Voyvodovo, Vratsa Province
Encyclopedia
Voyvodovo is a village in Miziya
municipality, Vratsa Province
, Bulgaria
, at 43°39′N 23°51′E. It was founded in 1900, mostly by Evangelist
Czechs, but also by Slovaks
, Banat Swabians
and Banat Bulgarians
, all settlers from the region of Banat
, then in Austria-Hungary
.
In 1904, Voyvodovo had a population of 410, of whom 215 were Czechs, 100 Slovaks, 57 Serbs
, 29 Bulgarian Catholics, and 9 Bulgarian Orthodox. At its recorded peak in 1939, the Czech colony constituted 527 people out of 798, the remainder consisting of 104 Slovaks, 148 Bulgarians
, 13 Russians
(or Rusyns
), and 6 Serbs. There was a Czech school, as well as a Protestant church. The community was deeply religious and puritan
. Czech was the dominant language in the entire village, including among other ethnicities. The main street
was named the Saint Helena
Street, after the village of Svatá Helena (today Sfânta Elena, Caraş-Severin County
, Romania
), out of which most Czechs originated. Voyvodovo was also an outpost for further Czech migration to other villages in Bulgaria, with around 20 Czech families settling in the village of Belintsi, Razgrad Province
, in 1935.
Although all but a dozen families left in 1949-1950 after being recalled to settle depopulated border territories of Czechoslovakia
, the village has largely preserved its characteristically Czech rural architecture. Compared to the Bulgarian village houses, those in Voyvodovo are low and elongated, they are painted white and have red roofs with a black plinth
and narrow windows with wooden shutters. The houses were built of adobe
bricks, each wall approximately 55 centimetres thick. The yards are typically 30×60 metres perpendicular to the street and parallel with the house.
There still exists a Methodist community, which in the early 20th century, under the guidance of pastors Martin Roháček, Gottlieb Koval and Jozef Harmann, was the most prosperous in all Bulgaria. In the 1950s, the almost deserted village was settled by Bulgarians, mostly from the southwestern parts of the country, such as Kyustendil
, Belitsa
and Ihtiman
, but also from other places including the Western Outlands.
, the village has a population of 291 and the mayor is Marina Nenova. Voyvodovo lies 10 km from the Danube
, south of Oryahovo
. The village was named after a certain rebel leader (voivode) from Hristo Botev
's band that died in the area in 1876.
Miziya
Miziya is a town and municipality in Vratsa Province, northwestern Bulgaria near the Danube river. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 3,354 inhabitants....
municipality, Vratsa Province
Vratsa Province
Vratsa Province , former name Vratsa okrug) is a Bulgarian province located in the northwestern part of the country, between Danube river in the north and Stara Planina mountain in the south. It is named after its main town - Vratsa...
, 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...
, at 43°39′N 23°51′E. It was founded in 1900, mostly by Evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
Czechs, but also by Slovaks
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
, Banat Swabians
Banat Swabians
The Banat Swabians are an ethnic German population in Southeast Europe, part of the Danube Swabians. They emigrated in the 18th century to what was then the Austrian Banat province, which had been left sparsely populated by the wars with Turkey. This once strong and important ethnic Banat Swabian...
and Banat Bulgarians
Banat Bulgarians
The Banat Bulgarians are a distinct Bulgarian minority group which settled in the 18th century in the region of the Banat, which was then ruled by the Habsburgs and after World War I was divided between Romania, Serbia, and Hungary...
, all settlers from the region of Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
, then in Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
.
In 1904, Voyvodovo had a population of 410, of whom 215 were Czechs, 100 Slovaks, 57 Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
, 29 Bulgarian Catholics, and 9 Bulgarian Orthodox. At its recorded peak in 1939, the Czech colony constituted 527 people out of 798, the remainder consisting of 104 Slovaks, 148 Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
, 13 Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
(or Rusyns
Rusyns
Carpatho-Rusyns are a primarily diasporic ethnic group who speak an Eastern Slavic language, or Ukrainian dialect, known as Rusyn. Carpatho-Rusyns descend from a minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the use of the ethnonym "Ukrainian" in the early twentieth century...
), and 6 Serbs. There was a Czech school, as well as a Protestant church. The community was deeply religious and puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
. Czech was the dominant language in the entire village, including among other ethnicities. The main street
Main Street
Main Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...
was named the Saint Helena
Helena of Constantinople
Saint Helena also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople was the consort of Emperor Constantius, and the mother of Emperor Constantine I...
Street, after the village of Svatá Helena (today Sfânta Elena, Caraş-Severin County
Caras-Severin County
Caraș-Severin is a county of Romania, in the historical region of Banat and few villages in Transylvania, with the county seat at Reșița.-Demographics:The county is part of the Danube-Kris-Mureș-Tisza euroregion....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
), out of which most Czechs originated. Voyvodovo was also an outpost for further Czech migration to other villages in Bulgaria, with around 20 Czech families settling in the village of Belintsi, Razgrad Province
Razgrad Province
Razgrad Province , former name Razgrad okrug) is a province in Northeastern Bulgaria, geographically part of the Ludogorie region. It is named after its administrative and industrial centre - the town of Razgrad...
, in 1935.
Although all but a dozen families left in 1949-1950 after being recalled to settle depopulated border territories of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, the village has largely preserved its characteristically Czech rural architecture. Compared to the Bulgarian village houses, those in Voyvodovo are low and elongated, they are painted white and have red roofs with a black plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
and narrow windows with wooden shutters. The houses were built of adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
bricks, each wall approximately 55 centimetres thick. The yards are typically 30×60 metres perpendicular to the street and parallel with the house.
There still exists a Methodist community, which in the early 20th century, under the guidance of pastors Martin Roháček, Gottlieb Koval and Jozef Harmann, was the most prosperous in all Bulgaria. In the 1950s, the almost deserted village was settled by Bulgarians, mostly from the southwestern parts of the country, such as Kyustendil
Kyustendil
Kyustendil is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of Kyustendil Province, with a population of 44 416 . Kyustendil is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, 90 km southwest of Sofia...
, Belitsa
Belitsa
Belitsa is a town in southwestern Bulgaria, located in the Belitsa Municipality of the Blagoevgrad oblast .-External links:* *...
and Ihtiman
Ihtiman
Ihtiman is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located in the Ihtimanska Sredna Gora mountains and lies in a valley 48 km from Sofia and 95 km from Plovdiv, close to Trakiya motorway....
, but also from other places including the Western Outlands.
, the village has a population of 291 and the mayor is Marina Nenova. Voyvodovo lies 10 km from the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, south of Oryahovo
Oryahovo
Oryahovo is a port city in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Vratsa Province. It is located in a hilly country on the right bank of the Danube, just east of the mouth of the river Ogosta, a few more kilometres downstream from where the Jiu flows into the Danube on Romanian territory. The town is...
. The village was named after a certain rebel leader (voivode) from Hristo Botev
Hristo Botev
Hristo Botev , born Hristo Botyov Petkov , was a Bulgarian poet and national revolutionary. Botev is widely considered by Bulgarians to be a symbolic historical figure and national hero.-Early years:...
's band that died in the area in 1876.
External links
- Vojvodovo.cz, website dedicated to Voyvodovo and Czechs in Bulgaria