Velyan Zahariev

The woodcarver Bai Velyan Zahariev from the village of Raduil creates a world of beauty. He fell in love with the magical mystery of wood at a young age, and by his hands to this day hundreds, perhaps thousands of wonderful works have been created - iconostases, icons, animals, birds, sea creatures, zodiacs, and one can admire with interest the models of the bull, the gater, the oil mill, the mill and others. In the small workshop, from morning to night, he creates, practising the craft of woodcarving, thus preserving for posterity this tradition.

One of his big dreams has already come true, to make a big playground for the kids and their parents and he has the ambition to create a museum in the village where local craftsmen and artisans can show their works and also a school where young carvers can be trained.