Achim Popov – primul tipograf particular din Basarabia în perioada țaristă (1812-1918)
Achim Popov – the First Private Printer in Bessarabia in the Tsarist Period (1812-1918)

Summary/Abstract: The history of Bessarabia during the period of Tsarist rule has not been sufficiently exploited by historians. Various aspects of socio-economic, political and cultural life have been investigated. Important steps have been taken in the exploitation of documents from the 19th century relating to the typographical activity in Bessarabia, in particular, the establishment and organization of the Exarchate Printing House by Metropolitan Gavriil Bănulescu-Bodoni. Other important topics, however, remain unknown to this day. One of these is the emergence of private lithographies and printing houses and the exponents, who contributed to the modernization of the province occupied by the Russian Empire. The first to establish a lithography on January 17, 1841 and later a printing house on May 4, 1843 in Chisinau was Achim Popov, about whom there is quite little information in historical writings. Achim Popov, born in the first decade of the 19th century, settled in Grigoriopol, on the banks of the Dniester River, learned the profession of lithographer in Odessa in the lithographic workshop of Alexandr Braun. Achim Popov undertook to spread lithography throughout Bessarabia. The lithographic stone was brought to Chisinau in 1836 and spread to the county centers in the following years, so that the zemstvo administrations in Soroca and Orhei had lithographs, but there were no specialists who could handle these devices. In the city of Ismail, which had a special status in Bessarabia, there was no lithography. Achim Popov's attempts to convince the authorities in Chisinau to open a lithography workshop in Ismail proved to be futile. The authorities in Chisinau reasoned that there were not enough financial means to establish a lithography in Ismail.Achim Popov continued to identify possibilities to establish a lithographic workshop in Chisinau and submitted a request to the governor of Bessarabia to obtain permission. Thus, Achim Popov established a lithography in Chisinau on January 17, 1841 and later a printing house on May 4, 1843. Through the efforts of the first private typo-lithography in Bessarabia, Achim Popov printed some valuable books for the culture and spirituality of Bessarabia in the 19th century. Achim Popov had an intense typographic activity in Bessarabia. His workshop was sold in the 1880s. In 1883, Achim Popov continued his printing activity, but in reduced parameters due to his advanced age.

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