Critchim
| Krichim (Кричим) | |||
|
|||
| Basic data | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State : |
 Bulgaria
|
||
| Oblast : | Plovdiv | ||
| Residents : | 7906 (December 31, 2018) | ||
| Coordinates : | 42 ° 3 ' N , 24 ° 28' E | ||
| Height : | 253 m | ||
| Postal code : | 4220 | ||
| Telephone code : | (+359) 03145 | ||
| License plate : | PB | ||
| administration | |||
| Mayor : | Atanas Kaltschew | ||
Kritschim ( Bulgarian Кричим ) is a city and the administrative center of a municipality of the same name in southern Bulgaria . It is located in the Plovdiv Oblast , 25 km southwest of Plovdiv , 6 km west of the city of Perushtitsa . Critchim is the center of the community of the same name, Kritchim.
geography
The municipality of Kritschim is located in the southwestern part of Plovdiv Oblast, on the northern foothills of the Rhodope Mountains , in the so-called northern Rhodope collar (Bulgarian северна родопска яка). The municipality Krichim is strong hilly, as they at the junction of Pazardzhik (a part of the -Plowdiw level Upper Thracian Plain is located) to the northern slopes of the Rhodopes. The Kritschim municipality borders on the municipalities of Stambolijski , Peruschtiza , Rodopi , Dewin and Brazigowo . Besides Krichim, there are no other towns or villages in the territory of Krichim Municipality.
The city of Kritschim covers an area of 0.25 km² and has 8135 inhabitants. In terms of population, Krichim Municipality is one of the smallest municipalities in Plovid Oblast. The municipality covers an area of 54.89 km², which results in a population density of 173 inhabitants / km².
The River Watscha (Bulgarian Въча) flows through Krichim . The road connecting the Rhodopes to the town of Dewin also runs along this river valley . This road connects the Oblasts of Smolyan , Plovdiv and Pazardzhik .
history
From the 6th century BC During the Thracian , Roman and early Byzantine times, there was a settlement on the site of the present city.
Krichim fortress
The fortresses in Kritschim were used to guard the strategically important mountain path that leads along the steep river valley of the Watscha into the Rhodope Mountains. On both sides of the valley, on the high, inaccessible rocks near Krichim, a fortress was built - the Krichim Fortress.
The Krichim Fortress consists of two independent fortresses, the Ivankovo Fortress and the Asenov Fortress.
Ivanko fortress
The remains of the Ivankovo Fortress (or Ivanovo Fortress) can be seen immediately southwest of Krichim, if you look south from Krichim into the Rhodope Mountains, into the valley of the Watscha. The Ivankovo fortress stands on the right side of the valley, i.e. the left bank of the Watscha, which flows through Krichim from the south of the Rhodope Mountains, on a steep, rocky ridge that is difficult to climb and extends from the Rhodope Mountains to immediately before Krichim. The Iwankowo fortress (Иванково кале; transcription: Iwanowsko Kale; Kale is the Turkish term for fortress) is also called "Goljamo Kale" (Bulgarian Голямо кале; German: "Great fortress"). "Goljamo" is the Bulgarian word for "big", "kale" is the Turkish word for "fortress". This fortress already existed before the arrival of the Proto-Bulgarians and Slavs in the region.
There were two fortifications here, one after the other: the first was built in the early Byzantine period (5th to 6th centuries) and the second in the time of Khan Krum , during the Second Bulgarian Empire . The Bulgarian fortress has an area of 1500 m² and a polygonal floor plan. In the southwest part there is a water reservoir that is relatively well preserved. The fortress walls are partly still standing and rise 5–6 m above the terrain.
In 1199, the Krichim fortress was in the hands of Ivanko . In the same year the fortress was built by order of the Byzantine emperor Alexios III. besieged by Sebastokrator Alexios Palaiologos and his father Georgios as well as General Manuel Kamytzes . After Georgios Palaiologos had climbed the fortress wall with the help of a ladder, he fell dead.
The fortress was destroyed in the 15th century after losing its strategic importance.
It is about a 30-minute walk on a steep path from the town church "Sweti Kosma and Damjan" to the Ivankovo Fortress. From the high fortress there is a panoramic view of the city and the Plovdiv Plain.
Asenov fortress
On the right bank of the Watscha is the Asenov fortress, which is also called "Malko Kale " (Bulgarian Малко кале; German: "Small fortress"). It was built in the Middle Ages. A fortress wall has been preserved, as well as a water reservoir and a residential building. This fortress was actually a fortified Bulgarian city and had a connection to the "Great Fortress". The "Small Fortress" is located south of Krichim, directly on the bank of the Watscha. The fortress has been largely destroyed, only the north-eastern area has been partially preserved. Here the wall rises up to 4 m above the terrain.
