Dunavtsi, Stara Zagora Province
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Dunavtsi
Дунавци | |
|---|---|
  Dunavtsi Location of Dunavtsi in Bulgaria | |
| Coordinates: 42°39′14″N 25°17′53″E / 42.654°N 25.298°E | |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Province (Oblast) | Stara Zagora |
| Municipality | Kazanlak |
| Population | |
• Total | 750 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 6145 |
| Area code | 0431 |
Dunavtsi (Дунавци) is a village in southern Bulgaria, part of Kazanlak Municipality in Stara Zagora Province. It lies about 10 km west of the town of Kazanlak, at the foot of the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina), and has a station on the Sub-Balkan railway line from Sofia to Burgas.[1][2]
Dunavtsi lies at the foot of the central Balkan Mountains, in the western part of the Kazanlak Valley, with the Koprinka Reservoir situated to the south. The Beykena river flows through the village, while orchards and rose plantations cover its surrounding lands.[2][3]
The Thracian site of Seuthopolis, the ancient capital of King Seuthes III now submerged in the Koprinka Reservoir, lies only about 200 m from one bank of the lake within the lands of the village; the Valley of the Thracian Rulers, including the Goliama Kosmatka tomb and other Thracian monuments, lies in the same area.[3]
The village's altitude lies in the range of 300 to 499 m above sea level. [1] It is registered under EKATTE code 24075 and uses the postal code 6145.[1] According to its mayor's office, Dunavtsi has around 750 inhabitants and around 250 houses.[3]
Name
The original name of the settlement was Baslii (Баслии) or Bahaslii, after the bey Baasăl who held authority over the locality during the Ottoman period.[2][3] According to local tradition, the present name comes from a humorous remark made at a wedding shortly after the Liberation of Bulgaria: as the muddy and unpaved streets of the village made the wedding party filthy, a best man from northern Bulgaria exclaimed that the village must have been flooded by the Danube (Bulgarian: Dunav), to be so muddy. The local population subsequently adopted the name "Dunavtsi" (literally "people from the Danube") for their settlement.[2]
Administration
Dunavtsi is an independent kmetstvo (mayoralty) within Kazanlak Municipality, comprising only the village itself.[1] The mayor's office is registered in the Bulgarian administrative register as a town hall under Kazanlak Municipality, headed by mayor Doncho Gunev.[4]
In February 2024, the mayor of Kazanlak Municipality, Galina Stoyanova, presented her management programme for the 2023–2027 mandate to residents of Dunavtsi. Four main priorities were set out: redesigning the parks south and north of the village centre, replacing all street lighting, refurbishing the ritual hall with new equipment, and converting the kindergarten building, after public consultation, into an old people's home.[5]
In August 2025, large-scale repairs of the road and street infrastructure were under way in the village, including resurfacing of "Zornitsa" Street and the central square; the works were directed on the ground by mayor Doncho Gunev.[6]
Sights
At the centre of the village stands a sculptural composition titled "Dunavtsi", depicting the spring of two rivers merging into one, alongside a memorial plaque commemorating those of its inhabitants who fell in the First Balkan War, the First World War and the Second World War.[2]
The village's Bulgarian Orthodox church is dedicated to St Demetrius (Sveti Dimităr). Its icons were painted in 1908 by the prominent Mijak icon painter from Debar, Hristo Blagoev, who served as priest in the village from 1908 until his death in 1947.[2]
Culture
The community cultural centre (chitalishte) of the village is named Svetlina – 1904 ("Light – 1904"). It was founded on 22 February 1904 on the initiative of the local teacher Mincho Lilov; its early activities focused on the literacy of the population and on lending books, earning it the local nickname of "study-loving society". [7] A dedicated chitalishte building with hall and library was built between 1922 and 1923 with funds raised by the chitalishte and through the participation of the entire village; the chitalishte's statute was approved on 26 June 1925, and a new building with a large hall, modern stage and equipment was opened in 1969. The library currently holds around 10,200 volumes.[7]
The chitalishte hosts a male vocal group, a women's choir, a variety ensemble, a dance group, and a kukeri troupe described as the largest in the municipality and a recipient of national and international awards. [7] Each year on Sirni Zagovezni, the local population takes part in the traditional Bulgarian masquerade ritual of the kukeri, a practice for which the village's troupe has earned regional recognition.[2]
The village fair (praznik na seloto) is held on 26 October, the feast of St Demetrius (Dimitrovden); the celebrations bring together all residents of the village, with the chitalishte and mayoralty organising music, dance and traditional horo on the central square.[2][8]
History
In a 1924 description of 47 settlements in the then Kazanlak district published in issue 1 of the newspaper Kazanlăshka Iskra, the local writer Petăr Topuzov described Dunavtsi as a "small but well-ordered village", and noted that the contractor for the extension of the building of the "Iskra" cultural society in Kazanlak came from this village.[9]
