"A Jewel in the Mountains" Top 5 Page for this destination Koprivshtitsa by ChristinaNest

Koprivshtitsa Travel Guide: 93 reviews and 276 photos

View from hills, old houses - Koprivshtitsa

The town of Koprivshtitsa is situated in a small valley in the mountain of Sredna Gora (meaning Middle Forest). At altitude of 1060m, it’s one of Bulgaria’s highest towns. It is surrounded by round hills, meadows, and pine and beech forests. Sredna Gora’s highest peaks, Bodgan (1604m) and Bunaya (1572m) are nearby. We were told that hiking to Bogdan and back to Koprivshtitsa takes about 3 hours but didn’t have the time.
Koprivshtitsa is very well preserved and is a charming trip back in time. The houses are build in the Bulgarian Revival style: thick stone foundations, brightly coloured walls, intricate woodwork, windows with wooden shutters, frescoes, verandas… The courtyards are green and fragrant with all the plants, there are wells and outer buildings.

Lyotova house; Kableshkov's&Oslekov's houses

The interiors are as impressive as the outside: beautiful fireplaces, colourful carpets and bed covers, fine curtains, wall paintings, intricate carved wood ceilings… Stroll in the narrow cobbled streets and you will see many beautiful houses, monuments, old churches, and graveyards, you will pass many bridges over the little rivers.

Horses, sheep and goats everywhere

Go up the hills and you would reach green meadows over the town and experience great views of the place and the opposite mountain hills. And you will share the view with the many horses, goats, sheep, and cows grazing quietly.
It is believed that Koprivshtitsa was founded in the 15th century by Bulgarian aristocrats running away from the conquering Ottoman Turks. At this time many people moved to the more isolated mountains. Due to the rich pastures and the special privileges the town somehow obtained by the Ottomans Empire, the stock-breeding, crafts and trade flourished. Many stock-breeders, tax-collectors, and artisans became rich, built big houses, and also donated a lot of money to monasteries, schools, etc. Due to the unique spirit and generosity of the people of Koprivshtitsa, many Bulgarian heroes were born there. Every other house brought up a famous writer, teacher, revolutionary… This is where the April Uprising against the Turks starts (April 20, 1876). The Bulgarian revolutionaries were outnumbered and killed by the Ottoman Army and many innocent Bulgarians, including women and children, were massacred, whole villages burnt down… Still news about the Turkish atrocities and cruelty travelled around the world and caused an outcry abroad. Later this led to the Russian-Turkish war, that finally liberated Bulgaria after about 500 years. When the outcome of the war became clear, the runaway Turkish army, once again burnt and looted and massacred Koprivshtitsa. After these tragic moments, the town was liberated on Jan. 10, 1878 (Dec. 29, 1877 old calendar).
Nowadays, some of these houses are turned into museums, where you can learn more about these heroes and benefactors, as well as see the beautiful interiors. Actually the whole town is declared an open-air museum there are almost no modern buildings.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Great historic place surrounded by beautiful nature
Cons:Might be too quiet for city lovers
In a nutshell:Makes me proud to be Bulgarian!

Last visit to Koprivshtitsa: Jun 2006
Intro Updated Aug 9, 2006
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Reviews (9)

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You could say that almost every street and every house is somehow connected with the history of this rebel town. Besides... more travel advice

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Animals Off The Beaten Path (1)

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Uspenie Bogorodichno Church - Koprivshtitsa

Uspenie Bogorodichno Church Things to Do (8)

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Travelogues (4)

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Comments (16)

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jumpingnorman Apr 30, 2009 at 4:02 PM

The old houses are so nice and colourful...yes, it would make u proud to be Bulgarian. I also hear there's a lot of hidden gold in some of the mountains in Bulgaria...and you are #1 country for ROSES!
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TheaIren Mar 6, 2009 at 7:26 AM

Bulgaria is in my wishlist because of Thracian tombs and I would like to visit some interesting places like Koprivshtitsa. Thank you for very nice page !
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margaretvn Jan 25, 2009 at 1:10 AM

Great page with lots of history -I enjoyed it. it is somewhere i know I would enjoy visiting. Thanks for sharing. Got some stamps for you!
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Sininen Dec 31, 2007 at 9:02 AM

Looks really interesting. Well-written page with beautiful photos. Happy New Year!
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scottishvisitor Mar 28, 2007 at 9:40 AM

Interesting housing with great interiors & lots of history - I have never seen a blue Church before - very pretty colour!
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SLLiew Jan 18, 2007 at 8:22 AM

Quite a number of interesting historical houses in one location. Glad that to know that they are preserved for future generations. Historical houses like these in many parts of Asia are rapidly torn down for resort hotels, shopping malls and skyrise.
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christine.j Jan 11, 2007 at 10:21 PM

A very interesting page! I learned a lot about Bulgarian history. And great pictures, too, that's some mouse trap!!
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sourbugger Nov 22, 2006 at 7:49 AM

this was fascinating. a new place to me, but i want to go there now !
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iandsmith Aug 8, 2006 at 11:33 PM

Fascinating and full of detail. Genuine 5 star stuff (despite what others may think). You might have an incorrect date on your intro page (1976?).
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ellielou Aug 1, 2006 at 4:43 PM

this place looks incredible! a possible day trip from Sofia?!? I don't think that I should miss this...and, many thanks for building these pages!