Tinko Simov

Who was Tinko Simov?

Tinko Simov was a Bulgarian revolutionary. He received his middle school education in his home village of Balgarene and his high-school education in Lovech. In 1905 he joined a Marxist discussion group. After he was expelled, he studied in the high school in Gabrovo. Simov refused to take part in the First and Second Balkan Wars, for which he was jailed. He succeeded in escaping, and afterward supported the agitation from the leftist parties against Bulgarian intervention in the First World War. Jailed again, he formed himself into an anarchist. After the war Simov was freed and began working in Gorna Oryahovitza. He took part in the transport strike of 1919. After the strike, he returned to his home village, where he worked at various low-paying jobs. During the 9th of June coup he was in Pleven, arrested and interned in Balgarene. Several times he tried to kill himself.

After the St Nedelya Church assault he passed into illegality. He came into contact with Vasil Popov, with whom he created an anti-government guerilla group of anarchists and communists. In 1927, they attempted robbing the Zemedelska Bank in Troyan. In the ensuing firefight Popov, heavily wounded, reputedly killed himself in order to avoid capture. Simov escaped. In 1928 Simov became the head of a small group of anarchists and communists. Pressured by police prosecutions, the group fled to Yugoslavia. In the ensueing years, Simov travelled throughout Europe, searching for connections with other anarchist organizations. In 1934 he returned to Bulgaria and made attempts to resurrect his illegal activity without much success. He hid for some time in the village of Lomec, Troyan. In 1935 his hideout was surrounded by the police, but heavily wounded he still managed to escape. He came back to Balgarene, where he hid in a barn for several days. After a betrayal, the police yet again surrounded Simov and during the firefight he killed himself.