The Aprilov National High School (Национална Априловска гимназия) in Gabrovo is the first modern secular school in Bulgaria. It was opened on 2 January 1835, when Bulgaria was still part of the Ottoman Empire, with the financial help of Vasil Aprilov, Nikolay Palauzov, Vasil Rasheev and other wealthy Bulgarians and was based on the Bell-Lancaster method. Formed as the Gabrovo School, it took the name of its primary benefactor, Vasil Aprilov, in 1889. The school still exists today, having returned to its historic building in 1992 and it is one of the most prestigious high schools in Bulgaria. History Establishment and development The April High School was established during the Bulgarian Renaissance as the first Bulgarian high school. Its origins and development are inextricably linked with the ideas, activities and generosity of the ideologue of modern Bulgarian education Vasil Aprilov. The high school grew on the basis of the Gabrovo Mutual School, opened on the initiative of Aprilov and the Odessa circle of Bulgarians in 1835. The school is the first modern Bulgarian secular school and gave impetus to the opening of similar schools in other cities in the Bulgarian lands. Its graduates are some of the most prominent Revival educators such as Neofit Rilski, Joseph Kovachev, Kalist Lukov, Tsvetan Semerdzhiev, etc. The school was public and free for children from all over the country. With the help and donation of Vasil Aprilov and his closest associate and supporter Nikolay Palauzov, on April 24, 1840, the first public school library was established. In 1857, another prominent Revival activist, a graduate of the school and an Aprilov scholarship holder, Todor Burmov, reformed the curricula and the school moved into the next educational level - a class school. Only 10 years later, in 1867, the teacher Yosif Kovachev introduced the teaching of the "sound method" for the first time. Meanwhile, the construction of a special school building was in progress. During his visit to Gabrovo in the summer of 1847, Vasil Aprilov opened a subscription list to raise funds for the construction. The building was built in several stages: in 1847–1851, the masonry on the first floor was made by an unknown master; in 1872–1873, the building was completed by Usta Gencho Kanev from Tryavna. It was built in a way that was similar to the building of the Richelieu Lyceum in Odessa. It was located, according to the then framework of