The House of Humour and Satire (HHS) is a cultural-entertainment centre situated in the heart of the town of Gabrovo. As it should be for a merry temple like this, it came into the world on April 1 st- the international All Fools' day. The year was 1972, its founder - Stefan Furtunov. HHS is a successor to the local folklore humour and the merry carnival traditions of the town of Gabrovo. The notorious Gabrovian frugality had its say in resolving the residential problem for the new museum-it was assigned the building of a former tanning factory, which after being transformed, opened its doors for visitors in 1975.

The most significant of these is the International Biennial of Humour and Satire in the Arts, which is held every odd-numbered year and is comprised of the following categories: cartoons, graphics, paintings, sculpture, posters and photographs. The full conditions of entry are published and circulated separately as well as published on the web site of HHS. Following the same biennial rhythm is the Blagolazh National Meeting of Story-and-Joke-Tellers, where smooth-tongue participants from around the Bulgaria compete in witticism.

The House of Humour and Satire is also known as an Institute for Promoting the Humour of All Peoples. Its motto is JHE WORLD LASTS BECAUSE IT LAUGHS". Its logo represents the world globe with cat's eyes and ears so that it can "see and hear" the global humour through the senses of the symbol of Gabrovian humour - the cat. The House of Humour and Satire aims at collecting, exhibiting and popularising the humour of the peoples around the world in various genres: fine arts, literature, folklore, photography, poster, merry celebrations and masquerade traditions all over the world. The house boasts a versatile activity and hosts events on international, national and regional scale.

All the year round the "Merry" Academy of Gabrovo organizes one-man shows or group exhibitions from its collections as well as, visits of humorists, children's competitions and celebrations, masquerades, scientific forums, book presentations, recitals, concerts, performances. These cultural meetings with authors, held in the HHS saloons, are known as the Merry Thursdays since they are always held on Thursdays but not all Thursdays of the week. The Merry Thursdays are synthetic events in their essence - they combine versatile initiatives, for example, the launch of an exhibition with a musical concert, a new book promotion with a recital, etc.

The Merry Calendar comprises the following permanent events:

- April 1, each year - the birthday and the patron celebration of the House of Humour and Satire, the birthday of planet "Gabrovo";

- The third Saturday of May every odd year- opening ceremony of the International Biennial of Humour and Satire in the Arts, awarding ceremony and carnival procession through the streets of Gabrovo;

- The third Sunday of May every odd year- National Meeting;

-The Thursdays of the year - not every Thursday but always on Thursday, the Merry Thursdays of the HHS are held.

Today, the House of Humour and Satire has grown into a real palace boasting 10 exhibition halls, a library, a recording studio, a conference hall, a souvenir and albums shop, a day bar, a night club, and a free parking area. In its immediate vicinity is located the unique for Bulgaria "Monumental Satiric Sculpture" collection, comprising artworks of Georgi Chapkunov, Pavel Koichev, Vejdi Rashidov, Mikhail Benchev and the sextet of friends: Nedko Solakov, Gredi Assa, Vihroni Popnedelev, Andrey Daniel, Bojidar Boyadjiev, Filip Zidarov. The appearance of the sculptures follows the next chronology: "Sun Dial", author unknown (1975); "Gabrovian Cat", Mikhail Benchev (1979); "Mime", Vejdi Rashidov (1982); "Hitar Petar", Georgi Chapkunov (1983); "Charlie Chaplin", Georgi Chapkunov (1985); "Humpty-Dumpty", Pavel Koichev (1985); "Don Quixote", Georgi Chapkunov (1987); "A Married Couple", Pavel Koichev (1987); "Sancho Panza", Georgi Chapkunov (1989); "Babel Tower", the above-mentioned authors' sextet (1989); "Harlequin", Lyuben Denev (1990); "A Dragon Fly", Georgi Chapkunov (1991); "An Optimistic Nanny-Goat with a Crow on the Back", Georgi Chapkunov (1995).