Golema Rakovitsa
Encyclopedia
Golema Rakovitsa is a village in western Bulgaria
, part of Elin Pelin Municipality, Sofia Province
.
, at the western foot of Sredna Gora
mountain. It is located just where the Lopushina and Ravna rivers flow together to form the Lesnovo River. From the village border starts the upper part of Ognyanovo Reservoir. Elin Pelin
, the main town of the municipality, is about 18 kilometres (11.2 mi) to the west.
An annual from the Bulgarian National Library, published in 1928, indicates that in the middle of 19th century there were 180 houses in the village. It was the biggest settlement in the eastern Sofia district at the time. In comparison Elin Pelin
, named Novoseltsi back then, was listed as having 125 houses. Just after the First World War there were 2,200 residents in the village. However, when the communist regime took the rule in the country, private property was strongly limited and the farming realties were nationalized. The population started permanently decreasing because of migration, mostly to Sofia
. Nowadays about 400 people remain in Golema Rakovitsa.
troops. The native Gato Shishkov was among the followers of the revolutionary Vasil Levski
who visited the village several times. It was reported that another Bulgarian revolutionary, Georgi Benkovski
, also passed through the village. During the Balkan Wars
in 1912 a man from Rakovitsa was a member of the Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps
.
The majority of the inhabitants are Christians adhering to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
. In the village there is a church named after St Nicholas built in 1857. In the church yard are the remains of an old religious school which was restored in 2005 and turned into a museum.
The two-storied building of the modern school was constructed in 1923-1924. It was a comprehensive school
named after the Saints Cyril and Methodius
. After operating for more than 60 years, the school was closed down in 1994 and the building was abandoned. Every year on 2 May, there is a local village celebration called Sabor, dedicated to the April Uprising
.
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 Elin Pelin Municipality, Sofia Province
Sofia Province
Sofia Province is a province of Bulgaria. The province does not include Sofia in its territories, but Sofia however remains its administrative center...
.
Geography
Golema Rakovitsa is situated near the eastern end of the Sofia ValleySofia Valley
The Sofia Valley is a valley in central western Bulgaria, bordering Stara Planina to the northeast, the Viskyar, Lyulin, Vitosha and Lozen mountains to the southwest, the Vakarel Mountain to the southeast and the low Slivnitsa Heights to the northwest....
, at the western foot of Sredna Gora
Sredna Gora
Sredna Gora is a mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to Balkan mountain range and extending from the river Iskar to the west and the elbow of Tundzha north of Yambol to the east. Sredna Gora is 285 km long, reaching 50 km at its greatest width...
mountain. It is located just where the Lopushina and Ravna rivers flow together to form the Lesnovo River. From the village border starts the upper part of Ognyanovo Reservoir. Elin Pelin
Elin Pelin (town)
Elin Pelin , previously known as Novoseltsi , is a town in central western Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of Elin Pelin municipality, located in central Sofia Province...
, the main town of the municipality, is about 18 kilometres (11.2 mi) to the west.
An annual from the Bulgarian National Library, published in 1928, indicates that in the middle of 19th century there were 180 houses in the village. It was the biggest settlement in the eastern Sofia district at the time. In comparison Elin Pelin
Elin Pelin (town)
Elin Pelin , previously known as Novoseltsi , is a town in central western Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of Elin Pelin municipality, located in central Sofia Province...
, named Novoseltsi back then, was listed as having 125 houses. Just after the First World War there were 2,200 residents in the village. However, when the communist regime took the rule in the country, private property was strongly limited and the farming realties were nationalized. The population started permanently decreasing because of migration, mostly to Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
. Nowadays about 400 people remain in Golema Rakovitsa.
History and culture
The village was set on fire twice during the 19th century by OttomanOttoman 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...
troops. The native Gato Shishkov was among the followers of the revolutionary Vasil Levski
Vasil Levski
Vasil Levski, born Vasil Ivanov Kunchev, , is a Bulgarian revolutionary and a national hero of Bulgaria. Dubbed the Apostle of Freedom, Levski ideologised and strategised a revolutionary movement to liberate Bulgaria from Ottoman rule...
who visited the village several times. It was reported that another Bulgarian revolutionary, Georgi Benkovski
Georgi Benkovski
Georgi Benkovski was the pseudonym of Gavril Gruev Hlatev , a Bulgarian revolutionary and leading figure in the organization and direction of the Bulgarian anti-Ottoman April Uprising of 1876 and apostle of its 4th Revolutionary District.Born around 1843 to the family of the small-time merchant...
, also passed through the village. During the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
in 1912 a man from Rakovitsa was a member of the Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps
Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps
The Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps was a volunteer corps of the Bulgarian Army during the Balkan Wars. It was formed on 23 September 1912 and consisted of Bulgarian volunteers from Macedonia and Thrace, regions still under Ottoman rule, and thus not subject to Bulgarian military...
.
The majority of the inhabitants are Christians adhering to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
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...
. In the village there is a church named after St Nicholas built in 1857. In the church yard are the remains of an old religious school which was restored in 2005 and turned into a museum.
The two-storied building of the modern school was constructed in 1923-1924. It was a comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
named after the Saints Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius were two Byzantine Greek brothers born in Thessaloniki in the 9th century. They became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Bulgaria, Great Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they...
. After operating for more than 60 years, the school was closed down in 1994 and the building was abandoned. Every year on 2 May, there is a local village celebration called Sabor, dedicated to the April Uprising
April Uprising
The April Uprising was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876, which indirectly resulted in the re-establishment of Bulgaria as an autonomous nation in 1878...
.