Beslen ( bg, Беслен) is a village in
Hadzhidimovo Municipality
Hadzhidimovo Municipality ( bg, Община Хаджидимово, ) is situated in the southeastern part of Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. The administrative center is the town of Hadzhidimovo, located in the northern part of th ...
, in
Blagoevgrad Province
Blagoevgrad Province ( bg, област Благоевград, ''oblast Blagoevgrad'' or Благоевградска област, ''Blagoevgradska oblast''), also known as Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia ( bg, Пиринска Маке ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
. It is situated just 2 km from the border with
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
.
Geography
The village is situated on the Beslen ridge of the
Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes (; bg, Родопи, ; el, Ροδόπη, ''Rodopi''; tr, Rodoplar) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in ...
in the most southeastern part of the Hadzhidimovo municipality, 10 km Southeast of the town of Hadzhidimovo, 94 km Southeast of
Blagoevgrad
Blagoevgrad ( bg, Благоевград ) is а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost inhabitants, it is the economic and cultural centre ...
and 145 km South-Southeast of
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
. The terrain is mountainous. The climate is transitional Mediterranean with mountain influence with summer minimum and winter maximum of rainfalls.
History
In the 19th century Beslen was a Muslim village in the
Nevrokop
Gotse Delchev ( bg, Гоце Делчев ), is a town in Gotse Delchev Municipality in Blagoevgrad Province of Bulgaria.
In 1951, the town was renamed after the Bulgarian revolutionary hero Gotse Delchev. It had hitherto been called Nevrok ...
kaza
A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough')
* bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза
* el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also ()
* lad, kaza
, ...
of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. In the book "Ethnography of the
vilayets
A vilayet ( ota, , "province"), also known by various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement initiated b ...
of Adrianople, Monastir and Thessaloniki, published in Istanbul in 1878 and reflecting the male population statistics of 1873, Boslen is referred to as a village with 28 households and 75
Pomak
Pomaks ( bg, Помаци, Pomatsi; el, Πομάκοι, Pomáki; tr, Pomaklar) are Bulgarian-speaking Muslims inhabiting northwestern Turkey, Bulgaria and northeastern Greece. The c. 220,000 strong ethno-confessional minority in Bulgaria is ...
inhabitants.
According to
Stefan Verkovich
Stefan may refer to:
* Stefan (given name)
* Stefan (surname)
* Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname
* Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname
* Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer
* Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...
, by the end of the 19th century, Beslen had a Muslim male population of 110, living in 28 houses. In 1899 the village had a population of 307 inhabitants according to the results of the census of the population of the Ottoman Empire. According to statistics by
Vasil Kanchov
Vasil Kanchov ( bg, Васил Кънчов, Vasil Kanchov) (26 July 1862 – 6 February 1902) was a Bulgarian geographer, ethnographer and politician.
Biography
Vasil Kanchov was born in Vratsa. Upon graduating from High school in Lom, ...
("Macedonia. Ethnography and Statistics") by 1900 Beslen (Baslen) is a Bulgarian-Muslim settlement. It is home to 300 Muslims in 35 houses.
The population is growing from natural growth. There is a slight decrease in the numbers after the migration abroad after 1989 year and the second decade of the 21st century.
* 1934 – 366 people;
* 1946 – 487 people;
* 1956 – 560 people;
* 1965 – 599 people;
* 1975 – 653 people;
* 1985 – 757 people;
* 1992 – 737 people;
* 2001 – 748 people;
* 2011 – 723 people;
* 2018 – 665 people;
Economy and transportation
The agriculture is characterized by animal husbandry and crop production - growing tobacco. There is a cadastral and regulatory plan. The housing fund has been completely renovated. The massive stone walls on both floors and the attic furnaces are typical. The village is electrified, water-supplied, with sewage; much of the street network is paved with asphalt. The village is accessible only by road. It is connected with Hadzhidimovo by busses. There is postal station. The village is provided with land lines and mobile service.
Education
There is a middle school "Gotse Delchev", founded in 1927 as a primary school. It moved to a new building in 1960 and in 1980 it became a middle school. There is also a community centre "Hristo Botev".
Religion
The population is predominantly Muslim. There is a mosque in the village.
Honours
Beslen Island in Antarctica is named after the village of Beslen
References
Villages in Hadzhidimovo Municipality
{{Blagoevgrad-geo-stub