Dorkovo
| Dorkovo | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 Dorkovo
|
|
| Coordinates: 42°03′N 24°08′E / 42.050°N 24.133°ECoordinates: 42°03′N 24°08′E / 42.050°N 24.133°E | |
| Country |
 Bulgaria
|
|
Provinces (Oblast) |
Pazardzhik Province |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Nikolay Kovachev (BSP) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 79.459 km2 (30.679 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 822 m (2,697 ft) |
| Population (2007-01-01) | |
| • Total | 2,955 |
| • Density | 37/km2 (96/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Postal Code | 4641 |
Dorkovo (Bulgarian: Дорково) is a village in the Rakitovo municipality, Pazardzhik Province, western Bulgaria. The population of the village is 2,955.
Dorkovo is situated in the western Rhodope Mountains on the two banks of the river Matnitsa in the north-eastern parts of the Chepino Valley. It is located at the southern foothills of the Karkariya ridge which is part of the Batak Mountain.
The closest settlement is the small town of Kostandovo at only 3 km to the south. Further in southern direction is situated the municipal centre Rakitovo, while Velingrad the largest town in the area is at 14 km to the south-west.
The chitalishte of the village is called St St Cyril and Methodius and was established in 1919 and initially used the edifice of a local cafe. The chitalishte was officially inaugurated in 1927 and moved to its own building in 1928. It was demolished on 3 August 1958 and a new two-storey edifice was constructed by December 1962. It has a cinema saloon with 300 seats, dressing rooms, rehearsal saloon and a modernised library. There are three amateur groups to the chitalishte.
The Ovcharska Pesen (Shepherd's Song) folklore ensemble to the chitalishte was founded in 1971. It consist of an orchestra, dancing group, male and female singing groups. The number of people varies between 45 and 120. The ensemble uses traditional Bulgarian musical instruments from the Rhodopi region - kaval, gaida, davul, goblet drum and tambura.
The medieval fortress of Tsepina is situated to the north-west of the village and can be accessed by a 6-km asphalt road. It was constructed on the cone-like peak of the same name at an altitude of 1,136 m. The fortress was seized by the Byzantine Empire in the 11th century but was liberated by the Bulgarian Empire during the rule of Kaloyan who appointed Despot Alexius Slav as a governor of the Rhodopes but after Kaloyan's death in 1207 Slav became de facto an independent local ruler.
...
Wikipedia