Koprivshtitsa

Koprivshtitsa ( _bg. Копривщица; IPA| [ku.ˈpriv.ʃti.ʦə] , from the Bulgarian word _bg. коприва, "kopriva", meaning "nettle") is a historic town in Sofia Province, central Bulgaria, lying on the Topolnitsa River among the Sredna Gora mountains. It was one of the centres of the April Uprising in 1876 and is known for its authentic Bulgarian architecture and for its folk music festivals, making it a very popular tourist destination.

Koprivshtitsa is one of the characteristic Bulgarian towns, still preserving the atmosphere of the Bulgarian National Revival period of the 19th century. The town is huddled in the mountain folds 111 km east of Sofia. The town boasts a large number of architectural monuments from the period, 383 in all, most of which have been restored to their original appearance. Collections of ethnographical treasures, old weapons, National Revival works of art, fine fretwork, household weaves and embroidery, national costumes and typical Bulgarian jewelry has also been preserved. It was here that the first shot of the April Uprising against the Ottoman occupation was fired in 1876.

Since 1965 the National Festival of Bulgarian Folklore has taken place every five years in Koprivshtitsa, gathering musicians, artists and craftsmen from across Bulgaria. Featuring thousands of performing artists in a pastoral setting outside the town, the Koprivshtitsa festival is the only significant Bulgarian music event focusing on amateur performances, and the majority of authentic Bulgarian village music released during Communist rule was recorded in Koprivshtitsa by Balkanton during the 1970s and 80s.

As of September 2005, the town has a population of 2,683GR|Bulgaria and the mayor is Nikola Kamenarov. Koprivshtitsa is located at 1,030 m above sea level, at coord|42|38|N|24|21|E.

Landmarks

* the Oslekov House (1853–1856), today an ethnographical museum
* the Georgi Benkovski Memorial House (1831)
* the Lyuben Karavelov Memorial House complex (1810–1835)
* the Dimcho Debelyanov Memorial House (1830)
* the Todor Kableshkov Memorial House (1845)
* the Lyutov House (1854)
* the Nayden Gerov House
* the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos (1817)
* the Church of St Nicholas (1839)
* the Memorial Ossuary of 20 April housing the bones of those who died in the April Uprising (1926)
* the bridge where the first shot of the uprising was fired in 1878, Kalachev most (1813)
* the Hadzhi Nencho Palaveev Community Centre ("chitalishte") (1869)
* the Sts. Cyril and Methodius School (1837), the first class school in Bulgaria (1837)
* the Street of Handicrafts

Notable people

Born in Koprivshtitsa

* Stoyan Chomakov (1819–1893), politician
* Nayden Gerov (1823–1900), writer
* Yoakim Gruev (1828–1912), enlightener
* Lyuben Karavelov (1834–1879), writer
* Georgi Benkovski (1843–1876), revolutionary
* Petko Karavelov (1843–1903), politician
* Todor Kableshkov (1851–1876), revolutionary
* Mihail Madzharov (1854–1944), politician
* Pavel Gruev (1879–1945), man of law
* Dimcho Debelyanov (1887–1916), poet

Related to Koprivshtitsa

* Neophyte of Rila (1790–1881), teacher in the town

ee also

* April Uprising

References

External links

* [http://eng.koprivshtitza.com Website of Koprivshtitsa]
* [http://www.pbase.com/ngruev/koprivchtitsa Pictures from Koprivshtitsa]
* [http://www.sabor-koprivshtica.mct.government.bg/ Koprivshtitsa Folklore Festival]