Pernik


Pernik is a town in western Bulgaria with a population of 70,285. Pernik is the most populated town in western Bulgaria after Sofia. It is the main town of Pernik Province and lies on both banks of the Struma River in the Pernik Valley between the Golo Bardo Mountain, Vitosha Mountain, Lyulin and Viskyar mountains.
Pernik is the principal town of Pernik Province – a province in western Bulgaria, which is next to the Serbian border.
Originally the site of a Thracian fortress founded in the 4th century BC, and later a Roman settlement, Pernik became part of the Bulgarian Empire in the early 9th century as an important fortress. The medieval town was a key Bulgarian stronghold during Bulgarian tsar Samuil's wars against the Byzantine Empire in the 11th century, when it was governed by the local noble Krakra of Pernik, withstanding Byzantine sieges a number of times.
From 1396 until 1878 the town was under Ottoman rule. In the 20th century Pernik developed rapidly as a centre for coal mining and heavy industry. During the Communist rule of Bulgaria it was called Dimitrovo between 1949 and 1962 after Bulgarian Communist leader Georgi Dimitrov.
The Surva International Festival of the Masquerade Games is held in the town every January. Surva is an International Kukeri Festival in Pernik, Bulgaria and is one of the biggest masquerade festival on the Balkans and Eastern Europe. It is held in the last three days of January each year.
Economically Pernik is an industrial town. Industry is of vital importance for the economy of the province. Pernik is the major manufacturing centre, one of the largest in the country with the Stomana steel complex; heavy machinery ; brown coals, building materials and textiles being the most important. Near Pernik there is an enormous plant for heavy machinery in smaller town Radomir which produces excavators and industrial equipment, but is currently not working at full capacity.
Pernik has two football teams, PFC Minyor Pernik and FC Metalurg Pernik.

Etymology

The name Pernik is thought to have originated from that of Slavic god of thunder and lightning Perun or from a local boyar named Perin + the Slavic placename suffix –nik added, and was first mentioned in the 9th century.

Geography

Pernik is the second largest town in western Bulgaria. The town is located in the Pernik Valley. part of the ethnographic region of Graovo, at an altitude between, length of and is surrounded by mountains Vitosha, Lyulin and Golo Bardo. Through the city flows the river Struma, which rises from Cherni Vrah – one of the largest rivers in the country with a total length of 2,290 over sea level. The total area is. Pernik is situated southwest of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. The territory of the town has many major roads, including Pan-European Corridor VIII and Pan-European Corridor IV – European route E79 /with Struma motorway and Lyulin motorway/, which connects Central Europe and Greece. Pernik has five railway stations and railway stops. The town lies close to one of the oldest trade routes in the Balkans, which ran from Sofia to Dubrovnik, via Skopje, Pristina, Sarajevo and Mostar.

Climate

Pernik is in moderate-continental climate zone. Climatic conditions are influenced by the relatively high altitude – 750 m, but also by the fact that Pernik is in between mountains, which creates a specific micro-climate. Spring comes relatively late – in late March and early April. The average spring temperature is. Summer seasonal average temperature is about. The hottest month is July – an average monthly temperature. The absolute maximum temperature is. Autumn is warmer than spring, with seasonal average temperature of.

History

Pernik is a successor of a medieval town of an unknown name, falsely named Krakra.
In the 4th century, the Thracians built a fortress there. There is a rich collection of archaeological findings that evidence the existence of a settlement in the late Neolithic. The richest collection of pottery in the Central Balkans dates from that time. It is kept in the Historical Museum.
The ancient Greek historian Thucydides wrote that in the territory of Pernik lives the Thracian tribe of Agrianes. The author mentions them in describing tells about the march of the Odrysaean King Sitalces against Macedonia in 429 BC. Other Thracian tribes in the area were granite and ileitis. Their main city is called Adeva, on whose ruins was built Pernik.
A wonderful exhibition of reliefs and sculptures is kept there, dedicated to the health-giving gods Asclepius and Hygieia, held in reverence in this region because of the presence of mineral springs.
Bulgarians took advantage of the fortified spot and built one of the mightiest Bulgarian strongholds — Pernik. At the beginning of the 11th century the settlement was a fortress, impenetrable to the Byzantines. It was the seat of the legendary governor Krakra of Pernik, who played an important role in the time of the First Bulgarian Empire. In 1004, he bravely defended their fortress and several times stop the offensive of the Byzantine Emperor Basil II to Serdika. After long fighting, Krakra caused severe damage to the Byzantine army and forced them to withdraw from his area.
In 1016 Basil II again try to attack Pernik. After 88-day siege and numerous losses Byzantine Emperor was forced to withdraw. The legend remains that the blood from the Byzantine warriors was so much, that the rocks at the foot of the fortress of Pernik become red. From there came the name of the place around – Bloody.
In 1017 Krakra gathered a great army combined Pechenegs. Both army forces were preparing to strike at Byzantium to liberate the lands between the Danube and the Stara Planina from Byzantine invaders.
The politics of Constantinople bribe Pechenegs and they break up the union with Bulgarians.
After the death of Tsar Ivan Vladislav in 1018, who left no apparent heirs to the throne, Krakra successfully negotiated with the Byzantines.
Today Pernik Fortress is one of the largest historic landmarks.
In the time of the Ottoman occupation Pernik lost its significance as a fortress because it was located deep in the interior.
In the town had not settled any other ethnic groups, except Bulgarians and the population lives relatively calm in recent centuries.
Until after the Liberation of Bulgaria Pernik was a small stockbreeding village, consisting of several scattered hamlets.
The beginning of Pernik's modern history is set in the 20th century with the development of the rich coal-beds of the region. According to some scientists, the existence of coal was already known in the 10th and 11th centuries. Before their industrial exploitation started, the local people dug it up with picks and shovels and transported coal with carts and wheelbarrows. Pernik's rapid development is associated with the large shipments of coal to the capital city, intended for household needs and for the railroad transport. Until then, coal for the railroads and the river and sea steamboats was delivered from as far as Cardiff in the United Kingdom.
As the first miners' quarters were built on the terraces of the Struma River, the beginning of the miners' settlement of Pernik was set, one kilometre to the east of the village of the same name. It is a town since 1929, and since 1958 — a regional centre. The coal output reached its apogee at that time. Pernik has been an energy centre of Bulgaria for a few decades.

