Vievo
Encyclopedia
Vievo is a Pomak village in the Rhodope Mountains
in the Smolyan Province
of Bulgaria
.
During the First Balkan War
, the village was set on fire by the local Bulgarian militia to ethnically cleanse
the Muslim
Turks from the region. The remaining population took refuge in the nearby town of Chepelare
. Most of the old inhabitants died in this town during the winter of 1913. Later former Vievo inhabitants again settled in the village and then dispersed to smaller valleys, tending to settle in a couple of houses clustering together. Some of the names are Cakalova, Planina, and Livada.
Vievo was subject to the Communist regime's name change campaign durıng the 1970s and its huge wooden mosque
was torn down by the communists in 1973.
Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece. Its highest peak, Golyam Perelik , is the seventh highest Bulgarian mountain...
in the Smolyan Province
Smolyan Province
-Religion:The Smolyan province along with the Kardzhali Province is a province where the predominant religion is not Orthodox Christianity but Islam. However, unlike Kardzhali where the majority of the population is Turkish, the Muslim population of the Smolyan province is made up almost entirely...
of Bulgaria
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...
.
During the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
, the village was set on fire by the local Bulgarian militia to ethnically cleanse
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Turks from the region. The remaining population took refuge in the nearby town of Chepelare
Chepelare
Chepelare is a town and ski resort in Smolyan Province in Southern Bulgaria. It is situated in the central part of the Rhodopes, on the banks of Chepelare River. Chepelare is a popular winter resort with one of the longest ski runs in Southeastern Europe. It is located near Pamporovo, one of the...
. Most of the old inhabitants died in this town during the winter of 1913. Later former Vievo inhabitants again settled in the village and then dispersed to smaller valleys, tending to settle in a couple of houses clustering together. Some of the names are Cakalova, Planina, and Livada.
Vievo was subject to the Communist regime's name change campaign durıng the 1970s and its huge wooden mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
was torn down by the communists in 1973.