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Kazashko Fishermen and Boatbuilders: the Longboat “Perun” and Tsar Boris III
Before it became a village of songs and festivals, Kazashko was a village of boats. Its craftsmen built boats for the Tsar and reconstructed a 9th-century longboat.
A village of boats
From the very beginning, the men of Kazashko were fishermen, and some were also boatbuilders. Their wooden boats were known for their quality. According to the newspaper Trud, Tsar Boris III placed orders with the local craftsmen and gave one of them an official master boatbuilder's certificate.
The longboat “Perun”
The best-known work of the Kazashko boatbuilders is “Perun”, an experimental model of a medieval Slavic longboat. It is a single-masted vessel with oars. The project was entrusted to 65-year-old Foma Kondratov, a boatbuilder from a family of boatbuilders. His father, Kondrat Danailov, was the craftsman who made a boat for Tsar Boris III and received his master's certificate from the Tsar in person. Master Foma built the longboat in two months, with the help of his son Ivan.
- 1987: the longboat was carried overland from Varna to Kyiv. From there it sailed down the Dnieper to the Black Sea and on to Varna.
- The second expedition was along the Danube and linked to the campaigns of Khan Omurtag. It was then that the longboat was given the name of Perun, the supreme Slavic god.
- The third expedition was in the Aegean Sea.
All three voyages retraced historical routes described in Byzantine chronicles.
Sadly, the craft was not passed on to the younger generations. Today fishing in Kazashko is more of a hobby.
The dolphin hunters
In the mid-20th century, dolphin hunting in the Black Sea was officially permitted. Known as good fishermen, men from Kazashko were chosen as marksmen and captains of gemiyas (traditional wooden sailing boats) for the Varna fishing cooperatives “Neptun” and “Primorets”. According to the mayor's office there were 11 marksmen; according to another publication, 15. As they told it, a sense of guilt towards the “noble animals” led them to collect the bronze cartridge cases and give them for casting the church's five bells. Today this trade, long since banned, is recalled only by the bells and the metal hook in the museum.
The Tsar in the reeds
Tsar Boris III met the Lipovan Cossacks by chance and ordered a boat from them. After that he began coming to Kazashko often to hunt in the reeds and to stroll around the village with its little reed-thatched cottages. According to local people, he ordered the road from Varna to be built.
The mayor's office also tells a charming story. Passing the large family of Gerasim Ivlev, the Tsar was taken with 5-year-old, blue-eyed Salomonida. He asked her parents' permission, took her into town and bought her a beautiful dress. Granny Salomonida treasured this memory for the rest of her life. She lived to 86.
The museum collection
Parts of old boats, tackle, nets and tools are being collected for the museum collection at the Centre for Cossack Culture. In this way the village's fishing past stays visible for future generations.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the longboat “Perun”?
An experimental model of a medieval Slavic longboat, built in Kazashko by master Foma Kondratov. In 1987 it sailed from Kyiv down the Dnieper to Varna, and later along the Danube and in the Aegean Sea.
Published: 27 September 2026