Prawez
| Prawez (Правец) | |||||
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| Basic data | |||||
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| State : |
 Bulgaria
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| Oblast : | Sofia | ||||
| Residents : | 3636 (December 31, 2016) | ||||
| Coordinates : | 42 ° 53 ' N , 23 ° 55' E | ||||
| Height : | 440 m | ||||
| Postal code : | 2161 | ||||
| Telephone code : | (+359) 07133 | ||||
| License plate : | CO | ||||
| administration | |||||
| Mayor : | Krasimir Zhivkov | ||||
| Website : | www.pravetz.org/BG.php | ||||
Prawez [ ˈpravɛts ] ( Bulgarian Правец ) is a small town in western Bulgaria . The name of the city comes from the old Bulgarian word "правьць" (Prawaz) - "correct way" (today's Bulgarian: прав път).
location
Prawez is located 60 km northeast of the capital Sofia , 11 km from Botevgrad , near the city of Etropole . The city is the administrative center of the municipality of the same name .
The city is located in the Prawez basin of the same name (Bulgarian: Правешка котловина), which protects against strong winds and ensures a relatively mild climate. The motto in the city's coat of arms - on the right way up (по правия път нагоре) - alludes to the location in the mountains and the old name of the city. Prawez means in old Bulgarian - correct way ("прав път").
Community structure
The municipality of Prawez is divided as follows:
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history
Ancient and Middle Ages
Tombs and fortress ruins from Thracian times bear witness to the city's ancient history . They are located in the Gradishte area (Bulgarian Градище) on the Kamicheto (Bulgarian Камичето) hills in the (very small) Bilo Mountains (Bulgarian Било планина), as well as on the Borovets summit (Bulgarian връх Боровischц) Hill (Bulgar. Лакавишкия рид) and on the Ostroma Summit (Bulgar. Връх Острома) the Ostroma Hill of the same name (Bulgar. Остромски рид). Other ancient evidence are Roman roads and bridges in the area.
The first traces of material likely to come from the civilization of the Thracian tribe of the Triballi .
After their victory against the Scythians, the troops of the Macedonian King Philip II returned to Macedonia in 339 BC. Through this area. The local tribes attacked Philip's Macedonian troops in the narrow mountain gorges, wounded Philip II in the process, and stole their spoils from them.
Here were also the mountain passes over which the armies of the Byzantine emperor Isaac II. Angelus marched to fight the Bulgarian tsars from the Assenid dynasty , who had entrenched themselves with their troops in the fortress in Lovech , and around - during the campaigns against Macedonia - to fight against the tsars from Tarnovo (e.g. 1330 - against Mikhail III Shishman ).
The archaeological finds from late antiquity and the Middle Ages indicate a continuity in living conditions and demographic and economic conditions. At that time the fortresses of Gradishte (Bulgarian Градище), Borowez (Bulgarian Боровец) and Ostroma (Bulgarian Острома) fulfilled an important protective and communication function in the fortification system of the Stara Planina .
The area around Prawez was one of the last foci of resistance against the Ottomans during the Ottoman conquest of Bulgaria. Nearby is the historic fortress Boschenischki Urwitsch (Bulgarian Боженишки Урвич), which was defended by Sebastokrator Ognjan for his tsar Ivan Shishman (ruled Veliko Tarnovo from 1371 to 1395).
From this time there is also a rock inscription - "вярата на Шишмана царя" (meaning: "The faith of Tsar Shishman").
Ottoman rule
The history and the name of the city are closely linked to the neighboring mountain passes and the two important long-distance routes. One way led from Vidin via Pravets to Sofia and on to Macedonia . The other route led from Sofia to the Ottoman-ruled city of Nikopol in the late Middle Ages and the first centuries of Ottoman rule in Bulgaria .
The first written documents showing the existence of the Prawez settlement are from the 2nd half of the 15th century. The first entry in an Ottoman Tımar register of Sanjak Nikopol dates from around 1475. The second entry comes from the late 15th century. From an even older Tımar register, in which the Tımars of the Sanjaks are listed, one can conclude that the settlement already existed in 1431.
