Southwestern Bulgaria
The town of Razlog (13 403 inhabitants, 825 m above the sea level) is located in the Razlozhka Valley, in the hug of 3 mountains - Rila to the north, Pirin to the south and the Rhodopes to the east. It is nestled among two hills - Golak to the north and Sarovitsa to the south. Nearby flows Mesta River. The town is 155 km to the south of Sofia, 53 km to the south-west of Blagoevgrad, 141 km south-west of Plovdiv and 6 km north of Bansko.
Introduction & History
History: The past of Razlog to a great extent was predetermined by its central location. The first known settlers in these places were the Tracian tribes satri and dii, and later - the kelts and slavs. The accession of Razlog to the Bulgarian State took place in 847 during the time of khan Pressiyan and its subjugation by the Turks - in 1382. As a name Razlog is mentioned in the Charter of the Bizantine Emperor Vassilii II from 1019. The remains of an early Christian basilica (4th century) near Razlog and the ruins of many churches and sacred places from the Middle Ages and from the period of the Ottoman domination testify for the heroic struggle of the Christian population in defending its faith. After the Berlin Treaty Razlog remained under Turkish domination. Its active population actively participated in the struggle for Bulgarian enlightenment, independent church and national liberation. The most turbulent events during the Kressnensko-Razlozhko (1878) and Ilindensko-Preobrazhensko (1903) Uprisings in the Pirin Region developed here. The town had the name Mehomia until 1925.
