Ivan Chunchev

Chunchev was born in Patalenitsa. He first got his primary education in his native village, after which he was sent to study in a monastery in Krichim in 1853. In 1861, he went to a class school of Yoakim Gruev in Plovdiv. He was fluent in Bulgarian, Turkish, Persian, Arabic and Russian.[3] He began his teaching career firstly in Kalofer from 1867 to 1872, in Plovdiv from 1872 to 1873. He was a trader.[4]

After the liberation of Pazardzhik, together with Petko Radomirov and Alexa Daskalov, they went to Plovdiv, to the headquarters of the Russian troops, and sent a written request from the people of Pazardzhik to help them in establishing order in the town and to organize the election of a legitimate civil government. On 21–22 January 1878, the first city government was elected and he was the first elected mayor.[4] He then resigned because he went to Plovdiv and enrolled in the courses for civil servants.[4]

He was interned in Balnubar (today Kubrat), where he worked as an intern judge. At the same place, he participated in a creation of a chitalishte with 8 other people.[5]