Aprilzi
| Aprilzi (Априлци) | |||||
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| Basic data | |||||
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| State : |
 Bulgaria
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| Oblast : | Lovech | ||||
| Residents : | 2714 (December 31, 2016) | ||||
| Coordinates : | 42 ° 50 ′ N , 24 ° 55 ′ E | ||||
| Height : | 500-600 m | ||||
| Postal code : | 5641 | ||||
| License plate : | IF | ||||
| administration | |||||
| Mayor : | Тихомир Кукенски (Tijomir Kukinski) | ||||
| Website : | www.apriltzi.net | ||||
Aprilzi (also Apriltsi , Bulgarian Априлци ) is a mountain resort and the administrative center of a municipality of the same name in the Lovech Oblast in northern Bulgaria with around 3000 inhabitants.
location
The place is 500-600 m above sea level. d. M. in the northern part of the Kalofer Mountains, on the rivers Ostreschka (Novoselska), Vidima and Sla Reka. The nearest major cities are Trojan 25 km away in the northwest, Sevlievo 41 kilometers in the northeast and Gabrovo 57 kilometers in the east. Aprilzi consists of the districts Nowo Selo, Vidima, Sla Reka and Ostrez, which used to be independent villages and are therefore quite far apart.
history
A single-class school and a church were built in Aprilzi in 1812, and a secular school was opened in 1850. In 1872, Wassil Lewski founded a secret revolutionary committee that was directed against Ottoman rule . The area around Aprilzi also took part in the April uprising in 1876 (also the Novoselker uprising ). The Novoselsk Republic was proclaimed, which was able to defend itself against the overwhelming forces of the enemy for nine days before it was bloodily suppressed. There were 150 dead and numerous exiles. 772 buildings were destroyed or burned out, including the girls' monastery and the church from 1812. In this battle, the voivode Zanko Düstabanov, who had come to the aid of the rebels with his free group from Gabrovo, was killed. Most of the surviving residents were forced to leave the place.
In 1976, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Novoselker uprising, the villages of Nowo Selo, Vidima, Sla Reka and Ostrez merged to form the town of Aprilzi, with Novo Selo becoming the administrative center. The name of the city is derived from the April Uprising . The merger also increased the city's importance as a winter health resort.
Attractions
The Batoschevski Monastery is located 20 kilometers northeast of Aprilzi, 4 kilometers south of the village of Batoschevo. It was founded in the 13th century during the rule of the Bulgarian Tsar Michael II Assen . In the 14th century it was destroyed when the Ottomans invaded. It was rebuilt in 1838. The wall paintings date from 1869. Father Matej Preobrashenski (Mitkaloto) and Batscho Kiro studied at the monastery school. Of particular interest are the church in the style of the architecture of the Bulgarian Revival (18th / 19th century), the icons of masters from the Trjawna school and the artfully carved iconostasis .
Most of the volunteers came from the village of Batoshevo (about 25 km northeast of Aprilzi) during the April Uprising, which is commemorated by a memorial. The monument in Ravni Bunar, above Ostrez on the northern slope of Mount Russalka, also known as Mara Gidik. The last fighting between the rebels led by Zanko Djüstabanov and the Turkish persecutors took place here on May 11, 1876. From Ostrez, a marked hiking trail leads past the monument to Mount Russalka and the Tascha hut. Aprilzi is the starting point for hikes in the beautiful central part of the central Balkan mountains , the Kaloferski Balkans with its highest mountain, the Botew summit (2376 m).
Transport links
There is regular bus service to Trojan, Sevlievo, Gabrovo, Pleven , Lovech and other places. Local lines operate within the city. The bus station is in Novo Selo. The buses from Sevlievo also stop in Batoschevo and at the Batoschevsky monastery.
