Koynare
Encyclopedia
Koynare is a town in northern Bulgaria
, part of Cherven Bryag Municipality
, Pleven Province
. It lies on the left bank of the Iskar River
, at one of the river's meanders. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 4,464 inhabitants.
The vicinity of Koynare has been inhabited since the Neolithic
, with remains dating to that period in the Beli Breg and Borishnitsa areas. In Antiquity, that region was settled by the Thracians
: there are ruins of Thracian settlements in the Progon and Novoselski Pat areas and a Thracian warrior grave in the Gruya area. During the Roman Empire
, there was a Roman waystation
north-northeast of the modern town, at the Oescus
–Serdica
and Melta
–Montana
crossroads. With the arrival of the Slavs in the Middle Ages, Koynare was populated by these people, who later became part of the Bulgarian ethnicity
. Medieval Christian burials have been unearthed near Koynare, testifying to the existence of a settlement during the Bulgarian Empire
.
However, Koynare was first mentioned in historical registers in 1516–1517, when it was already part of the Ottoman Empire
. At the time, the town, listed as Koynar, was part of the Nikopol
(Niğbolu) district. In his 1882 study Donau-Bulgarien und der Balkan, Austro–Hungarian geographer Felix Philipp Kanitz
mentions Koynare as a village inhabited by 310 Bulgarian Orthodox
, 130 Muslim Bulgarian (Pomak
) and 70 Roma families. With the Liberation of Bulgaria
in 1878, Koynare became part of the modern Bulgarian state. In 1964, it was proclaimed an urban-type settlement
and 10 years later, in 1974, it acquired town privileges
.
Today, the bulk of the population is Bulgarian Orthodox, belonging to the Byala Slatina
district of the Eparchy of Vratsa
. The town has an Orthodox church called the All Saints Church. In the past, the town had a Muslim Bulgarian population, which in 1893 numbered 446. Some of the Roma people are Protestant
. There are two schools and a kindergarten in Koynare. The economy is traditionally based on agriculture and stock breeding: Koynare was a major producer of sheep cheese (sirene
) until 1944. The town has a small hydroelectrical
power plant and two tailoring companies who produce clothing for export.
Koynare Rocks
in Hero Bay
in Livingston Island, Antarctica is named after Koynare.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, part of Cherven Bryag Municipality
Cherven Bryag Municipality
Cherven Bryag Municipality is a municipality in Pleven Province, northwestern Bulgaria. It is named after its administrative centre - the town of Cherven Bryag. With a population of 30,524, as of December 2009, it is the second largest municipality in the province.The municipality is located by...
, Pleven Province
Pleven Province
Pleven Province is a province located in central northern Bulgaria, bordering the Danube river, Romania and the Bulgarian provinces of Vratsa, Veliko Tarnovo and Lovech. It is divided into 11 subdivisions, called municipalities, that embrace a territory of 4,333.54 km² with a population, as...
. It lies on the left bank of the Iskar River
Iskar
The Iskar is, with a length of 368 km, the longest river that runs solely in Bulgaria, and a tributary of the Danube.The Iskar is formed by three rivers, the Cherni Iskar, Beli Iskar and Levi Iskar , with the source being accepted to be the Prav Iskar, a tributary of the Cherni Iskar...
, at one of the river's meanders. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 4,464 inhabitants.
The vicinity of Koynare has been inhabited since the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
, with remains dating to that period in the Beli Breg and Borishnitsa areas. In Antiquity, that region was settled by the Thracians
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
: there are ruins of Thracian settlements in the Progon and Novoselski Pat areas and a Thracian warrior grave in the Gruya area. During the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, there was a Roman waystation
Mansio
In the Roman Empire, a mansio was an official stopping place on a Roman road, or via, maintained by the central government for the use of officials and those on official business whilst travelling.-Background:The roads which traversed the Ancient World, were later surveyed,...
north-northeast of the modern town, at the Oescus
Oescus
Oescus, or Palatiolon Palatiolum, was an ancient town in Moesia, northwest of the modern Bulgarian city of Pleven, near the village of Gigen. It is a Daco-Moesian toponym. Ptolemy calls it a Triballian town, but it later became Roman...