The "Small Fortress" was a fortress and settlement. The building foundation walls of the residential buildings can be found both inside and outside the fortress walls.
Assenow stone
The Assenov stone (Bulgarian Асенов камък; also: Assen stone), which archaeologists found 200 m south of the Great Fortress, on the northeast slope of the Nemtscha summit (Bulgarian Немча), is of extraordinary historical importance.
It is a large, oval rhyolite stone , 3.2 × 3.2 × 3.1 m in size, located in the middle of a forest. The short, well-preserved inscription was carved into this stone: “Czar Assen was sitting on this stone when he took Critchim.” The inscription is carved in four lines on a naturally smooth surface of the stone.
The text begins with the illustration of a cross. The letters are 6 to 11 cm tall. The four lines of text take up a width of 107 cm and a height of 55 cm. This inscription is known as the "Kritschim inscription" (Bulgarian Кричимския надпис) (also: Asenov inscription; Bulgarian Асенов надпис). It is believed that it was Ivan Assen II , who took the fortress in 1230. According to historians, he was in the habit of permanently immortalizing his victorious campaigns against Byzantium for posterity in inscriptions on stones. This inscription is the only one of its kind in Bulgaria so far, and the original has been preserved and has remained at the place of origin.
The inscription does not give an exact date. From the course of events, however, historians conclude that it must refer to a point in time after the Battle of Klokotnitsa .
In the vicinity are the remains of the monastery of Kritschim "Sweti Kuzma and Damjan", which were burned down during the April Uprising (1876) (not to be confused with today's church of the same name in the city). The name Batak was first found on a walled-in stone of the Kritschim monastery in 1592 , but nothing else is known about the time of its origin. The Roman water reservoir (Bulgarian Римски резервоар) is also nearby.
A few kilometers further up in the mountains is the other monastery of Kritschim ("Uspenie blagorodina"), near the former mineral baths of Kritschim.
After the death of Emperor Johannes III. Dukas Batatzes in 1254 Michael II Assen marched with his army into Thrace and after the Battle of Adrianople in 1254 took the fortresses Stanimaka ( Assenowgrad ), Krichim, Zepina, Peruvian and the eastern Rhodopes.
In the Middle Ages, Krischim was the royal seat of the rulers Ivanko and Slav (Алексий Слав, 1207–1230?) For a short time . The Latin Emperor Heinrich (Bulgarian румелийския император Хенрих) came here.
National rebirth
Krichim is one of the few places in the Plovdiv region in which there were two Bulgarian monastery schools in the early phase (1396–1762) of the Bulgarian national revival , which were maintained by the monasteries "Sweta Bogorodiza" and "Sweti Wratsch".
Today there is the church "Sweto Kosma i Damjan" ( Cosmas and Damian ) in Kritschim .
There is also a mosque in Krichim.
The monastery "Uspenia bogoroditschno" (German: Assumption of the Virgin Mary ; founded in the 13th century) is located 6 km south of Krichim, on the River Watscha, on the road to Dewin. Nearby is the dam where the lower Kritschim reservoir begins.
Since 2005, the city has given its name to Krichim Peak , a mountain on Livingston Island in Antarctica.
Royal summer residence
Tsar Boris III. had a summer residence in Krichim. His son Simeon Sakskoburggotski sued unsuccessfully for retransfer in 2008. The court found that the Bulgarian tsar only had a right of use but no right of ownership for the summer residence in Krichim. The residence was built by the Bulgarian state out of taxpayers' money. The decision of the court is based on article 151 of the Constitution of Tarnowo (1879–1947): “Property owned by the state belongs to the kingdom. The tsar and his relatives cannot dispose of it. "
Since 2001 the descendants of Tsar Boris III. already got several properties and land back, including the Wrana residence with a large park near Sofia and very large forest areas in the Rila . However, the Krichim summer residence and other former royal property were not returned.
Web links
- Pictures of Kritschim
- Plovdiv Oblast website: Krichim Municipality - demography, economy (Bulgarian)
References and comments
- ↑ Population by towns and sex. In: nsi.bg. Republic of Bulgaria - National Statistical Institute (NSI), April 12, 2019, accessed May 5, 2019 .
- ↑ Picture (click on the first picture) ( Memento of the original from November 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ The “Sweti Wratsch” monastery is mentioned above. Sweti Wratsch - German: holy doctor - is the Christian holiday of healers and herbalists, which is celebrated on June 1st and is dedicated to the two holy brothers Cosmas and Damian.
