Zheravna village

Overview

Zѐravna is a village in southeastern Bulgaria. It is located in Kotel municipality, Sliven district. Zheravna is a world architectural monument. The population of Zheravna as of 2015 is 406 people.

The village of Zheravna is located in the middle part of the Eastern Stara Planina on the territory of Kotel Municipality. The Zheravna region has a very well-defined road network. Zheravna is located in a convenient place for travel, 32 km from the road junction "Petolachkata", on the road Sofia - Bourgas. The distances to the cities of Sliven, Burgas, Varna and Sofia are 48, 110, 184 and 333 km respectively.

The territory of Zheravna covers an area of ​​5000 m² with an average altitude of 650 m. The relief is clearly mountainous, with an intermountain valley crossed by wooded hills. The highest place, which is located 6 km west of the village, is Razboyna peak - 1128 m above sea level. The natural resources of Zheravna are mostly bizarre rock formations, mysterious cave complexes, clear karst springs, diverse flora and fauna. The soils of the Zheravna land are mostly brown forest. Zheravna is rich in water resources. The springs and rivers are fed by rain and snow. All the waters that flow through the Zheravna valley make up a large part of the Luda Kamchia river basin. No mineral deposits have been discovered in Zheravna.

Zheravna is rich in forest vegetation. Both deciduous and coniferous vegetation are widespread. The game variety is great - wild boar, roe deer, red deer, jackal, wolf, rabbits, quails, partridges and others.

The climate in Zheravna is characterized as typically mountainous with early autumn, late spring and quite harsh winters. The average annual air temperature is 10 ° C, with the highest temperatures in July - 21.2 ° C, and the lowest in January: 2 ° C. Spring comes late, the average daily air temperature stays above 10 ° C. Zheravna falls in an area with a relatively favorable humidity regime, with an annual rainfall higher than the national average. This climatic region is quite quiet - 57.5% of the days in the year are windless, the prevailing winds blow from west-northwest and have a relatively low speed - from 1 to 3 m / sec. Winter winds are the strongest and reach an average maximum speed of 3.3 m / sec. The air is clean and dry. The environment of Zheravna can be defined as an ecologically clean area. There are no industrial enterprises in the village that pollute the air and water. In addition, Zheravna is far from major industrial cities and centers.

The village of Zheravna is located at the foot of the middle part of the Eastern Stara Planina. Once upon a time there was an old Thracian settlement called Potuk (and in modern times there is a place above Zheravna called "Potka"). There are several versions about the origin of the name: one is that it comes from the bird, which is very implausible because cranes never land in the area; the other - from "zherna", "zherka", "zherkov" - words with an Old Slavic root meaning mill. This version is more plausible, as there were many mills in the area. In the recent past, Zheravna was called Zheruna, which after the Liberation gradually passed into Zheravna.

Crafts, animal husbandry and trade developed here. The village became rich in the 17th century because it was on the important road to Tarnovgrad. The rooms of the houses have carved ceilings and exquisite applications on the doors, windows and iconostasis. Everything is covered with fabrics from this area and also with the remarkable Kotlen carpets. Today the old school has been turned into a gallery, and many shops, fountains and old inns have been preserved. There used to be woodcarving schools in the village.

According to the legends, Zheravna was ruined by the Kurds twice - in 1797 and 1800. Historians, such as Vera Mutafchieva, question the double ruin in such a short time. According to Ottoman documents, in the autumn of 1804 the village was captured by the former Gyumyurjin ayan Suleiman Tokatjikli, who joined the Kardzhali, and fortified it there for a short time.

The village offers good opportunities for recreation and tourism - in recent years, several new guest houses have been built, offering good conditions for tourists. Conditions for horse riding are also created. The horse base is located near the house of Nikula Chorbadji.

Every year Zheravna is visited by about 20 thousand tourists. Public buildings include: museum houses - 3; church with Hilendarski convent - 1; art gallery - 1; library / community center - 1; health center - 1; kindergarten - 1; town hall and post office - 1; Hadji Wolf's Inn - 1; Dimchovo Cafe - 1; Old fauna - 1; carpentry workshop at the National Institute and cultural monuments - 1.

St. Nicholas Church. It was built in 1834. It was originally painted by master painters Yordan Mikhailovich from the town of Elena and Georgi and Gencho from Tryavna. The painting began on May 6, 1833 and ended on December 20, 1840. Today, a rich exposition of icons, stone sculptures and church utensils is arranged next to the church. The icons date from the second half of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. They are the work of authors from the Tryavna school and unknown authors worked in the early medieval tradition. Liturgical books from the second half of the 18th century have also been preserved. Today the church is a functioning church.

According to information from tourist guides as of 2011 in the village of Zheravna there are 34 registered guest houses with a total capacity of 250 beds. Most houses were built during the Renaissance, but have been restored and offer comfortable accommodation - typical of the Bulgarian village of Zheravna, but in line with modern requirements and habits of tourists.

Zheravna is a world architectural monument. Nearly 200 houses with the status of cultural monuments have been preserved, each of them is 150 to 300 years old. During the Revival the village of Zheravna became a significant cultural center. The Hilendar Convent was established, in which the Hilendar monks stayed and conducted educational activities. One of them is Yosif Hilendarski - author of "Teaching to read books". The second transcript of Paisii's History was made in Zheravna. The village took an active part in the April Uprising.

The development of this original cultural and economic rise of the village is sealed in the local museums: House of Sava Filaretov; The birth house of Yordan Yovkov; The church "St. Nikolai ”; The old class school - now a picture gallery; The house of Rusi Chorbadji. Outside Zheravna you can visit: the town of Kotel - the Natural History Museum; Galatan School; Corpe House; Museum of the Kotel Revivalists; Medven village - Zahariy Stoyanov House Museum and the Blue Pool area.

Zheravna is also famous for its numerous fountains. Numerous springs gush in the vicinity, most of which are inserted in the spouts of fountains (Krincha, Starcha, Zaykovka).