Pernik
(Bulgarian: Перник) is
a city in western Bulgaria (about 20 kilometres (12 miles) south-west of Sofia)
with a population of 80,191 as of 2011. It is the main city of Pernik Province
and lies on both banks of the Struma River in the Pernik Valley between the
Viskyar, Vitosha and Golo Bardo mountains.
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 name Pernik is thought to have originated
from that of Slavic god Perun with the Slavic placename suffix –nik (or –ik)
added, and was first mentioned in the 9th century. 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 city 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 city every January. Pernik has two football
teams, PFC Minyor Pernik and FC Metalurg.
Pernik is
the second largest town in western Bulgaria. The town is located in the Pernik
Valley at an altitude between 700 and 850 metres (2,297 and 2,789 feet), length
of 22 kilometres (14 miles) 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 290 km
(180 mi). The total area is 28,863 acres (11,680 ha). Pernik is situated southwest of
the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. The territory of the town has many major roads,
including European route E79, which connects Central Europe and Greece. 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.
In the 4th
century the Thracians built a fortress there. There is a rich collection of
archaeological findings that evidence the existence of a Thracian 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 theritory of Pernik lives Thracian tribe
of Agrianes. The author mentions them in describing tells about the march of
King Odrysaean Sitalk against Macedonia in 429 BC. Other Thracian tribes in the
area were graeite and ileitis. Their main city is called Adeva (Adeβa), on whose ruins was built Pernik.
A wonderful
exhibition of relieves 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. This name was first mentioned in the 9th century. It is
associated with the Slavic god Perun - the God of thunder and lightning. 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, (popularly known as the Bulgar-slayer) to Serdika.
After long fighting, Krakra causing 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. Bouth 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 Krakra fortress is the only one, which is not defeated by Byzantines and
the only way to keep the life of Bulgarians is to surrender in peace. Today
Pernik Fortress is one of the largest historic landmarks.
Today, the
fortress is one of the greatest historical sites of the city. In the time of
the Ottoman occupation Pernik lost its significance as a fortress because it
was located deep in the interior of the Empire. In the city 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 (0.62
miles) 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.
(bron: wikipedia)