Southwestern Bulgaria
The municipality of Kostenets (about 17 000 inhabitants, 500-600 m above sea level) with almost its all settlements is a spa and a resort region of national importance, situated in the valley of Dolna Banya, along the upper flow of River Maritsa.
Introduction & History
Centre of the municipality is the town of Kostenets (10 532 inhabitants) and the most notorious resort centres are the following: Momin Prohod (now a quarter of the town of Kostenets), Momina Banya (also a quarter of the town), Kostenets and Pchelinski Bani recreation campuses. The centre of the municipality is 76 km to the south-east of Sofia, 80 km west of Plovdiv, 27 km east of Borovets Resort.
History: The past of this region is related to many historical events. Today’s village of Kostenets (7 km to the south of the town and the railway station) is proud with its longest history. It emerged in the early Middle Ages and existed from 7th to 14th centuries under the name of Konstanzia. It is mentioned in a Turkish register from 1576. According to the Turkish traveller Evliya Chelebi, Kostenets was an old Wallachian town which long resisted the Turkish oppressors. It is presumed that Kostenets is the birthplace of the man of letters Konstantin Kostenechki. The first school was opened in 1856 and the community cultural centre in 1880. At the Cherkovishte Hill, to the west of the village there are the remains of a basilica (5th-6th century) and of a medieval fortress. A church from 1857 is still preserved.Trayanovi Vrata is a historical place at the saddle between the Mt. Eledzhik and Mt. Golak of Sredna Gora. There, close to the Thracian settlement, was constructed a Roman road station, called Sineum. From it the Trayan Pass begins, also called Souki narrow valley. Trayanovi Vrata (Trayan’s Gates) was 15 steps wide and 24 steps high. In these area in 986 Samuil’s soldiers won an important victory over the Byzantines, led by Emperor Vasilii II, delaying by this the fall of Bulgaria under Byzantine domination with 22 years. A small memorial plate commemorates this event.
