The house where Vasil Levski grew up is located in the western part of Karlovo. It was built during the early Revival by Levski’s grandfather– Kuncho Ivanov in XVIII century. Afterwards there lived his two sons – Ivan and Vulyo Kunchevi.
The house is a small one-storey construction. Stone stairs lead to the winter living room which is built on the ground. To the left from the stairway there is a larder without any windows where flour, bread-troughs and other utensils were kept. The hiding place is on the right. In front of it, in the wall is built up a cupboard, the inner part of which is a small plastered wooden door. Folded rugs were kept in that cupboard so that the door of the hiding place remained covered.
Upstairs the house consists of two rooms. One of them was used for bedroom during summertime, while the other was a guestroom. Right next to it is the workshop – a low construction of one room in which woolen braidings were made and a semi-covered dye-room.
For many years the house remained uninhabited and it collapsed in the years of the Liberation. It was reconstructed by architect Dimitar Ivanov in 1933 over the original foundations. The work and materials were contributed by the citizens of Karlovo and the soldiers of the local military garrison, organized by a social committee, led by Aristotel Yanakiev, mayor of Karlovo at that time.
Apostle’s nieces, daughters of his sister Yana, gave valuable support for the reconstruction of its original appearance and its internal design. The house was opened for visitors in 1937.
