Vrav
Encyclopedia
Vrav is a village in northwestern Bulgaria
, part of Bregovo
municipality, Vidin Province
. Located on the right bank of the Danube
at the place where the Timok River
empties into it, Vrav is the northernmost populated place in Bulgaria and the first Bulgarian port
along the Danube's course. The village has a Vlach population and lies 30 kilometres from the provincial capital Vidin
and 12 kilometres from Bregovo.
As of 2008, the village has a population of 423. and the mayor is Sofroni Nikov. Vrav is situated at 44°11′N 22°44′E, at an elevation
of 42 metres above mean sea level
.
Vrav lies opposite the Romania
n village Gârla Mare
in Mehedinţi County
, to which the residents of Vrav are related through kinship ties. The area is known for its characteristic horo dance
. The locals are part of the ethnographic group of the "wet Vlachs" (мокри власи, mokri vlasi), known as such because they live at the confluence of the Timok and the Danube, to contrast them with the "bushy Vlachs" (рунтави власи, runtavi vlasi) of the mountains to the southwest along the Serbia
n border. The population is Eastern Orthodox
and speaks an old Romanian dialect
or "Vlach language" alongside Bulgarian. According to some researchers, the Vlachs came to those areas in the 18th century. They declare themselves to be Bulgarians
, however, as the 2001 census recorded only 155 Vlachs
and 16 Romanians
in the entirety of Vidin Province.
There are some Ancient Roman
ruins near the village, presumably part of the Danubian limes
: to the west was the Roman post of Dorticum and to the east was what the locals call chetate (cetate, "fortress"). Vrav already existed in the early 18th century, as it was marked on Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli
's map of the area of 1711. According to semi-legendary evidence, the village was founded by seven refugee families from the Banat
, with the remainder of the population coming from the surrounding Vlach villages in Serbia and Romania. Its old name was Kosheritse, but as the locals moved it to a hilltop, they changed the name accordingly. In 1900, the village had a population of 1,974 and in 1926: 2,178.
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 Bregovo
Bregovo
Bregovo is a town in the very northwest of Bulgaria, situated on the east bank of the Timok River close to its mouth. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Bregovo Municipality, Vidin Province. The town is located close to the city of Vidin near the national border crossings with...
municipality, Vidin Province
Vidin Province
Vidin Province is the northwesternmost province of Bulgaria. It borders Serbia to the west and Romania to the northeast. Its administrative centre is the city of Vidin on the Danube river. The area is divided into 11 municipalities...
. Located on the right bank of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
at the place where the Timok River
Timok River
The Timok is a river in eastern Serbia and for the last 15 km of its run a border between eastern Serbia and western Bulgaria.It derives the names in all these from the name it had in antiquity, Latin: Timacus....
empties into it, Vrav is the northernmost populated place in Bulgaria and the first Bulgarian port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
along the Danube's course. The village has a Vlach population and lies 30 kilometres from the provincial capital Vidin
Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
and 12 kilometres from Bregovo.
As of 2008, the village has a population of 423. and the mayor is Sofroni Nikov. Vrav is situated at 44°11′N 22°44′E, at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 42 metres above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
.
Vrav lies opposite the Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n village Gârla Mare
Gârla Mare, Mehedinti
Gârla Mare is a commune located in Mehedinţi County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Gârla Mare. It also included Vrata village until 2004, when it was split off to form Vrata Commune.-References:...
in Mehedinţi County
Mehedinti County
Mehedinţi is a county of Romania. It is mostly located in the historical province of Oltenia, with one municipality and three communes located in the Banat...
, to which the residents of Vrav are related through kinship ties. The area is known for its characteristic horo dance
Bulgarian dances
Bulgarian folk dances are intimately related to the music of Bulgaria. This distinctive feature of Balkan folk music is the asymmetrical meter, built up around various combinations of 'quick' and 'slow' beats...
. The locals are part of the ethnographic group of the "wet Vlachs" (мокри власи, mokri vlasi), known as such because they live at the confluence of the Timok and the Danube, to contrast them with the "bushy Vlachs" (рунтави власи, runtavi vlasi) of the mountains to the southwest along the Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n border. The population is Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
and speaks an old Romanian dialect
Varieties of the Romanian language
The Romanian subdialects are the several varieties of the Romanian language, more specifically of its Daco-Romanian dialect. All linguists seem to agree on classifying the subdialects into two types, northern and southern, but further taxonomy is less clear, so that the number of subdialects...
or "Vlach language" alongside Bulgarian. According to some researchers, the Vlachs came to those areas in the 18th century. They declare themselves to be Bulgarians
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:...
, however, as the 2001 census recorded only 155 Vlachs
Vlachs
Vlach is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. English variations on the name include: Walla, Wlachs, Wallachs, Vlahs, Olahs or Ulahs...
and 16 Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
in the entirety of Vidin Province.
There are some Ancient Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
ruins near the village, presumably part of the Danubian limes
Limes
A limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire.The Latin noun limes had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields, a boundary line or marker, any road or path, any channel, such as a stream channel, or any...
: to the west was the Roman post of Dorticum and to the east was what the locals call chetate (cetate, "fortress"). Vrav already existed in the early 18th century, as it was marked on Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli
Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli
Count Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli , was an Italian soldier and naturalist.He was born in Bologna. He was a member of an old patrician family and was educated in accordance with his rank...
's map of the area of 1711. According to semi-legendary evidence, the village was founded by seven refugee families from the Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
, with the remainder of the population coming from the surrounding Vlach villages in Serbia and Romania. Its old name was Kosheritse, but as the locals moved it to a hilltop, they changed the name accordingly. In 1900, the village had a population of 1,974 and in 1926: 2,178.