Population

According to the 2021 census, Pernik has population of 70,285 people.

Downtown

Downtown area of Pernik has been improving in recent years under the new local leadership.

Ethnic, linguistic and religious composition

According to the 2011 census data, the individuals who declared their ethnic identity were distributed as follows:
  • Bulgarians: 73,063
  • Gypsies: 1,709
  • Turks: 78
  • Others: 183
  • Indefinable: 218
  • *Undeclared: 4,940
Total: 80,191
There is not very large concentration of Gypsies within the city limits as the Gypsies are 1,709 in the city and 1,781 in the municipality, while the Bulgarians are 73,063 in the city and 88,831 in the municipality.
The Eastern Orthodox Christian is the predominant religion.

Landmarks

  • Palace of Culture – Pernik – urban theater halls, orchestras, library, ensembles for folk songs and dances and more.
  • Regional History Museum – Pernik
  • Underground Mining Museum – Pernik
  • Krakra's fortress – stronghold
  • Duhlata cave – the longest in Bulgaria. Duhlata – with input from the southern slopes of Vitosha Mountain is the longest cave in Bulgaria and deep 53 meters. A complex multi labyrinth system located on 6 floors.
  • Necropolis archaeological Thracian tribe Agrianes from 8th to 4th centuries BC – about 20 km south of Pernik to Struma motorway near the village of Dren. Necropolis was discovered in early 2012 during the excavation of the highway. Unique necropolis discovered in archaeological finds of gold Thracian treasure from breastplates, earrings, hairpins, jewelry and articles of silver and amber, which are stored in the Historical Museum of Pernik. Thracian sanctuary is included in the ranking "The Wonders of Bulgaria" 2013.
  • Mountain Golo Bardo, immediately above city Pernik. Golo Bardo separating Pernik and Radomir valleys, in which the nature reserve "Ostritsa".
  • Holy water area – karst spring "Living Water" is near Vitosha village Bosnek. From his fountain of happiness, according to tradition of the 17th century, drank only the righteous, "but sinners refused."
  • Nature Reserve "Ostritsa" is located on the slopes of Mount Ostritza in Golo Bardo Mountain. It is among the oldest protected areas in Bulgaria.
  • "Nightingale" hut in Golo Bardo, just above the city.
  • Sacred pit of Garlo – is an archaeological site located near the village of Garlo in Pernik District.
  • Lyulin Mountain to the north of Pernik. Come on the road to the villages Divotino and Liulin. Mountainside is located Divotinski Monastery "Holy Trinity".
  • Church of "St. John of Rila" – Pernik
  • Church "St. George" – str. "Cherkovna", district "Stoneware"
  • Church "St. Prophet Elijah" – neighborhood "Moshino"
  • Church "Saint Nicholas" – neighborhood "Church"
  • Church "Assumption" /"Uspenie Bogorodichno"/ – neighborhood "Iztok" /"East"/
  • Monastery "St. George the Conqueror" – neighborhood "White Water" /"Bela Voda"/
  • Monastery "St. Petka" – neighborhood "Kalkas"
  • Monastery "St. Panteleimon" – the area in the lung hospital in Golo Bardo mountain
  • Church "St. Spas" – neighborhood "Varos" at the foot of the fortress area Obrochishte
  • St. Peter & Pavel Monastery, Odranitza.