–Serdica
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
and Melta
Lovech
Lovech is a town in north-central Bulgaria with a population of 36,296 as of February 2011. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The town is located about 150 km northeast from the capital city of Sofia...
–Montana
Montana, Bulgaria
- Elite High Scools :*Foreign Language HS "Petar Bogdan". Emphasis on English and German language proficiency. Recognized and praised for its scholars' academic accomplishments worldwide. http://gpchemont.com/sitegpche/...
crossroads. With the arrival of the Slavs in the Middle Ages, Koynare was populated by these people, who later became part of the Bulgarian ethnicity
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
. Medieval Christian burials have been unearthed near Koynare, testifying to the existence of a settlement during the Bulgarian Empire
Bulgarian Empire
Bulgarian Empire is a term used to describe two periods in the medieval history of Bulgaria, during which it acted as a key regional power in Europe in general and in Southeastern Europe in particular, rivalling Byzantium...
.
However, Koynare was first mentioned in historical registers in 1516–1517, when it was already part of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. At the time, the town, listed as Koynar, was part of the Nikopol
Nikopol, Bulgaria
Nikopol is a town in northern Bulgaria, the administrative center of Nikopol municipality, part of Pleven Province, on the right bank of the Danube river, 4 km downstream from the mouth of the Osam river. It spreads at the foot of steep chalk cliffs along the Danube and up a narrow valley...
(Niğbolu) district. In his 1882 study Donau-Bulgarien und der Balkan, Austro–Hungarian geographer Felix Philipp Kanitz
Felix Philipp Kanitz
Felix Philipp Kanitz was an Austro-Hungarian naturalist, geographer, ethnographer, archaeologist and author of travel notes....
mentions Koynare as a village inhabited by 310 Bulgarian Orthodox
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
, 130 Muslim Bulgarian (Pomak
Pomaks
Pomaks is a term used for a Slavic Muslim population native to some parts of Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. The Pomaks speak Bulgarian as their native language, also referred to in Greece and Turkey as Pomak language, and some are fluent in Turkish,...
) and 70 Roma families. With the Liberation of Bulgaria
Liberation of Bulgaria
In Bulgarian historiography, the term Liberation of Bulgaria is used to denote the events of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 that led to the re-establishment of Bulgarian state with the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878, after the complete conquest of the Second Bulgarian Empire, which...
in 1878, Koynare became part of the modern Bulgarian state. In 1964, it was proclaimed an urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...
and 10 years later, in 1974, it acquired town privileges
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
.
Today, the bulk of the population is Bulgarian Orthodox, belonging to the Byala Slatina
Byala Slatina
Byala Slatina is a town in Northwestern Bulgaria. It is located in Vratsa Province. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 12,433 inhabitants.-External links:*...
district of the Eparchy of Vratsa
Vratsa
Vratsa is a city in northwestern Bulgaria, at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Vratsa Province. As of February 2011, the town has a population of 60,482 inhabitants....
. The town has an Orthodox church called the All Saints Church. In the past, the town had a Muslim Bulgarian population, which in 1893 numbered 446. Some of the Roma people are Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
. There are two schools and a kindergarten in Koynare. The economy is traditionally based on agriculture and stock breeding: Koynare was a major producer of sheep cheese (sirene
Sirene
Sirene/ Sirenje or known as "white brine sirene" .Salads: Shopska salad with tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions and sirene. Ovcharska salad with the above mentioned vegetables, cheese, ham, boiled eggs and olives. Tomatoes with sirene is a traditional light salad during the summer.Eggs:...
) until 1944. The town has a small hydroelectrical
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
power plant and two tailoring companies who produce clothing for export.
Koynare Rocks
Koynare Rocks
Koynare Rocks are a small group of rocks in Hero Bay off the north coast Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica situated northeast of Siddons Point, northwest of Bezmer Point, and south of Miladinovi Islets...
in Hero Bay
Hero Bay
Hero Bay is a 17 mi wide bay, which indents for 6 mi the north side of Livingston Island between Cape Shirreff and Williams Point, in the South Shetland Islands. The name ‘Blythe Bay’, originally applied to a small bay on the southeast side of Desolation Island on Powell's chart of 1822...
in Livingston Island, Antarctica is named after Koynare.