Kostenets
Encyclopedia
Kostenets is a village
in the Sofia Province
southwestern Bulgaria
, located in the Kostenets Municipality
(which also has a separate town of Kostenets
). As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 4,201. It ranks 14th by population of all Bulgarian villages.
Kostenets is located at the foot of the Rila
mountain, 63 kilometers southeast of Sofia, about 6 kilometers south of the town of Kostenets and 35 kilometers east of Borovets
. Its altitude ranges from 650 meters in the northern part to 725 meters in the southern part.
around 2nd century BC. The settlement was the first one in today's Kostenets municipality
. During an archaeological study of the "Gorna cherkva" area were found remains of an old fortress and the footprints of an old Christian basilica from the 5th century as well as ancient pottery, Roman, Byzantine and medieval Bulgarian coins
.
File:Entering-kostenets-village.jpg|Entrance road to Kostenets
File:Arcahngel-Michael-Church-of-Kostenets-village.jpg|The Archangel Michael Church (Built 1857) in Kostenets village
File:Archangel-Michael-Church-interior.jpg|The interior of Archangel Michael church in Kostenets village
File:Frescoes-from-Kostenets-Archangel--Michael-Church.jpg|19th century Orthodox Frescoes from Archangel Michael Church in Kostenets
File:Antifascist-monument-in-Kostenets.jpg|Monument to the fallen antifascists (1923-1945) in Kostenets village
File:Culture-club-in-Kostenets.jpg|Culture club (Chitalishte
) "Probuda" (evocation) in Kostenets, founded 1881
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the 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...
southwestern Bulgaria
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...
, located in the Kostenets Municipality
Kostenets municipality
The Kostenets municipality is one of the 22 municipalities of the Sofia Province, Bulgaria. Its territory is 302 km² and has 14,154 inhabitants as of 2009. It encompasses the Valley of Gorna Banya, along the upper flow of the Maritsa river, surrounded by Rila to the south and Sredna Gora to the...
(which also has a separate town of Kostenets
Kostenets
Kostenets is a village in the Sofia Province southwestern Bulgaria, located in the Kostenets Municipality . As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 4,201...
). As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 4,201. It ranks 14th by population of all Bulgarian villages.
Geography
Rila
Rila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m...
mountain, 63 kilometers southeast of Sofia, about 6 kilometers south of the town of Kostenets and 35 kilometers east of Borovets
Borovets
Borovets , known as Chamkoria until the middle of the 20th century, is a popular Bulgarian mountain resort situated in Sofia Province, on the northern slopes of Rila, at an altitude of 1350 m...
. Its altitude ranges from 650 meters in the northern part to 725 meters in the southern part.
History
It is assumed that the area was originally settled by the Thracian tribe BessiBessi
The Bessi were an independent Thracian tribe who lived in a territory ranging from Moesia to Mount Rhodope in southern Thrace, but are often mentioned as dwelling about Haemus, the mountain range that separates Moesia from Thrace and from Mount Rhodope to the northern part of Hebrus...
around 2nd century BC. The settlement was the first one in today's Kostenets municipality
Kostenets municipality
The Kostenets municipality is one of the 22 municipalities of the Sofia Province, Bulgaria. Its territory is 302 km² and has 14,154 inhabitants as of 2009. It encompasses the Valley of Gorna Banya, along the upper flow of the Maritsa river, surrounded by Rila to the south and Sredna Gora to the...
. During an archaeological study of the "Gorna cherkva" area were found remains of an old fortress and the footprints of an old Christian basilica from the 5th century as well as ancient pottery, Roman, Byzantine and medieval Bulgarian coins
Medieval Bulgarian coins
Medieval Bulgarian coinage are the coins minted by the Bulgarian Emperors during the Middle Ages at the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire. There is no evidence that coins were minted during the First Bulgarian Empire, and minting ceased after the fall of the Second Empire with Ottoman domination...
.
Cultural and natural landmarks
- Kostenets waterfall, located about 3 km south of the village and described by Ivan VazovIvan VazovIvan Minchov Vazov was a Bulgarian poet, novelist and playwright, often referred to as "the Patriarch of Bulgarian literature". He was born in Sopot, a town in the Rose Valley of Bulgaria ....
. - The nearby historic mountain pass Gate of TrajanGate of TrajanThe Gate of Trajan or Trajan's Gate is a historic mountain pass near Ihtiman, Bulgaria. It was named so after Roman Emperor Trajan, on whose order a fortress by the name of Stipon was constructed on the hill over the pass, as a symbolic border between the provinces of Thrace and Macedonia.The pass...
.
Gallery
File:Entering-kostenets-village.jpg|Entrance road to Kostenets
File:Arcahngel-Michael-Church-of-Kostenets-village.jpg|The Archangel Michael Church (Built 1857) in Kostenets village
File:Archangel-Michael-Church-interior.jpg|The interior of Archangel Michael church in Kostenets village
File:Frescoes-from-Kostenets-Archangel--Michael-Church.jpg|19th century Orthodox Frescoes from Archangel Michael Church in Kostenets
File:Antifascist-monument-in-Kostenets.jpg|Monument to the fallen antifascists (1923-1945) in Kostenets village
File:Culture-club-in-Kostenets.jpg|Culture club (Chitalishte
Chitalishte
A chitalishte is a typical Bulgarian public institution and building which fulfils several functions at once, such as a community centre, library and a theatre. It is also used as an educational institution, where people of all ages can enroll in foreign language, dance, music and other courses....
) "Probuda" (evocation) in Kostenets, founded 1881