Bistritsa is a sparsely inhabited mountainous dispersed village in Blagoevgrad Municipality, 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. The village consists of 42 neighborhoods. It is situated in

Rila Rila ( bg, Рила, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila–Rhodope Mountains, Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Mus ...

mountain 9 kilometers east of Blagoevgrad. The Bistritsa river flows through the village.

History

Оn the territory of today's Bistritsa lived Thracians, before the new era, Romans 1 - 4 century AD, Slavs and Proto-Bulgarians. This is supported by evidence. Some coins minted during the reign of the emperors ( Tiberius,

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

, Constans and Constantius II) were found in tnear the village. In addition, during excavations around the former summer camp "Septemvriyche" were found late ancient fortress, church, building bricks, stone balls, iron locks, nails, staples. They are dated to the Thracian-Roman era.

Population

By 1900, according to Vasil Kanchov ("Macedonia. Ethnography and Statistics"), the population of the village numbered 1540 people, of whom 1300 were Bulgarian Christians and 240 Vlachs. Population according to the censuses over the years:Information for the population of the village of Bistritsa, municipality Blagoevgrad, region Blagoevgrad

Economy and transportation

Most of the population is not economically active. There aren't any major economical subjects in the village. There is a municipal asphalt road connecting the village with Blagoevgrad, but most of the neighborhoods are connected with unpaved roads.

Institutions

The only institution in the village is the mayor's office. There aren't any educational or medical institutions. The school is not functioning and its building is ruined.

Religion

There are nine Christian Orthodox churches and chapels in Bistrica. The Church of St. George dates back to 1861, and the Church of St. John the Forerunner in the Dabovo area dates back to 1872. The church of St Demetrius is in the central part of the village and is built also in the end of XIX century.

References

Villages in Blagoevgrad Province {{Blagoevgrad-geo-stub