Batak (Bulgaria)
| Batak (Батак) | |||
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| Basic data | |||
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| State : |
 Bulgaria
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| Oblast : | Pazardzhik | ||
| Residents : | 2981 (December 31, 2016) | ||
| Coordinates : | 41 ° 57 ' N , 24 ° 13' E | ||
| Height : | 1036 m | ||
| Postal code : | 4580 | ||
| Telephone code : | (+359) 03553 | ||
| License plate : | PA | ||
| administration | |||
| Mayor : | Petar Paunow | ||
| Ruling party : | Bulgarian Socialist Party | ||
| Website : | www.batak-bg.com | ||
Batak [ bɐˈtak ] (Bulgarian: Батак) is a city in the south of Bulgaria , near Peschtera .
location
The city is located in the Rhodope Mountains at an altitude of 1100 meters about 32 kilometers south of Pazardzhik .
history
During the Hellenistic and Roman times, the area around Batak was inhabited by the Thracian tribe of Bessi . In the 6th and 7th centuries, the Slavs settled in the Rhodope Mountains . Later, at the time of the Bulgarian Khan Krum , the Bulgarian border was south of Batak. From the end of the 14th century the Rhodope Mountains were ruled by the Turks. The name of the city of Batak was first mentioned in the 16th century.
In Batak, logging and woodworking, trade, various handicrafts develop, and education and culture flourish. In 1813 the Sweta Nedelja Church (today's historic church) was built, and in 1835 the "Cyril and Method" school was opened.
In 1876, during the April uprising against Ottoman rule, the Batak massacre occurred . Almost the entire population was killed. As a result, Batak became a central memorial in Bulgaria for the Bulgarian struggle for freedom against the Turks.
In the September uprising of 1923 , the people of Batak participated with an insurgent detachment and pulled the border guards in the Newrokop district, today's Goze Deltschew , to their side.
Since 2008, the city has given its name to Batak Point , a headland on Smith Island in Antarctica.
Reservoirs and hydroelectric plants
After the construction of the Bataker Wasserkraftweg (1953-1959), the largest construction project of the 2nd and 3rd five-year plans, the city and its surroundings had completely changed. The reservoirs Wassil Kolarow, Batak, Schiroka Polyana, Beglika and Toshkov Tschark were created one after the other. The first Bulgarian underground hydropower plant, Batak, has also been completed, followed by Peschtera, Aleko and others.
tourism
Batak is a popular resort town with numerous accommodation options. New rest homes and tourist complexes as well as private villas are constantly being built on the banks of the dams. Thousands of mostly Bulgarian tourists spend their holidays in the rest homes every year.
The 2082 meter high Bataker Snow Mountain ( Bataški Snežnik ) in the Rhodope Mountains is a popular hiking destination.
Sons of the city
- Ilija Balinow (* 1966), Austrian grandmaster in chess Bulgarian origin
- Angel Marin (* 1942), Vice President of Bulgaria from 2002 to 2012
