Granitsa, Bulgaria

] The village's name is derived from the dialectal word "granítsa", "a sort of branched oak", [cite book|last=Чолева-Димитрова|first=Анна М.|title=Селищни имена от Югозападна България: Изследване. Речник|publisher=Пенсофт|location=София|date=2002|isbn=9546421685|oclc=57603720|language=Bulgarian|pages=p. 127] from the Bulgarian word "granka", "offshoot, offset".

Granitsa was also mentioned in Ottoman tax registers of 1576 as "Graniçe". In the 19th century, most of the land in the village was the property of Turkish (Liman Ağa, Daut Beg) and Jewish (Sari Bohor) farm owners from Kyustendil. Landmarks in and around the village include the Bulgarian National Revival-time Church of Saint Elijah (1856–1857) and the residential defensive tower known as the Granitski House (1856), both built by Master Milenko. The Granitsa Monastery of Saint Luke lies to the southwest and may date to the 10th century; reconstructed in 1948, it is a fully active Bulgarian Orthodox monastery. Also southwest of Granitsa are the ruins of the eponymous medieval fortress from the Second Bulgarian Empire, probably a defensive station on the Velbazhd-Shtip road. Another landmark is the Venerable Beech Forest, a protected area established in 1995 and covering convert|1.30|ha|m2|lk=on. [cite web|url=http://eea.government.bg/zpo/area.jsp?areaId=133&categoryId=6|title=Вековна букова гора|publisher=Защитени територии в България|language=Bulgarian|accessdate=2008-10-09]

The village's football club is called Slavia and plays in the municipal amateur league. The local industry is represented by a branch of the Kyustendil winery. Wine production, vine and fruit growing are well developed. There is a regular bus link to the municipal and provincial capital.

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