Oborishte ( bg, Оборище) is a village located in the Panagyurishte municipality, Pazardzhik Province, western

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 relatively large for the region and has 1,307 inhabitants. Its name until 1950 was ''Mechka'' (Мечка), which in Bulgarian means "

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

Geography

The village is situated in the mountain of Sredna Gora. The surrounding country is hilly, covered with forests of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

and

fir Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...

in which mushrooms are particularly abundant in the late summer and autumn. There are several micro dams located to the south and southwest of the village as well as a large dam to the north in which the refuse waters of

Asarel Medet Asarel Medet ( bg, Асарел Медет) is an enormous copper extracting and processing factory located at 11 km to the northwest of the town of Panagyurishte in the Pazardzhik Province, Bulgaria. It consists of two main factories: Medet w ...

are accumulated. The road between Panagyurishte and

Vakarel Vakarel ( bg, Вакарел) is a village, away from Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Population: 1984 people. It is situated in the Sredna Gora mountains, within Ihtiman Municipality. The village is an important transport knot along the Sofia ...

passes through the village. Settlements nearby include the town of Panagyurishte at 9 km to the east and the villages of Poibrene at 9 km to the west and Muhovo at 17 km to the south. The main occupation of the population is agriculture.

Barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...

and

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found i ...

s are among the most common crops to be raised in the surrounding areas. The villagers grow flowers, orchards and vegetables in their gardens. Livestock is by far dominated by

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...

s and

hen Hen commonly refers to a female animal: a female chicken, other gallinaceous bird, any type of bird in general, or a lobster. It is also a slang term for a woman. Hen or Hens may also refer to: Places Norway *Hen, Buskerud, a village in Ringer ...

s. Many locals work in the large copper plant Asarel.

History

The modern name of the village comes from the locality of the same name at 3 km to the east where in April 1876 was held the Grand National Assembly. The decision for the April Uprising was made there. The deputy from Mechka was Dimitar Pavlov. However, there was a traitor among the deputies and the uprising broke out prematurely and was crushed by the Ottoman authorities. Many of the surrounding villages and Panagyurishte were burned to the ground.

Culture

The main landmark is the 19th century church and its renewed bell-tower in which the

national hero The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...

Vasil Levski had allegedly hidden. There is also a large elementary school. On the central square rises the Town hall and the local '' Chitalishte'' (a kind of library) which is among the oldest in the region.

Traditions

Every year there are celebrations held on 1 and 2 May at the Oborishte locality to commemorate the First Grand National Assembly. The event is attended by people from all over the region but mainly from Panagyurishte. There is a small monument erected on the meadow where the assembly was held with the names of all deputies but the name of the traitor was erased. The traditional custom

Kukeri Kukeri ( bg, кукери; singular: kuker, кукер) are elaborately costumed Bulgarian men, who perform traditional rituals intended to scare away evil spirits. This Bulgarian tradition has been practiced since Thracian times and is of a Thr ...

is performed annually on the main square and is called by the locals ''Dzhumal'' (''Джумал'').

External links

Radion and television in Oborishte

Notes

{{Coord, 42, 31, N, 24, 04, E, region:BG_type:city, display=title Villages in Pazardzhik Province