Southwestern Bulgaria
The two small towns of Pirdop (8548 inhabitants) and Zlatitsa (5648 inhabitants) of the sub-Balkan Range are located in the Zlatitsa-Pirdop Valley, between Stara Planina Mounatin (to the north) and Sredna Gora Mountain (to the south) at 680 m above sea level. The distance of 3-4 km between them is symbolic and not before long they will be integrated into one.
History
After the liberation of the town from Turkish rule on 3rd of January 1878, it was almost deserted by the fleeing Turks. Many Bulgarian newcomers arrived from Macedonia. Zlatitsa gradually declined because of the absence of markets for its handicraft goods, but later cattle breeding and agriculture developed and brought it up. It is interesting to know that together with Sofia, Turnovo and Plovdiv, Zlatitsa was nominated to become the capital of Bulgaria after the liberation.
The name of Pirdop is among those unknown names whose origin history keeps in secret. Numerous are the legends, trying to suggest an explanation, but not a single one, so far, has become completely convincing. The Thracian mounds and the remains of medieval fortresses unequivocally indicate that various tribes interrelated their destinies here for many centuries. The first written traces of Pirdop date back to 12th century, when the Pirdop Chronicle of Apostles’ Deeds was written - a valuable monument in writing, kept in the St. St. Cyril and Methodius National Library.
During the years of the Bulgarian Revival, the entrepreneurial citizens of Pirdop managed to turn their settlement into an economic and cultural centre. In 1698, the Protopopinski (Pirdopski) collection manuscript was written by the teacher Georgi, thus initiating the literary activity in the settlement and its vicinities. The same author wrote the Tihonravov Damaskin, kept in the State Library in Moscow. Originally an ecclesiastical school was founded and later, in 1820 - the first municipal school in spoken Bulgarian with the teacher Todor Pirdopski.
The local folkstyle abi (homespun coarse woollen cloth and upper men’s garment made of it), shayatzi (woollen cloth), braids, woollen bed covers and blankets, candles and soap were highly valued at the markets in Vienna, Budapest, Tsarigrad, Thessaloniki, Alexandria. Only from the manufacturing of woollen braids by the 700 water-driven looms the town earned an annual income of over 9 000 000 Turkish grosh! The destiny of Pirdop after the Liberation is the same as it was of Zlatitsa - loss of markets, decline and strive for survival against a background of overall national boom.
The name of Pirdop is among those unknown names whose origin history keeps in secret. Numerous are the legends, trying to suggest an explanation, but not a single one, so far, has become completely convincing. The Thracian mounds and the remains of medieval fortresses unequivocally indicate that various tribes interrelated their destinies here for many centuries. The first written traces of Pirdop date back to 12th century, when the Pirdop Chronicle of Apostles’ Deeds was written - a valuable monument in writing, kept in the St. St. Cyril and Methodius National Library.During the years of the Bulgarian Revival, the entrepreneurial citizens of Pirdop managed to turn their settlement into an economic and cultural centre. In 1698, the Protopopinski (Pirdopski) collection manuscript was written by the teacher Georgi, thus initiating the literary activity in the settlement and its vicinities. The same author wrote the Tihonravov Damaskin, kept in the State Library in Moscow. Originally an ecclesiastical school was founded and later, in 1820 - the first municipal school in spoken Bulgarian with the teacher Todor Pirdopski.
The local folkstyle abi (homespun coarse woollen cloth and upper men’s garment made of it), shayatzi (woollen cloth), braids, woollen bed covers and blankets, candles and soap were highly valued at the markets in Vienna, Budapest, Tsarigrad, Thessaloniki, Alexandria. Only from the manufacturing of woollen braids by the 700 water-driven looms the town earned an annual income of over 9 000 000 Turkish grosh! The destiny of Pirdop after the Liberation is the same as it was of Zlatitsa - loss of markets, decline and strive for survival against a background of overall national boom.
