Leskov Dol

Leskovdol (Bulgarian:Лесковдол) is a mountain village in Bulgaria located in Western Stara Planina, near the capital Sofia. It is believed that the village was found after the building of the nearby Seven Altars Monastery. Its population is approximately 100 people. Leskovdol is divided into hamlets (very small neighbourhoods), some of which have views to Sofia, Vitosha Mountain and Rila Mountain. Some of the hamlets are Selishteto (The Village), Svinareva, Ravnishteto, Kukleni Babki, Razmiritza, Draganow Tok, Arto, Livada and others. The village is also located near Trastena House (Bulgarian:Хижа Тръстена). Leskovdol is located near Izdremetz Peak, the Kom - Emine mountain walk path & also near the Lakatnik Rocks. The unofficial web-site of the village has a lot of pictures of Leskovdol & the surrounding areas: [www.leskovdol-bg.piczo.com]

History

It's believed that the village appeared on the maps around the year 1000. It was first populated by Moldovians and later by Bulgarians. Before, the village counted around 1000 people, but nowadays the people here are less then 150. There is a school - Elementary School Hristo Botev, but it has not functioned since the Second World War, when it was destroyed and never rebuilt. There is also a church, which opens at holidays.

Name

The name of the village comes from the very thin stones which could be found here - Leska (Bulgarian: Леска) sometimes as thick as a leaf. It's easily breakable and used here as a decoration for the enclosures and the houses. The Bulgarian "dol" is translated in English as "valley", so the name can be translated as a " "Valley of Leskas".It's not known what is in fact the village name - "Leskov dol" or "Leskovdol", but nowadays many people have adopted Leskovdol.

Religion

100% of the people here are Christians. Before, there were Muslims, but now there aren't any. There are two cemeteries - one nearby the Village Hall, and the other is in the hamlet Selishteto. The church is also there.

Transport

Leskovdol can be reached from the road Sofia - Mezdra just before entering Svoge. The road is mostly in a good condition. There are charter buses to the village from Svoge every day, full in Thursday (shopping day for the whole region) and the weekend.

Nature & Landscape

The nature is dominated by oaks, apple, pear and peach trees. Also there are many pines. Also, a number of Nashi pear trees have been planted by the locals. The animals are represented by birds, bugs, mammals and reptiles typical for this part of Stara Planina. There can also be seen, but rarely, wolves, foxes and hedgehogs. Sheep and cows can also be seen very often, due to the fact that many people here take care of them, for their milk, fur and meat. The famous Bulgarian White Cheese is made from such "Balkan Sheep Milk".The landscape here is steep, typical for Western Stara Planina region. Leskovdol is situated in the Murgash part, 900 meters above see level. The air here is very clean, because there aren't many cars.

Infrastructure

97% of the people in Leskovdol have electricity, and the whole village has water supply. The phone line reaches the Village Hall but wherever you are in Leskovdol, you can call any part of the world, because the three Bulgarian mobile operators have coverage.

Demographics

The population is around 100 people (data from 2008). The population is expected to keep declining. Most of the people (around 90%) are retired, and most of them get the average Bulgarian pension. The kids from Leskovdol go to school in the nearby city of Svoge.At summer time the population is nearly 600. That's because many people, mainly from Sofia, come to their villas for the typical Bulgarian summer break for adults and students.