Балканска индустријализација балканских „Манчестера“: Лесковац и Габрово (1878-1912)
Balkan Industrialization of the Balkan’s „Manchesters“ - Leskovac and Gabrovo (1878-1912)

Summary/Abstract: By comparing two local economic phenomena from the end of 19thand the beginning of the 20thcentury, the article aims at pointing out general problems of the economy, alike paths to their solutions and similarity of the key factors in the process of establishing industry on the Middle-European scale in two Balkan states. The choice of the two towns - Leskovac and Gabrovo, was based on the fact that these towns shared the same nickname - Serbian and Bulgarian Manchester, respectively. There were certain pretensions behind the nickname, which were to a certain degree connected with the problem of self-perception. Both towns could serve as the examples of successful industrialisation in the Balkans. However, it remains unclear why they remained isolated phenomena at the end of 19thand the beginning of the 20thcentury. Both towns turned into symbols of modern industrial development and affinities for new technologies and experiments, especially in the field of economic initiative. The towns got their nicknames due to the importance they had in local economy and industrial development, primarily due to dynamics of their own development, but also owing to the people with the entrepreneurial spirit. Namely, a number of such entrepreneurs in Gabrovo and Leskovac managed to make these two small towns symbols of success and innovation. That was sufficient for contemporaries to give them prestigious nickname - “Manchesters”.

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