Samokov
| Samokov (Самоков) | |||
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| Basic data | |||
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| State : |
 Bulgaria
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| Oblast : | Sofia | ||
| Residents : | 25,382 (December 31, 2016) | ||
| Coordinates : | 42 ° 20 ' N , 23 ° 33' E | ||
| Height : | 950 m | ||
| Postal code : | 2000 | ||
| Telephone code : | (+359) 0722 | ||
| License plate : | CO | ||
| administration | |||
| Mayor : | Vladimir Georgiev | ||
| Website : | www.samokov.net | ||
Samokow [ ˈsamokof ] (also written Samokov , Bulgarian Самоков ) is a city in western Bulgaria . It is located 50 km south of Sofia in the Sofia Oblast . The mountain health resort Borovets is 10 km further south in the Rila Mountains . Samokow is the administrative center of the Samokow municipality .
history
Samokov developed from the small village of Vlaichewo (Влайчево), which has existed on the slopes of the Rila Mountains since the 12th century. The place developed faster than the surrounding villages because of the early extraction of iron ore.
The name of the town suggests a hammer forge ("Samo" - yourself, alone; "kow" - hammer, annealing furnace, smithy; stem "Kowatsch" - blacksmith).
After the conquest of Bosnia (1463) by the Ottoman Empire (Bulgaria was conquered as early as 1396), a caravan route was established between Sarajevo and Constantinople via Pristina , Skopje , Kyustendil , Samokow and Pazardzhik . The caravan road then met the "Great Army Road", the Via Militaris, at Pazardzhik .
During the Bulgarian Revival , Samokov was the training center of a carving school of the same name that was famous throughout the Balkan Peninsula. In the Bulgarian-Greek church struggle for an independent Bulgarian Orthodox Church , the inhabitants of Samokow were one of the first to remove the Greek priests for the Easter service in 1829. They demanded that the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople hold services in Bulgarian and that Bulgarians occupy the clergy . For this they had also proposed an ordination of local candidates, including Neofit Rilski . In response, however, the Constantinople Patriarch sent them again Greeks.
Samokov has been a center of iron production for the past 200 years. With the newly introduced hammer smiths and bellows to use the abundant water energy, the original name of the village Vlaitschewo changed to Wlaitschewo Samokow (hammer smith Wlaitschewo) and later to big hammer smithy (Голям Самоков - Goljam Samokokow) and finally.
The city has given its name to the Samokov Knoll , a hill on Livingston Island in Antarctica , since 2005 .
geography
Geographical location
Samokow is located on the northern slope of the Rila Mountains. The basin of Samokow lies between the mountains Rila (in the south), Plana, Vitoscha (in the north), Werila , Ichtimanska Sredna Gora (in the area of the city of Ichtiman ). The Iskar River with its numerous tributaries from the surrounding mountains flows through the valley basin . The valley basin extends over an area of 185 km² and has an irregular, two-part shape - the western basin (Palakarijska basin) and the eastern basin (Iskar basin).
climate
The climate is temperate continental and is influenced by the neighboring high mountains (Rila). Because of the location between mountains in a valley basin, the summers are not very hot and the winters are relatively mild but long. The mountains prevent strong storms and heavy snowfalls. The duration of the sun's rays is relatively long and fog almost never occurs.
Water resources
The basin of Samokow is very rich in water. It is drained into the Iskar. The main tributaries of the Iskar are the White Iskar and the Black Iskar with their numerous smaller tributaries (Palakarija, Schipotschaniza).
economy
The proximity of the municipality of Samokow to the capital Sofia and its traditions in trade , handicrafts and industrial production gave the region's economic development a solid base. The international tourist complexes Borovets and Maljowitsa and the Balneological Center Beltschin Bani also contributed to the economic development of the region (hotel industry - 12% of companies in the Samokov municipality).
In January 2001, 3136 companies were registered in the Samokov municipality, 99.75% of which were small and medium-sized enterprises - manufacturing industry ( textile , metal , wood ), hotel industry. The number of established large companies (with over 100 employees) fell from 19 (1997) to 7 (2004). There are medium-sized enterprises (50 to 100 employees) that have emerged particularly from the shrinkage of the large companies. Despite their small number, the medium-sized and large companies account for a significant proportion of the jobs and gross domestic production in the county.
tourism
The favorable geographical location with the surrounding mountains and the climate favor tourism. The Rila National Park in the central Rila massif is the largest Bulgarian nature reserve. Borovets is the main center of tourism in the Samokov municipality and has international significance. All kinds of winter sports can be practiced there. There are 26 hotels, as well as villa settlements and villas with a total of 4200 beds in the Borovets health resort. Other tourist centers with development potential are the Maljowiza complex, the area around the village of Gowedarzi, the village of Mala Zarkwa and the village of Beli Iskar.
There are six hotels (2 and 3 stars) with 120 beds and one motel in the town of Samokov.
See also: synagogue
Art school
The artists of the Samokov School (today: Samokov Art School of the “20th Century”) were the leaders during the Bulgarian Revival in the 18th century . Her works are preserved in numerous churches and monasteries in Bulgaria and Macedonia ( icon painting, carvings, engravings). The founder of the Samokov Art School was the icon painter Christo Dimitrov (Bulgarian Христо Димитров). After training in Athos and Vienna , he worked in Macedonia and the Bulgarian western regions . His two sons Dimitar Christow (Bulgarian Димитър Христов, 1795–1860) and Sachari Christow (Bulgarian Захари Христов, 1810–1853, created many icons and wall paintings in the monasteries of the Batschkowo Monastery , Rilaen , Trojan , and Preobrazhensky monasteries ). Together with his son-in-law Kosta Waljow (Bulgar. Коста Вальов) they created significant wall paintings in the Rila monastery.
Dimitar Christow's four sons also became famous painters. Most famous was his son Stanislaw Dospewski (Bulgarian Станислав Доспевски, 1823–1878), who was the first Bulgarian artist to receive academic training. He was best known for portraits from the period of the Bulgarian Revival. Other well-known representatives of the Samokow Art School were Ivan Obrasopisow (Bulgar. Иван Образописов, 1795–1854) and Nikola Obrasopisow (Bulgar. Dimitar and Peter (Сотир, Иван, Никола, Димитър и Петър), Christ Mischew (bulg. Христо Мишев), anatase Karastojanow (Анастас Карастоянов), the brothers Zachary and Vasil Popradoijkowi (bulg. Захари и Васил Попрадойкови) Kosta Gerow (bulg . Коста Геров), Mikhail Belstoynev (bulg. Михаил Белстойнев) and many others. Kosta Waljow, Iwan Obrasopisow and Christo Jowewitsch were also involved in furnishing the Bairakli mosque .
sons and daughters of the town
- Christo Dimitrov (1745–1819), icon painter
- Assen Karastoyanov (1893–1976), composer
- Vladimir Brejchev (* 1958), ski jumper
- Petar Popangelow (* 1959), ski racer
- Jordanka Fandakowa (* 1962), educator and politician; Mayor of Sofia since 2010
- Krassimir Widenow (* 1968), biathlete
- Iwa Karagjosowa (* 1971), biathlete
- Georgi Kassabow (* 1978), biathlete
- Kiril Wassilew (* 1985), biathlete
- Krassimir Anew (* 1987), biathlete
- Miroslaw Kenanow (* 1988), biathlete
- Wladimir Sografski (* 1993), ski jumper
