Ovoshtnik
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Ovoshtnik
Овощник | |
|---|---|
  Ovoshtnik Location of Ovoshtnik in Bulgaria | |
| Coordinates: 42°34′45″N 25°26′53″E / 42.57917°N 25.44806°E | |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Province (Oblast) | Stara Zagora |
| Municipality | Kazanlak |
| Elevation | 330 m (1,080 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,911 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 6138 |
| Area code | 0431 |
Ovoshtnik (Овощник) is a village in southern Bulgaria. [1] It is part of Kazanlak Municipality, Stara Zagora Province, and lies about 6 km south-east of the town of Kazanlak.[2]
Ovoshtnik lies in the eastern part of the Kazanlak Valley, at the foot of the Balkan Mountains. To the south the village borders the lands of Kanchevo, with the Tundzha river forming the natural boundary; to the west it borders Rozovo and Kazanlak, with the bed of the Stara reka stream serving as the limit; to the north it borders Dolno and Sredno Izvorovo along the ridge of a hill called "Kara kos"; and to the east it adjoins the lands of Cherganovo.[1]
The altitude of the village is around 330 m, and the bed of the Tundzha river runs close to its southern outskirts; for most of the year the river is shallow there, but because of the proximity of the Balkan Mountains its level changes quickly during rainy weather, and in spring it carries considerable water.[1] The construction of the "Georgi Dimitrov" reservoir in the 1950s tamed the irregular character of the river.[1]
The geological structure of the area, related to the fault character of the Kazanlak Valley, is reflected in the hot mineral springs that emerge near the village.[3]
History and name
Until 1900 the name of the village was Imishleri or Emishleri.[1] Variant historical and foreign-language spellings recorded for the settlement include Esekpi, Esekli and Owoschtnik.[4]
According to local sources, an original hot spring known as the "Topliya izvor" (Warm Spring) was already in use in Roman times.[2] The municipal mineral baths were inaugurated in 1935, when the local administration, together with the Kazanlak Labour Inspectorate, organised free balneological treatment for workers, with the mayor providing free transport and the Inspectorate paying for the bath tickets, on the express condition that workers attended outside their working hours.[5]
Administration
Mineral springs and tourism
Two thermal springs with a high fluorine content rise within the lands of Ovoshtnik.[1] The village is well known for these mineral springs, whose average temperature is around 50 °C.[7] The waters are used in the treatment of disorders of the musculoskeletal system, neuroses and other conditions.[5]
The deposit, also known as the "Kazanlak Mineral Baths", is similar in character to the neighbouring deposits of Pavel Banya and Yagoda, with thermal waters formed in a fractured granite weathering zone overlain by sandy-clay sediments 150 to over 600 m thick.[2] The "Ovoshtnik Mineral Bath" facility is owned by Kazanlak Municipality and is located within the lands of the village; in 2017 the bath was completely refurbished and now has 2 pools, 24 mineral-water showers and 44 individual basins.[2]
About 7 km from Kazanlak, the village is also home to the "Waterland" aqua park, which stretches over an area of 20,000 m² near the springs that feed all the pools and contains four water slides, five pools (one with artificial waves and an area of 1,600 m², two for children), three water bars and two jacuzzis.[8]
In 2015 the village gained its own aqua park, and at the end of 2022 the Kings' Valley Medical & Spa Hotel opened, becoming the first five-star hotel in the village and only the second in the whole of Kazanlak Municipality.[9] A civilian airfield is situated immediately next to the five-star hotel and the municipal bath, from which private flights with small aircraft are operated, including for recreational sports.[9] This is the Kalvacha airfield, located close to the village.[1]
