Central Southern Bulgaria
The town of Bratsigovo (5074 inhabitants, 420 metres above sea level) is situated in the northern foothill of Ravnogor Hill (Western Rhodopes), along the two banks of the little Umishka River.
Introduction & History
It is situated at the distance of 139 km south-east of Sofia, 7 km east of Peshtera, 25 km south of Pazardzhik, 23 km north-east of Batak and at the distance of 40 km south-west of Plovdiv. It is one of those historical towns, which uphold the national spirit of Bulgarian people. A climatic and balneological mountain resort and a tourist site.
History: Historical records prove the existence of Bratsigovo as of the 16th century. It was the continuation of the destroyed by fire and ruined settlement of Prevren. Evidence was found during excavation and construction works in the town and its surrounding areas according to which these sites were inhabited by Thracians and Slavs - coins of the time of Philip of Macedonia and Justinian II, a bronze statuette of the Goddess Athena Palada, a Roman road. During the 17th century Bulgarian people from the region of Nevrokop moved to Bratsigovo to work in the mines (mulvatsite). Emigrants from the Kostur region (Macedonia) came here at the end of the 18th century, too.A monastery school was opened in the town in 1831 and a new mutual aid school with secular training opened its gates in 1848. Gradually later on a girl’s school and an intermediate secondary school were opened as well. Bra-tsi-govo little by little turned into a big Rho-do-pe settlement with well-developed crafts. The citizens of Bratsigovo demonstrated particularly notable skills in the field of construction creating their own Bratsigovo School of Architecture and leaving long-lasting traces in the architectural appearance of a lot of settlements in the Bal-kan Peninsula. It goes without saying that the masterpieces in the town of Bratsigovo itself add up to a lot more than one or two in number.
