Silver Commemorative Coin "200 years since the publication of the Fish Primer"

“Primer with Various Instructions” is the first Bulgarian textbook, published by Petar Beron in the town of Brașov in 1824.
It is called “The Fish Primer” because of the illustration of a whale on one of the pages. The book played a key role in the development of Bulgarian education during the National Revival. At a time when Bulgarians were under Ottoman rule and education was limited to church texts, Beron created an accessible textbook in spoken Bulgarian, inspired by Western European Enlightenment ideas.

The textbook contains a variety of sections: Primer, Prayers, Arithmetic, Wise Answers, Good Advice, Fables and Physical Tales. This made the Primer innovative for its time, offering secular learning outside the confines of the church.

The Primer was widely used in schools, inspiring younger generations to seek knowledge and enlightenment.
Today, the “Fish Primer” is a symbol of the quest for knowledge and freedom, and Dr Petar Beron goes down in history as one of the most important Bulgarian enlighteners.