The first mention of the name of the settlement is in the Tımar registers: Bravic - the proper name of Prawez translated into Turkish. The name Osikovica was also common for the Tımar - a neighboring village of Prawez. The register has reported that the residents are responsible for guarding the entrance (near Prawez) and a second group the exit of the mountain gorge (near Osikowiza - Осиковица - today a place with 400 inhabitants).
Prawez was obliged to provide local auxiliary troops to the Ottoman Empire. These troops from the conquered peoples had to guard roads and mountain passes for the Ottomans. They accompanied caravans and Ottoman troops over dangerous stretches of road. For this they were exempt from some taxes and had the right to carry arms.
During the first centuries of Ottoman rule, the village of Pravets was located on the southwestern slopes of the Cherkovishte (Черковище) elevation of the Ostromsky Hill, just above the point where the road to Rousse and Varna and the river Vitomeritsa (Витомерица) into the Enter the Lacavish (Лакавишка клисура) gorge.
The residents were obliged to set up a guard on the nearby Straschka Mogila (Стражка могила) peak in order to observe the traffic in the mountain gorge of the Karascha Mountains (планина Караджа - today: Lakawiza - Лакавица) ( Derwendschi ). For this purpose, a hut was built on the summit and drum signals were used to signal to travelers that they had been seen and that the path through the mountain gorge was safe. In addition, the population of the village had to help the travelers to overcome the difficult sections of the route by harnessing draft animals from the village or by themselves.
In return for these security guards, these local auxiliaries (practically the entire village) were exempt from some taxes. However, they remained integrated into the Tımar delivery system. The village retained this status until the middle of the 18th century.
The tax relief guaranteed by the Ottoman authorities and the internal autonomy of the auxiliary troops village of Prawez, as well as their right to carry arms, favored the growth and prosperity of the place. The Turks called the village "Golden Prawez" (алтън Бравча - Altin Brawtscha ).
The annotations to a Gospel from 1573 (written in the village of Gorna Mitropolija - Горна Митрополия) indicate that there was a Christian church in Pravets. The side note dates from 1669 and says that Grandma Dea from the village of Pravets bought the gospel in question for the local church Vsi Sweti (Вси Светии).
The small mountain town of Etropole with its ore mines had a significant influence on the development of Prawez during the Ottoman rule. The proximity of the two places and the connecting trade route Vidin - Sofia - Bitola (Macedonia) contributes to the close economic connection and mutual economic complementation of both places.
While mining flourished in Etropole (iron, copper, gold, silver, in the 16th century Saxons settled down and brought new mining technologies with them), the associated crafts such as foundries, blacksmiths, weapons workshops, charcoal shops and goldsmiths developed in Prawez .
The nearby Etropole Monastery (Св. Троица - Holy Trinity ) contributed to the preservation of Bulgarian culture and national identity during the 500 years of Ottoman rule. After the Rila monastery, this monastery was one of the most important national, Bulgarian, identity-creating centers. The well-known calligraphic and artistic book school of Etropole was maintained in the monastery of Etropole .
A series of political and social upheavals in the 16th and 17th centuries, along with various natural events, contributed to the economic decline and cultural changes in the city. This included the Islamization , the burning down of the villages and the monastery in Schleba (Жлебà) in the valley of Botevgrad (Ботевградска котловина) in 1636, the repression by the Ottoman authorities after the second uprising in Veliko Tarnovo in 1686, which worsened Conditions in the 17th century, a destructive earthquake in the middle of the 18th century, the plague epidemics of 1749 and 1771, the destruction of Kardzhali in 1792 and 1794 (again a few years later), and the exhaustion of the accessible ore mines in Etropol (Etropol Mountains - Етрополски балкан).
At the same time, there was a decline in the metalworking trade, which forced the population to look for a new livelihood in agriculture and animal husbandry - mostly sheep. As a result, the remaining craft developed in the direction of fur and leather processing and the shoe industry. This was associated with a strong emigration from the old town of Prawez and a sprawl of the entire valley of Prawez - within the wide boundaries of today's city.
Prawez quickly recovered from the catastrophic economic and social tremors that shook the western Ottoman Empire after the raids and devastation in Kardjali .
The citizens of Prawez organized a voluntary vigilante group to protect themselves. They granted protection to the people who had fled from Kardzhali .
