Petrich ( ) is a town in Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria, located in Sandanski–Petrich Valley at the foot of the Belasica Mountains in the Strumeshnitsa Valley. According to the 2021 census, the town has 26,778 inhabitants.

The Middle Ages

The Petrich region was annexed to the Bulgarian state in 837 as a result of the war of the Bulgarian Khan Presian against Byzantium. At the end of the 10th and the beginning of the 11th century, the lands around Petrich occupied an important military-strategic place in Samuel's state. In 1014, not far from today's town, in the so-called Kleidion gorge, a decisive battle took place between the Bulgarian troops led by Tsar Samuel and the troops of the Byzantine Emperor Basil II. The ruins of Samuel's fortress still remind of the blinding of the captured 14,000 Bulgarian soldiers. For this act the Byzantine emperor Basil II received the nickname "the Bulgar Slayer".

During the period XII - XIV century Petrich became a strong fortress - part of the fortification system in southwestern Bulgaria. This is evidenced by the remains of the medieval fortress Gyaur Kalesi, around which the city originally arose. At least in the XIII - XIV century the city consists of two parts - a fortress, i.e. fortified city core and unfortified outer city, but with entrance-exit arteries guarded by towers.

Petrich was first mentioned in written sources in the deeds of the Serbian magnates Jovan Dragaš and Konstantin Dragaš, who in 1376 - 1377 donated local properties to the Russian monastery "St. Pantaleimon" in Mount Athos.

The town fell under Ottoman rule after 1395, when together with its surroundings it was included in the Kyustendil Sanjak as a center of independent Nahiyah.

In the Ottoman Empire

During the years of Ottoman rule, Petrich acquired a Muslim appearance. The Bulgarians fled to the opposite Ograzhden mountain to stay away from the arbitrariness of the Turks. The Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi visited Petrich in 1652 and reported that the palanquin had 240 not very well-developed houses with gardens. There are all two neighborhoods with a mosque, a chapel, two inns and only one bathroom. The center is a kaaza with 80 villages. There are 50 shops, which suggests the level of crafts and trade.

Revival struggles

During the Bulgarian National Revival, Petrich rose to a new life. It fueled a stubborn struggle against Greekism to impose the Bulgarian language in schools and the church. In 1855 a Bulgarian monk from Hilendar was appointed a teacher in the town, who, seeing that no one in Petrich spoke Greek, began teaching in Bulgarian, but was soon dismissed. After 1856 Pancho Popmihov opened a private school, where he taught Greek and Bulgarian. In 1857, with the labor and funds of the entire Christian population of the city, the Church of the Assumption was built. A service in Greek was introduced in the temple, and a Greek school was opened in its yard. It is housed in the house of Ivan Popmanolev, donated by his wife to the Church of the Assumption.

By virtue of the San Stefano Peace Treaty of 1878, the city entered the borders of liberated Bulgaria. According to the clauses of the Berlin Treaty, Petrich was returned to the Ottoman Empire, where it remained until 1912.

In 1882, the school opened its doors, with Kocho Mavrodiev becoming the head teacher in the city. He made great contributions to the development of Bulgarian cultural and educational work in Petrich and the Petrich region. He was the founder of the class and girls' school in the city. On his initiative, on May 11, 1889, the holiday of Slavic writing was celebrated for the first time.

Economy

The town is an agricultural centre for fruit, vegetables and tobacco. It has three factories, making water level detectors, details for cranes and a furniture factory.

Broadcasting station

Transmitter Petrich is located at , about northeast of the town center and north of Novo Konomladi village. It is a 500 kW mediumwave broadcasting station working on 747 kHz. The antenna is a tall guyed mast insulated against ground and equipped with an additional cage antenna. The mast was built in 1977.

International relations

; Twin towns – Sister cities

  • Serres, Greece

<gallery>

Image:Gr Petrich curkva Sv Bogorodica.jpg|"St Bogoroditsa" Church

Image:Petrich STA50132.JPG|Central Petrich

Image:Petrich01.jpg|Petrich and Belasica

Image:Gr Petrich nosht 1.jpg|Petrich at night

Image:Gr Petrich i gr Sandanski - pogled ot planina Belasica.jpg|Petrich and Pirin Mountains

Image:Gr Petrich kushtata na baba Vanga v grada.jpg|The house of Vanga in Petrich

</gallery>

References

  • Petrich.bg
  • Petrich, information and photos
  • Petrich municipality at Domino.bg
  • Guide to Petrich municipality &ndash; cities, villages, regions