- Krichim
Krichim ( _bg. Кричим) is a town in southern
Bulgaria , located in the southwestern part ofPlovdiv Province close toPerushtitsa . It lies at the foot of theRhodopes ' northern slopes in the plains of Thrace, 20 km southwest ofPlovdiv . The riverVacha , an important tributary of theMaritsa , runs through the town. Krichim is the only place in Krichim municipality.Inhabited since Early Byzantine times as evidenced by the remains of two ancient fortresses on both banks of the river in the beginning of its gorge, Krichim was contested by the Byzantine Empire and the
Bulgarian Empire during most of the Middle Ages. It was conquered by TsarIvan Asen II in 1230 and a stone inscription from this period is preserved, saying 'On this stone sat Tsar Asen, when he conquered Krichim'.During the early
Bulgarian National Revival , the village was one of the few in the region to have a monastery school. Two monasteries, one of the Holy Theotokos and one of St Vrach, worked during the Ottoman rule and helped preserve the Bulgarian culture and language.The town is populated by both
Eastern Orthodox Bulgarians and (Muslim) Turks as well asPomaks (Muslim Bulgarians) andMuslim Roma . TheSts. Cosmas and Damian Church and the mosque coexist peacefully on either bank of the Vacha.Honour
Krichim Peak onLivingston Island in theSouth Shetland Islands ,Antarctica is named after Krichim.External links
* [http://www.krichim.com/ Krichim municipality website]
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