After the Crimean War of 1856, the residents declined from Pravets among the leaders Iltscho Blagov (Илчо Благов) and Stamen Walkow (Стамен Вълков) against the forced labor on. Despite the repression by the Ottoman authorities, the forced labor was never reintroduced.
During the Bulgarian Revival in 1820 one of the first schools in the area (monastery school - килийно училище) was opened in Pravets. A new church was built in 1853 on the ruins of the church, which was destroyed during the Kardzhali riots. In 1866 the destroyed monastery of St. Todor Tiron (Св. Тодор Тирон) was rebuilt near Pravets.
The Etropol mountain crossing was abandoned as the main transport route. It connected northern Bulgaria with southwestern Bulgaria via the Balkan Mountains. The Midchadow Way (Мидхадов път) was laid out as a replacement in 1866. It represents the new connection from Sofia to Russe and led at Prawez through the Arabakonasch Gorge (Арабаконашкия проход) and the Lekawischka Klisura (Лакавишката клисура). The citizens of Prawez built a number of inns (Prawez-Chpilinski-inns - Правешко-чепилските ханове) on this new road on the northern edge of the village. For several decades, the inns became the main source of income for many of the residents of Prawez.
Wasil Levski founded one of the Bulgarian revolutionary committees ( Ruschid Chodschoolu - революционен комитет "Рушид Ходжоолу") in 1870, which was subsequently one of the most active committees of the internal revolutionary organization (bulgar. The activists of this committee were Tsvetko Walkow (Цветко Вълков), Prodan Zolkow Tabaka (Продан Цолов Табака), Iltscho Tabaka (Илчо Табака) and Saкwo Walkow (Саво Табака). Wassil Levski (" the apostle of freedom ") was twice in the Prawez. Important questions of the liberation movement were discussed here, such as: B. the uprising in Macedonia.
After 1878
The Russo-Turkish war, which led to the end of Ottoman rule over Bulgaria (see Liberation of Bulgaria ), brought about a heavy mountain battle at Prawez on November 10th and 11th, 1877. The attacking Russian troops under General Gurko (Гурко) met the entrenched Turkish troops under Mechmed Ali Pasha. After the troops were ousted from this important strategic position by the Russians, the way to Sofia was clear.
After the end of Ottoman rule (1878), Prawez was the largest village in the area around Botevgrad (formerly Orchanie - Орхание), with a population of 2,273 inhabitants (1881), closely followed by Etropole , Trojan and Teteven . The economy consisted mostly of agriculture and trade. Fruit growing in particular was developed. The Prawezer plum brandy ( Sliwowa ) was known. However, the village gradually fell into disrepair and many residents moved to Botevgrad, the cities of the Danube Plain and Sofia, some also to Dobruja (to Isperich and Dulowo). In 1956 there were only 941 inhabitants.
The personality cult around the communist party leader Todor Schiwkow (1911-1998), who was born here, also radiated into his place of birth and led to his economic recovery and the transformation of the rural village into a socialist industrial small town. The construction of the first Bulgarian computer factory in Pravets (1982) should also be seen in this context. The computers produced there were also called Prawez . The computer factory has been shut down since the mid-1990s.
Perhaps as a result of this personality cult, Prawez received city rights in 1981 - on the occasion of the celebrations for the 1,300th anniversary of Bulgaria. The city coat of arms awarded shows mainly the birthplace of Todor Schiwkow. The city has a different coat of arms today.
Whether the current mayor has a distant relationship with Todor Zhivkov because of the same family name is partly contested and partly claimed by the Bulgarian press.
today
Today the city is home to a campus of City University, Washington and two high schools (language high school, technical high school). The language high school has two English classes, two French classes and one German class per year. From the 8th grade onwards, there is a vocational training subject that is customary for Bulgarian grammar schools (here: hotels, tourist guides). The technical high school specializes in computer systems and computer technology.
Personalities
Most Bulgarians associate the city with computer production and the birthplace of Todor Zhivkov , who ruled the country for 28 years under the leadership of the Bulgarian Communist Party .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sebastokrator was a title that was then comparable to a prince. Originally it was identical to the title Augustus . The title was then devalued more and more in Byzantium and the Bulgarian Empire until it was ultimately just an honorary title.
Web links
- Language high school in Prawez (English)