Koprinka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Koprinka
Копринка | |
|---|---|
  Koprinka Location of Koprinka in Bulgaria | |
| Coordinates: 42°37′37″N 25°20′17″E / 42.627°N 25.338°E | |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Province (Oblast) | Stara Zagora |
| Municipality | Kazanlak |
| Population | |
• Total | 2,492 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 6137 |
| Area code | 0431 |
Koprinka (Копринка) is a village in southern Bulgaria, part of Kazanlak Municipality in Stara Zagora Province. It lies in the central part of the Kazanlak Valley, about 5 to 6 km west of the town of Kazanlak, on the southern slope of the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) and along the upper course of the Tundzha river. Koprinka is the largest village in Kazanlak Municipality by population.[1][2]
The village gives its name to the Koprinka Reservoir on the Tundzha river, immediately west of the settlement, which inundated the Thracian capital city of Seuthopolis when it was filled in 1948.[3]
Koprinka lies on the southern slope of the central Balkan Mountains, on the upper course of the Tundzha river, in the western part of the Kazanlak Valley. [4] The Koprinka Reservoir, also known as the "Georgi Dimitrov" reservoir, lies immediately to the west of the village.[4]
The village's altitude lies in the range of 300 to 499 m above sea level. [1] It is registered under EKATTE code 38563 and uses the postal code 6137. [1] Its population is 2,492, the largest of any village in Kazanlak Municipality.[2]
Name
Until 1934 the village bore the Turkish name Dyulberlii or Dyulberlü (Дюлберлии / Dülberli, "of the beautiful place"). [4] Following Royal Decree of the same year, it was renamed Koprinka, after the Bulgarian word for silk (koprina), reflecting the area's traditional sericulture (silkworm-rearing) industry, which dates from the early 19th century.[4]
History
Antiquity: Seuthopolis
Just west of the modern village, on a now-submerged terrace at the confluence of the Tundzha and the Goliama rivers, lay the Thracian city of Seuthopolis, the capital of the Odrysian kingdom under Seuthes III in the late 4th century BC. [3] The site was discovered in 1948 during preparatory works for the construction of what is now the Koprinka Reservoir, and was excavated between 1948 and 1954 by Dimitar P. Dimitrov and a team of Bulgarian archaeologists, including Maria Chichikova and Lyuba Ognenova. [3][5] Of approximately 5 hectares (50 decares), the city had a regular Hippodamian street grid, fortification walls and an acropolis with the royal palace. [3] Following the conclusion of the excavations, the site was inundated when the reservoir was filled in 1954, and now lies under approximately 20 m of water.[5]
In the 21st century, architect Zheko Tilev developed a project to make Seuthopolis once again accessible by erecting a circular dam around the submerged ruins; presented in 2005 and updated in subsequent years, the project would create an artificial island accessible from the shore by a pontoon bridge or a cable car, but as of 2022 it had not been implemented for lack of public funding.[5]
Bulgarian Revival and 19th century
Koprinka is among the oldest villages in the Kazanlak area, with finds from Roman and Byzantine times scattered around its lands. [4] The first village school was established in 1850, and a community cultural centre (chitalishte) named Probuda 1869 was founded in 1869, making it one of the oldest in the Kazanlak area. [4][6]
Administration
Koprinka 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 Galina Petrova.[7]
Sights
Koprinka Reservoir and Seuthopolis
Koprinka Reservoir, located immediately west of the village on the Tundzha river, was completed in the late 1940s and has a capacity of around 134 million cubic metres. [3] The reservoir is used for irrigation and recreation; the surrounding area is a tourist destination, with rest houses, fishing facilities and footpaths. The submerged ruins of Seuthopolis lie under its waters near the village.[5]
Goliamata Kosmatka mound
The Goliamata Kosmatka tumulus, one of the most important monuments of the Valley of the Thracian Rulers, is located in the area between Koprinka and the village of Shipka. The mound was excavated in 2004 by a team led by Georgi Kitov, and contained the rich tomb and treasure attributed to King Seuthes III; the finds, including a bronze portrait head of the king, are now housed in the Iskra Museum of History in Kazanlak.[5]
Education
The village is home to the basic school "Hristo Botev", a successor of the cell school established in Koprinka in 1850. [8]
Culture
The community cultural centre (chitalishte) of Koprinka, Probuda 1869, is one of the oldest in the country. The chitalishte hosts a folklore singing group "Koprinena pesen" ("Silken Song"), an authentic-folklore group, a children's school of folk dances and a school of art for children, and maintains a library. [6] An ethnographic collection presenting the everyday life and customs of the village is also part of the chitalishte's activities.[6]
The chitalishte holds the regional festival of folk songs and dances "Sveti Kosma i Damyan" (Saints Cosmas and Damian), which has the status of a national festival. [6] The chitalishte's amateur groups participate every year in the Rose Festival of Kazanlak.[6]
