Chuprene
Encyclopedia
Chuprene is a village in northwestern Bulgaria
, part of Vidin Province
. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Chuprene Municipality
, which lies in the southern part of Vidin Province. The village is located 20 kilometres from Belogradchik
and 70 kilometres from Vidin
, 13-15 kilometres from the Bulgarian-Serbia
n border.
Chuprene is situated on the Manastirka and Chuprene Rivers in the western Balkan Mountains
, at the foot of the Sveti Nikola Mountain and close to Midzhur
, the highest peak of the western Balkan Mountains at 2,169 metres. The village is part of the copper
ore vein from Bor
to Chiprovtsi
, and may have been settled by German
("Saxon
") ore miners in the Middle Ages. The area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age
and it was part of the Roman Empire
in Antiquity, the First Bulgarian Empire
and the Second Bulgarian Empire
in medieval times. The village itself was first mentioned in an Ottoman
register of the Vidin sanjak
of 1454-1455. Jérôme-Adolphe Blanqui
mentions it as Chupren in the description of his journey from Belogradchik to Niš
in 1841. After the Liberation of Bulgaria
, Chuprene grew rapidly and reached a peak population of 1800-2000.
The entire population is Christian
, Bulgarian Orthodoxy
being the dominant confession. Chuprene has a church with a bell and clock tower. The Chuprene Biosphere Reserve is located in the surrounding mountains.
on Smith Island
, South Shetland Islands
is named after Chuprene.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, part of Vidin Province
Vidin Province
Vidin Province is the northwesternmost province of Bulgaria. It borders Serbia to the west and Romania to the northeast. Its administrative centre is the city of Vidin on the Danube river. The area is divided into 11 municipalities...
. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Chuprene Municipality
Chuprene Municipality
Chuprene Municipality is a frontier municipality in Vidin Province, Northwestern Bulgaria, located in the vicinity of the western parts of Stara Planina range in the so called Fore-Balkan area. It is named after its administrative centre - the village of Chuprene...
, which lies in the southern part of Vidin Province. The village is located 20 kilometres from Belogradchik
Belogradchik
Belogradchik is a town in Vidin Province, Northwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of the homonymous Belogradchik Municipality. The town, whose name literally means "small white town," is situated in the foothills of the Balkan Mountains just east of the Serbian border and about 50 km...
and 70 kilometres from Vidin
Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
, 13-15 kilometres from the Bulgarian-Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n border.
Chuprene is situated on the Manastirka and Chuprene Rivers in the western Balkan Mountains
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...
, at the foot of the Sveti Nikola Mountain and close to Midzhur
Midzor
Midžor is a peak in the Balkan Mountains, situated on the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. At , it is the highest peak of the Western Balkan Mountains, as well as of Central SerbiaThe highest peak of Serbia is officially Đeravica in the Prokletije mountain range at , but is located in Kosovo....
, the highest peak of the western Balkan Mountains at 2,169 metres. The village is part of the copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
ore vein from Bor
Bor, Serbia
Bor is a town and municipality located in eastern Serbia, with one of the largest copper mines in Europe and it has been a mining centre since 1904, when a French company began operations there. It is the administrative center of the Bor District of Serbia...
to Chiprovtsi
Chiprovtsi
Chiprovtsi is a small town and municipality in northwestern Bulgaria, administratively part of Montana Province. It lies on the shores of the river Ogosta in the western Balkan Mountains, very close to the Bulgarian-Serbian border...
, and may have been settled by German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
("Saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
") ore miners in the Middle Ages. The area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and it was part of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
in Antiquity, the First Bulgarian Empire
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
and the Second Bulgarian Empire
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
in medieval times. The village itself was first mentioned in an Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
register of the Vidin sanjak
Sanjak
Sanjaks were administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Sanjak, and the variant spellings sandjak, sanjaq, and sinjaq, are English transliterations of the Turkish word sancak, meaning district, banner, or flag...
of 1454-1455. Jérôme-Adolphe Blanqui
Jérôme-Adolphe Blanqui
Jérôme-Adolphe Blanqui was a French economist. His most important contributions were made in labour economics, economic history and especially the history of economic thought, in which field his 1837 treatise has been the first major work...
mentions it as Chupren in the description of his journey from Belogradchik to Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
in 1841. After the Liberation of Bulgaria
Liberation of Bulgaria
In Bulgarian historiography, the term Liberation of Bulgaria is used to denote the events of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 that led to the re-establishment of Bulgarian state with the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878, after the complete conquest of the Second Bulgarian Empire, which...
, Chuprene grew rapidly and reached a peak population of 1800-2000.
The entire population is Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, Bulgarian Orthodoxy
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
being the dominant confession. Chuprene has a church with a bell and clock tower. The Chuprene Biosphere Reserve is located in the surrounding mountains.
Municipality
Chuprene municipality includes the following 9 places:
|
Honour
Chuprene GlacierChuprene Glacier
Chuprene Glacier is a 4 km long glacier on Smith Island, South Shetland Islands draining the northwest slopes of Imeon Range. Flowing southwest of Drinov Peak and Popovo Saddle, and west of Slatina Peak and Varshets Saddle southwestward along the northwest slopes of Antim Peak and Evlogi...
on Smith Island
Smith Island (South Shetland Islands)
Smith Island is long and wide, lying west of Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands of the British Antarctic Territory. Surface area ....
, South Shetland Islands
South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...
is named after Chuprene.