Kochań
|
Kochan Кочан |
|
|---|---|
| Village | |
 |
|
 Kochan
|
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| Coordinates: 41°35′13.38″N 24°1′40.44″E / 41.5870500°N 24.0279000°ECoordinates: 41°35′13.38″N 24°1′40.44″E / 41.5870500°N 24.0279000°E | |
| Country |
 Bulgaria
|
|
Province (Oblast) |
Blagoevgrad |
|
Municipality (Obshtina) |
Satovcha |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Yuri Mollov (CEDB) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 32.783 km2 (12.658 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 961 m (3,153 ft) |
| Population (2010-12-15) | |
| • Total | 2,988 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Postal Code | 2955 |
| Area code(s) | 07545 |
| Car plates | E |
Kochan (Bulgarian: Кочан) is a village in Southwestern Bulgaria. It is located in Satovcha Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province.
The village of Kochan is located in mountainous region in southwestern Bulgaria some 10 km from the border with Greece in the Chech region. The village is surrounded by high peaks, the tallest of which is the Marashova Chuka at 1414 meters in elevation. A small river passes through the village, taking its source from a karst spring several kilometers north of the village.
There are coniferous, deciduous and mixed type forests in the vicinity of Kochan. Birch forests dominate the lowest terrains. The largest birch massif on the Balkans is situated in the vicinity of Kochan. Scots Pine and spruce are characteristic of the most northern parts of the territory of the village.
In the second half of the 20th century, a large portion of the birch forest was cut and the freed land was replanted with pine trees. A century-old birch forest once reached to the northeastern outskirts of the village but was destroyed one-and-a-half to two centuries ago by an extensive wildfire. Nowadays, the remnants of that forest cover the extreme northeastern environs of Kochan.
The village of Kochan has a rich history. The remains of the villages around are dated to 3000 BC. In historical times they were populated by the Thracian tribe of Diobesi or Chaleti and possibly by the Sapaei.
The modern village was founded between 7th and 8th century AD when the local Thracian villages united in the valley of the Kochanska River. The two Roman graves in the outskirts of the village testify for the Roman presence in the village and just three kilometers north of the village are to be found the remains of a Roman settlement. But archeological surveys of the region show that the local inhabitants weren't romanized and their Thracian culture and language persisted well through the 6th–7th century.
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Wikipedia