ABOUT RAZLOG
Razlog (13 403 inhabitants, 825 m above sea level) is located in the so called Razlojka valley, in the “hug” of 3 mountains –
Rila to the north,
Pirin to the south, and the
Rhodopes to the east. It is intimately hugged between two hills –Golak to the north and Sarovitza to the south. Nearby flows the
Mesta River. The town of Razlog is 155 km away from
Sofia, 53 km southwest of
Blagoevgrad, 141 km southwest of
Plovdiv and 6 km north of
Bansko.
HISTORY
The past of Razlog was to a great extent predetermined by its central location. The first known settlers to live in these places were the Thracian tribes Satri and Dii, and later the Celts and Slavs. The accession of Razlog to the Bulgarian State took place in 847 during the time of khan Pressijan, and its subjugation by the Turks in 1382. As a name Razlog was mentioned in the Charter of the Byzantine emperor Vassillii II from 1019. The remains of an early Christian basilica (4-th century) near Razlog and the ruins of many churches and sacred places from the Middle ages and from the period of the Ottoman domination testify for the heroic struggle of the Christian population in defending their faith. After the Berlin treaty Razlog remained under Turkish domination. Its public-spirited population actively participated in the combat for the Bulgarian Enlightenment, independent church and national liberation. The most turbulent events during the Kressnensko-Razlojko 1878 and Ilindensko-Preobrajensko 1903 uprisings in the Pirin region developed here. The town was known under the name Mehomia until 1925.
LANDMARKS
The sightseeing tour of Razlog is a pleasant and interesting experience. 41 residential houses of the revival architectural style, of the Razlog-Chepino house type have the qualities of monuments of culture. They are mostly at Macedonia square and in Vuzrajdane Street. The house of
Parapunov at Macedonia square (5 minutes away from the central square) functions as a Museum of History. At the ethnographic museum complex
House of Kipev old crafts and wild variety of folk costumes and textiles from the region are exhibited. The old church
“St. Georgi” from 1834 outwardly is not attractive but the murals and the wooden paneled iconostasis decorated with icons and partially with woodcarving have a high artistic value. The comparatively new church
“The Holy Annunciation” from 1939 is a very imposing building whose painting still goes on. The
Laundry whirlpool at river
Iazo (10 minutes west of the town center) is attractive and is being used even now. With the mediation of the museum curator, workshops and houses of craftsmen can be visited such as weavers, knitters and creative artists – modern followers of the traditions in artistic lime molding, wood and textile processing.
SURROUNDING AREAS
The middle location of Razlog makes it a starting point for two mountains –
Rila and
Pirin. To
Rila one can set out along a marked trail from
Predela saddle distanced at 12 km where all buses with destinations to
Blagoevgrad and
Sofia stop. One can set out from the nearby village Bachevo (6 km to the north) to the chalets Macedonia and Chakalitza, but the trails are not marked. In the vicinity of Razlog there are interesting natural sights and archaeological remains, situated in picturesque places, worth visiting.
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