On 21 October 2025, the ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ National Endowment Fund unveiled a commemorative plaque for its donor, Professor Vasil Gerov, in his native village of Skalsko. The memorial sign was installed on the façade of the building housing the Municipality and the Svetlina 1922 Community Centre.
The initiative for the installation of the memorial plaque lies with the Fund. In this way, the NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ team not only pays tribute to its donor, but also celebrates the 121st anniversary of his birth.
Prof. Vasil Gerov, M.Eng. (1904–1985), an eminent scientist and theorist, was one of the establishers of the State Polytechnic in Sofia. He wrote 12 textbooks for higher education institutions and secondary technical schools, and over 20 works devoted to theoretical and experimental research into hydraulic turbines. He held two patents and five certificates of authorship of inventions. He produced numerous scientific articles and monographs in Bulgaria, Germany, England, Timisoara, and Romania.
Prof. Gerov also wrote the memoir, ‘From the Past of the Village of Skalsko (Kayadjik) from 1878 to 1978’. It was published in 2008 on the occasion of the centenary of Skalsko, Dryanovo Municipality in the Gabrovo Region, the 130th anniversary of its founding, and the 95th anniversary of the Balkan Wars (1912–13).
The opening ceremony was attended by Trifon Pachev, Mayor of the Municipality of Dryanovo; Dilyana Dzhedzheva, Deputy Mayor; Nikolay Stefanov, Deputy Governor of Skalsko; Miroslava Lilova, Council Chair, and Antoaneta Stavreva, Secretary of the Razvitie 1869 Community Centre in Dryanovo; Minka Georgieva, Chair of the Svetlina 1922 Community Centre in Skalsko; representatives of NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’; journalists, and residents of Skalsko.
After the ceremony, the attendees visited Vasil Gerov’s grave, with its headstone provided and financed by the Fund.