publication included the Chalakovs among its benefactors.

During the 1830s, the large-scale construction of Plovdiv’s churches began, with the Chalakov family emerging as one of the most prominent sponsors. In 1830, they financed most of the construction of the “St. Dimitar” Church, covering more than three-quarters of the costs. They also played a significant role in the rebuilding of the “St. Nicholas” Church (1835), “St. Petka” Church (1835), and “St. Bogoroditsa” Church (1844). Their relatives, Valko and Stoyan Kurtovich Chalakov (known as "The Small Chalakovs"), also contributed by funding the construction of the “St. Nedelya” Church in 1832 and later the “Sts. Constantine and Helena” Church in eastern Plovdiv.

In 1817, "The Great" Valko Chalakov moved to Plovdiv and became a key figure in the city’s administration, dedicating himself to the development of hospitals, churches, and schools. He became a patron and overseer of the Rila Monastery and helped restore the “St. Nicholas” Church and “St. Petka” Church in Plovdiv, as well as “St. Nicholas” Church in Bachkovo Monastery. His donations also funded the construction of a school and hospital adjacent to the “St. Petka” Church. Because of his deep involvement in the Bulgarian Orthodox community, Valko Chalakov was often referred to as the "Orthodox Governor of Philippopolis" (Plovdiv).

The Chalakov cousins, Valko and Stoyan Chalakov ("The Small Chalakovs"), who arrived in Plovdiv a little later, were also major benefactors, contributing to the construction of numerous Bulgarian churches and schools.

As the next generation of Chalakovs received a European education, they became actively involved in the fight for Bulgarian ecclesiastical independence. Among their most distinguished descendants were: Dr. Georgi Valkovich, a minister in Free Bulgaria, and

Nikola Chalakov, one of Plovdiv’s longest-serving mayors, who initiated the founding of the city’s first orphanage in 1900.

In Old Plovdiv, the Chalakov family once owned numerous properties in the Taksim and Dzhambaz Tepe areas. However, most of these estates were destroyed by fires over the centuries. The only surviving Chalakov house, where the grandson of the family’s founder "The Great" Valko once lived, remains standing today, though it is not open to visitors.