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Leshten ( bg, Лещен) is a mountainous village in Васил Кънчов. „Македония. Етнография и статистика“. София, 1900, стр. 195.
/ref> Nowadays there are only a few local permanent inhabitants, but many of the old houses have been restored and renovated as summerhouses or guest-houses. They were built in the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century in the architectural style typical for this region of the country. Most of the houses have very big terraces, inner courtyards and their own taverns.
The church "St Paraskeva" was built in 1837 and a school, run by the local priest has been added to it. Now the church is recognised as an Architectural and Cultural Monument of local importance. The school building has been converted to a pub, offering local cuisine and drinks.
The village is accessible by bus or by car, but the road is difficult in the winter.
Garmen Municipality
Garmen Municipality ( bg, Община Гърмен) is situated in the southeastern part of Blagoevgrad Province in Southwestern Bulgaria. It is a rural municipality, composed of 16 villages. The administrative center is the village of Garmen, bu ...
, 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 in the Dabrash part 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 ...
, 5 kilometers north of Garmen
Garmen ( bg, Гърмен) is a village in Blagoevgrad Province in Bulgaria and is the seat of Garmen Municipality. It is located in southwestern Bulgaria in the Western Rhodope Mountains in the Chech region 75 kilometers southeast of Blagoevgr ...
, 75 kilometers 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 2 kilometers south of Gorno Dryanovo on the road between Garmen and Kovachevitsa
Kovachevitsa ( bg, Ковачевица; also transliterated ''Kovačevica'') is a village in Garmen Municipality, in Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria.
Geography
The village is situated in the Dabrash part of the Rhodope Mountains in the steep v ...
.
In the early years of the 20th century it was a busy village with more than 500 inhabitants, most of them non-Muslim./ref> Nowadays there are only a few local permanent inhabitants, but many of the old houses have been restored and renovated as summerhouses or guest-houses. They were built in the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century in the architectural style typical for this region of the country. Most of the houses have very big terraces, inner courtyards and their own taverns.
The church "St Paraskeva" was built in 1837 and a school, run by the local priest has been added to it. Now the church is recognised as an Architectural and Cultural Monument of local importance. The school building has been converted to a pub, offering local cuisine and drinks.
The village is accessible by bus or by car, but the road is difficult in the winter.
References
Villages in Blagoevgrad Province {{Blagoevgrad-geo-stub