Pletena is a village

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 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...

. It is located in the Satovcha Municipality

Satovcha municipality

The Satovcha Municipality is a municipality in Southwestern Bulgaria and is one of the municipalities in the Blagoevgrad Province.- Geography :...

, Blagoevgrad Province

Blagoevgrad Province

Blagoevgrad Province , also known as Pirin Macedonia , is a province of southwestern Bulgaria. It borders four other Bulgarian provinces to the north and east, Greece to the south, and the Republic of Macedonia to the west. The province has 14 municipalities with 12 towns...

.

Geography

The village of Pletena is located in the Western Rhodope Mountains

Rhodope Mountains

The Rhodopes are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece. Its highest peak, Golyam Perelik , is the seventh highest Bulgarian mountain...

. It belongs to the Chech region

Chech (region)

Chech or Chechko is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe in our days Bulgaria and Greece. Most of its population inhabits about 60 villages and is almost completely Pomak....

.

History

As of 1873 Pletena had male population of 210 Pomaks

Pomaks

Pomaks is a term used for a Slavic Muslim population native to some parts of Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. The Pomaks speak Bulgarian as their native language, also referred to in Greece and Turkey as Pomak language, and some are fluent in Turkish,...

 and 80 houses. According to Vasil Kanchov

Vasil Kanchov

Vasil Kanchov was a Bulgarian geographer, ethnographer and politician.- Biography :Vasil Kanchov was born in Vratsa. Upon graduating from High school in Lom, Bulgaria, he entered the University of Harkov, then in Russia. During the Serbo-Bulgarian War 1885 he suspended his education and took part...

, as of 1900, Pletena was populated by 770 Bulgarian Muslims

Pomaks

Pomaks is a term used for a Slavic Muslim population native to some parts of Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. The Pomaks speak Bulgarian as their native language, also referred to in Greece and Turkey as Pomak language, and some are fluent in Turkish,...

 According to another statistic by Kanchov about the same time there were 190 houses in the village. According to Stephan Verkovic at the end of the 19th century the village had male population of 275 Pomaks

Pomaks

Pomaks is a term used for a Slavic Muslim population native to some parts of Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. The Pomaks speak Bulgarian as their native language, also referred to in Greece and Turkey as Pomak language, and some are fluent in Turkish,...

 and 81 houses.

In 1969 while ploughing near the village of Pletena a local farmer discovered a grave of a Thracian warrior. Soon after arriving the archeologists discovered a helmet, a Rhomphaia

Rhomphaia

The Rhomphaia was a close combat bladed weapon used by the Thracians as early as 400 BC. Most rhomphaias were polearms, featuring a straight or slightly curved single-edged blade attached to a pole that was considerably shorter than the blade. Some rhomphaias had short handles that extended to...

, a pair of knee-pieces and six pieces of protection equipement for the neck, as well as, other smaller objects.

Cultural and natural landmarks

The cave

Cave

A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...

Mechata dupka (The Bear's Hole) is 12 meters long with 2 meters denivelation (vertical rise).